Child Fatality Review

Origins of the Child Fatality Review

In Texas, more than 4,000 children die annually and no single agency tracks their deaths or assesses the circumstances surrounding the death that is sudden and unexpected. Unfortunately, the circumstances frequently determine the cause of an unexpected death. Until recently, there has been no system for coordination and communication among agencies that have a piece of the puzzle, and this limits our knowledge about the causes of death in our children.

In 1992, Tarrant County was selected to participate in the first pilot project overseen by the Children’s Justice Act Grant Project, a federal grant project administered by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Two years prior to the beginning development of other teams and three years prior to the first legislation, Tarrant County had embarked upon a new horizon. The multi-disciplinary approach to the investigation of the death of a child. Since 1992, the Tarrant County Team has gained momentum and is now considered the benchmark for Texas Child Fatality Review Teams. By the middle of 1994, all three counties represented in the Medical Examiner’s District were included into the review process.