9.3.3 Child Death Overview Panel - Membership |
Contents
Panel Membership
The CDOP will have a permanent core membership drawn from the key organisations represented on the Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire Safeguarding Children Boards. Other members may be co-opted to contribute to the discussion of certain types of death when they occur.
Core Members (Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire)
- Directors of Public Health or representative
- Coroners or Coroners’ Officers
- Consultant Paediatrician (SUDI Paediatrician)
- Children’s Social Care
- Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit
- Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children and Young People
- Midwifery
- Bereavement Counsellor
- Lay Representative
- Legal Services
Additional and Ad Hoc Members
Consideration shall be given to including any or all of the following along with others identified at the time as standing or co-opted members, particularly when specific issues are identified that require more specialist input:
- Emergency Department medical/nursing staff
- Primary Care
- Other paediatric input, either hospital or community based, or relevant paediatric sub-specialities
- Obstetric staff
- Other police representatives including accident investigators
- Fire services
- Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriage
- Education
- Ambulance/paramedic services
- Paediatric pathologist
- CAMHS
- Adult Mental Health
- Voluntary agencies eg FSID, Child Bereavement Trust, NSPCC
- Alcohol and Drugs representatives
The Role of Core CDOP Members
1. Public Health
The Public Health representative can:
- Provide the Panel with information on epidemiological and health surveillance data.
- Assist the Panel in strategies for data collection and analysis.
- Assist the Panel in evaluating patterns and trends in relation to child deaths and in learning lessons for preventative work.
- Inform the Panel of public health initiatives to support child health.
- Advise the Panel on the development and implementation of public health prevention activities and programmes.
2. Coroner or Coroner’s Officer
The Coroner or Coroner’s Officer can:
- Provide the Panel with information on the status and outcome of the Coroner’s investigation into an unexpected child death and explanation of the determined manner and cause of death.
- Provide the Panel with information from the autopsy and other investigations.
- Advise the Panel on the coronial processes, including appropriate governing legislation.
- Assisting in the development and implementation of strategies to improve the investigation of unexpected childhood deaths.
3. Paediatrician
The Paediatrician can:
- Provide the Panel with information on the health of the child and other family members, including any general health issues, child development and health services provided to the child or family.
- Help the Panel interpret medical information relating to the child’s death, including offering opinions on medical evidence; providing a medical explanation and interpretation of the circumstances surround a child’s death.
- Assist with interpreting the autopsy findings and results of medical investigations.
- Advise the Panel on medical issues, including child injuries and causes of child deaths, medical terminology, concepts and practices.
- Provide feedback and support to medical practitioners involved in individual case management.
- Liaise with other health professionals and agencies.
4. Children’s Social Care
The Children’s Social Care representative can:
- Provide the Panel with information on any social care involvement with the child and family, including any child protection procedures.
- Provide the Panel with information on other children in the home and any previous reports of neglect or abuse.
- Help the Panel to evaluate issues relating to the family and social environment and circumstances surrounding the death.
- Advise the Panel on children’s rights and welfare, and on appropriate legislation and guidance relating to children.
- Identify cases that may require a further child protection investigation, or a Serious Case Review.
- Liaise with other Local Authority services.
- Provide feedback to Social Workers and other Local Authority staff involved in individual case management.
5. Police
The police representative can:
- Provide the Panel with information on the status of any criminal investigation.
- Provide the Panel with information on the criminal histories of family members and suspects.
- Identify cases that may require a further police investigation.
- Provide the Panel with expertise on law enforcement practices including investigations, interviews and evidence collection.
- Help the Panel evaluation any issues of public risk arising out of the review of individual deaths.
- Liaise with other police departments, and the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Feedback to police officers involved in individual case management.
6. Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children
The Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children can:
- Provide the Panel with information on the health of the child and other family members, including primary care services provided to the child and family.
- Help the Panel to evaluate health issues relating to the circumstances of the child’s death.
- Advise the Panel on nursing practices that may have had a bearing on the child’s health or well-being.
- Assist the Panel in developing appropriate preventive strategies.
- Liaise with other nursing and allied health professionals.
- Provide feedback and support to nursing colleagues involved in individual case management.
7. Midwifery
The midwifery representative can:
- Provide the Panel with information relating to antenatal and perinatal case and support for the child and mother.
- Advise the Panel on issues around antenatal and perinatal care.
- Help the Panel to evaluate perinatal deaths.
- Advise on any preventive strategies involving antenatal care or support.
- Liaise with other midwifery and obstetric colleagues.
- Provide feedback and support to midwifery and obstetric colleagues involved in individual case management.
8. Legal Representative
The legal representative can:
- Advise the Panel on legal implications of case management issues.
- Supervise legal information required in the review process.
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