Kansas child death review board tells committee child fatalities remain above U.S. average, urges law and protocol changes

Sarah Hortonstein, executive director of the Kansas State Child Death Review Board, told the Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care that Kansas' child death rates remain higher than the national average and detailed findings and policy recommendations from the board's 2025 annual report.

Hortonstein said Kansas recorded 361 child fatalities in 2023 and that, over a five-year period from 2019 to 2023, the board reviewed 1,824 child deaths. She said 54 percent of those deaths were classified as natural, 20 percent as unintentional injury, 7 percent as homicide and 7 percent as suicide, with the remaining 12 percent undetermined. "This work is not about assigning blame, but about understanding patterns, identifying risks, and making evidence-based recommendations to strengthen prevention efforts," Hortonstein said.

Why it matters: the board reported that preventable deaths were concentrated among children known to the child welfare system. Of the 677 child fatalities reviewed that involved prior child protective services history, 37 percent had CPS involvement overall, rising to 54 percent when nonnatural deaths are…