Agenda item

Designated Nurse, Safeguarding Children of City & Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group to be heard.

Members heard a presentation of the City & Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) relative to the Child Death Review System for Waltham Forest, East London, City and Hackney.

Members were informed that there is a statutory responsibility for the CCG to review the death of every child since 2008. These investigations aim to develop an understanding of the circumstances of the death and the modifiable factors in order to prevent future deaths. Investigations require a Joint Agency Response (JAR), involving hospitals, the local authority, social care and police. The Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) oversees the review process, along with a designated child death doctor. Key workers are linked with each family and are the enduring point-of-contact throughout the review process. In the event that the death is suspicious or unexplained, police are connected with family.

In response to questions from Members regarding the qualifications of members of the panel and key works, it was noted that CDOP members have background in public health, and key workers have training in bereavement support.

Members recommended that as it had been a number of years since a child death occurred in The City, Officers should carry out a practice exercise of process for reporting a child death to ensure all systems are adequately functioning.

RESOLVED, that – the presentation be received and its contents noted.