Chatham County child fatality prevention team to focus on preventable deaths; commissioners approve annual report

Chatham County health and social services leaders presented the annual Community Child Protection Team and Child Fatality Prevention Team (CFPT) report June 16 and the Board of Commissioners voted to approve the report.

Jenny Christiansen, director of social services, and Mike Zelleck, health director, told the board the report summarizes 2024 activity, recent state legislative changes and recommendations for improving child welfare and fatality prevention.

Key points from the report and discussion - Legislative changes: State changes enacted in the 2023 Appropriations Act shift some reporting and review requirements; local teams must now focus reviews on preventable child fatalities. A national fatality review case reporting system will take effect next January and local teams must participate. - Structure and schedule: The CFPT chose to remain a single‑county team (rather than forming a district team) and will continue to hold four meetings annually although the statutory requirement was reduced to two. - Casework and scope: In the prior year, Social Services accepted about 281 reports of abuse and neglect representing roughly 600 children; the local review team reviews a small number of families per meeting. In 2024 the CFPT reviewed nine child fatalities; roughly two‑thirds of those were determined by the team to be unpreventable. - Patterns and recommendations: Common system issues identified across reviewed cases include parental substance use, domestic violence, juvenile justice involvement, unmet behavioral health needs, dental care gaps and housing instability. The team recommended: (1) address housing problems with targeted vouchers or other options to prevent removal or facilitate reunification; (2) require improved coordination across DHHS divisions for children with behavioral health needs; and (3) enhance and expand training for the child welfare workforce, including strategies to reduce secondary traumatic stress. - Local programs and successes: The team used modest new state funding to purchase car seats and support a car seat safety check program that served 162 families in 2024; the county budget will include an additional $5,000 next year to expand that work. Chatham launched a foster care prevention program (HomeBuilders), evaluated but did not adopt STARTS (sobriety treatment and recovery teams) at this time, and rolled out a Success Coach program that provides post‑permanency supports regardless of exit type (reunification, adoption, guardianship). - Child advocacy center feasibility: Christiansen explained the multi‑year process to stand up a child advocacy center (CAC), including multidisciplinary team requirements, clinical services access and accreditation steps. The team has visited five CACs and recommended starting small, pursuing a two‑year development path and exploring sustainable funding beyond scarce grant dollars.

Board action and follow up The commission voted to accept the CFPT annual report. Commissioners asked who determines whether a death is "preventable"; Christiansen said local multidisciplinary review and medical review provide additional clinical context and that when in doubt the team will review a case. Commissioners and staff discussed funding origins for increased state appropriations and how the new national case reporting system will change local reporting.

Speakers - Jenny Christiansen, Director, Social Services (government) - Mike Zelleck, Health Director (government)

Authorities - North Carolina 2023 Appropriations Act (referenced for statutory changes to CFPT operations)

Actions - Motion: Approve the annual Community Child Protection Team and Child Fatality Prevention Team reports for 2024. - Mover/Second: not specified in transcript - Outcome: Approved (voice vote: "All in favor? Aye. Motion carries.")

Clarifying details - Reports reviewed: 9 child fatalities reviewed for calendar year 2024; team reviews occur at least annually and will focus on preventable fatalities under new state guidance. - Car seat program: served 162 families in 2024; county will add $5,000 next year to support expansion.

Community relevance - Geographies: Chatham County. - Impact groups: children, families involved with child welfare, caregivers, foster families.

Meeting context - Engagement level: significant presentation with policy and programmatic recommendations; commissioners asked questions about definitions and funding sources. - Implementation risk: medium — many recommendations depend on state funding or cross‑agency coordination.

Searchable tags ["child fatality","child welfare","CFPT","car seats","Chatham County"]

Salience {"overall":0.72,"overall_justification":"Covers child fatalities, system recommendations, and programming with direct implications for child safety and county services.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Directly affects county child welfare systems and services.","attention_level":"high"}

Sections {"lede":"Chatham County health and social services officials presented the county's annual child fatality prevention team report June 16 and the Board of Commissioners voted to approve it.","nut_graf":"The report describes state legislative changes that require local teams to focus reviews on preventable child fatalities, identifies recurring system gaps such as housing and behavioral health, and recommends changes including expanded workforce training and cross‑division coordination. The county will add $5,000 to support the car seat safety program in the next fiscal year.","ending":"Staff will implement agreed follow‑ups and return as the national fatality reporting system is rolled out; commissioners asked staff to keep them informed about funding and the timeline for a potential local child advocacy center."}