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Child fatality review team cites system gaps; community child protection team recommends targeted interventions
Summary
Local fatality review and child-protection teams reviewed last year’s deaths and several active child-welfare cases and recommended targeted interventions, referrals and system-level requests to state agencies.
The Union County Child Fatality Prevention Team and the county’s Community Child Protection Team reported quarterly reviews and made recommendations aimed at preventing future child deaths and improving responses to active, high-complexity child-welfare cases.
The child fatality team reviewed deaths from the prior calendar year during the quarterly meeting and reported 19 child deaths under age 18 for the period examined. Team members summarized leading causes: perinatal conditions and birth defects accounted for the majority of infant deaths; accidental injury and medical conditions figured among child deaths. The team’s recommendations included early intervention for substance-use and maternal risks, referral of infants discharged from neonatal intensive care to Caremark follow-up, reminders about flotation device use near water, and a formal request submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to reassess signage and roadway safety at a location tied to multiple accidents.
The county’s Community Child Protection Team examined three active Department of Social Services (DSS) cases. One case involved a severe supervisory lapse resulting in an injury; the team recommended an assessment of the guardian and in-home supports for the child. A second case included multiple CPS reports and allegations related in part to human-trafficking concerns and caregiving strain; the team recommended exploring alternative housing and school settings for the children. The third case involved an 11-year-old admitted for homicidal ideation, intellectual disability, and lack of insurance; the team coordinated referrals to autism and behavioral-health providers, Medicaid eligibility review and multiple specialty providers and urged the state to address limited availability of services for youth with dual diagnoses.
Why it matters: Team members said detailed multidisciplinary review enables the county to identify preventable factors and recommend system and program improvements. Officials noted rising complexity in cases and limited local services for mental-health and dual-diagnosis youth.
Ending: Staff told the board they will convey systemic recommendations to state-level partners where appropriate and continue multidisciplinary reviews to inform prevention and intervention work.
