Section 28-5100. REVIEW OF CASES BY CHILD FATALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE

 

5100.1The Child Fatality Review Committee Establishment Act of 2001 (D.C. Law 14-02) the Child Fatality Review Committee ("Committee") shall conduct reviews of the deaths of children who meet the criteria of Section 4605 of the Child Fatality Review Committee Establishment Act of 2001 (D.C. Law 14-28) D.C. Official Code § 4-1371.05 (2001).

 

5100.2The Committee shall have the discretion to determine the manner of review of cases, including the use of any of the approaches listed below:

 

(a)Multidisciplinary/multi-agency reviews of individual fatalities;

 

(b)Multidisciplinary/multi-agency reviews of clusters of fatalities identified by special category or characteristic;

 

(c)Statistical reviews of fatalities; or

 

(d)Any combination of such approaches.

 

5100.3The Child Fatality Review Team, established by the Committee pursuant to section 4605 (d) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 4-1371-05(d) (2001), shall conduct individual reviews of the deaths of children one year of age or older. These reviews shall include, at a minimum, the following:

 

(a)Children under the age of 14 years in which evidence illustrates that one or more of the following factors may have been present:

 

1.Blunt force trauma, child abuse syndrome, or other causes associated with child abuse, including sexual abuse;

 

2.Malnutrition, dehydration, failure to thrive, or other causes associated with neglect;

 

3.Head trauma or fractures;

 

4.Drowning;

 

5.Asphyxia, suffocation, or strangulation;

 

6.Evidence of ingestion of drugs, alcohol, or another harmful substance (including pre and/or post-natally);

 

7.Burns or smoke inhalation;

 

8.Gunshot wound;

 

9.Suicide; or

 

10.Suspicious cause and manner of death.

 

(b)Children over the age of 14 years in which evidence illustrates that one of the following factors may have been present:

 

1.A determination of suicide as the manner of death; or

 

2.A cause and manner of death suspicious in nature.

 

5100.4The Infant Mortality Review Team shall conduct individual reviews of the deaths of children under the age of one year. These reviews shall include, at a minimum, the following fatalities:

 

(a)Deaths investigated and certified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; and

 

(b)Twenty percent of deaths of infants with 500 grams or greater birth weight.

 

5100.5A full multidisciplinary/multi-agency team ("Cluster Review Team") shall review groups of cases ("clusters") that share common characteristics and trends that may indicate a prevailing community problem or risk factor for specific types of fatalities. A cluster shall be identified by the following:

 

(a)Special categories or common characteristics;

 

(b)Trends;

 

(c)Causes of death;

 

(d)Other contributory factors, such as, parental/child behavior, environmental conditions, etc.; and/or

 

(e)Health conditions.

 

5100.6The composition of the Infant Mortality Review Team, Child Fatality Review Team and the Cluster Review Team ("the Teams") shall be multi-disciplinary and multi-agency; but may vary upon the type of death and review required.

 

5100.7The teams shall have broad cross representation of the service areas and professionals identified by the member agencies and organizations.

 

5100.8Committee members may designate representatives from their respective agencies and organizations who have the requisite administrative or program knowledge and experience to serve on the Teams.

 

5100.9A minimum of two community members shall participate on each of the Teams.

 

5100.10The Committee shall make every effort to involve community members from the wards of the decedents whose cases are being reviewed in Team meetings.

 

5100.11Community members of Teams may not delegate the responsibility to serve on the Team nor designate an alternate.

 

5100.12The Teams may include participants who are not official Committee appointees.

 

5100.13The Committee shall identify non-Committee participants in the Teams through a data gathering process from representatives of the agencies and organizations that were involved with a decedent's family.

 

5100.14Other persons and consultants having expertise in professional areas that are not represented on the Committee may also be invited to participate in Team meetings when the discussion involves issues where their special expertise is required.

 

5100.15The Committee Coordinator shall identify Team participants.

 

5100.16The Committee's Co-Chairpersons may grant written requests for non-members to attend Team meeting for the purpose of training and education.

 

5100.17The individual case reviews may be conducted in a manner that includes decedent, family member and agency identifiers or may be anonymous.

 

5100.18Review by the Cluster Review Team shall be anonymous and may not focus on details of individual cases. The Committee may permit its established subcommittees to make annual determinations of the specific issues to be addressed through the Cluster Review Team process.

 

5100.19Recommendations of the Committee shall be issued to the appropriate public agencies on a quarterly basis.

 

5100.20Subordinate agency directors to whom a Committee recommendation is made shall respond in writing to the Committee within 30 days of issuance of the report containing the recommendation.

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 52 DCR 11254 (December 30, 2005).