The Child Death Overview Panel was establised in April 2008 and is a sub group of each Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB). The government requires each LSCB to carry out a review of all child deaths in their area, following the processes set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010).

The overall purpose of the panel is to:

• Consider the deaths of all children, with priority given to those deaths that are both exexpected and unexplained.
• Develop preventative measures to reduce child deaths and to generally improve the health and safety of children in the area.
• Enable effective multi-agency collaboration.
• Improve agency responses to child death through monitoring the appropriateness of the response of professionals to each unexpected death of a child.

There is a fixed core membership on the CDOP, which is drawn from key organisations represented on the LSCB, such as the Police, Social Care, a designated Paediatrician and Child Health professional. The Panel meets quarterly to discuss the cases involved in confidence, and their findings are reported annually in a public report to the LSCB.

RAPID RESPONSE

This procedure applies when a child dies unexpectedly (birth up to 18th birthday, excluding babies stillborn), or where there is a clarity about whether a death of a child is unexpected. An unexpected death is defined as the death of a child not anticipated as a significant possibility 24 hours before the death, or where there was a similarly unexpected collapse leading to or precipitating the event that led to the death.

The aim of the procedure is to ensure that the response is safe, consistent and senstive to those concerned, including that bereaved parents and siblings receive similar approaches across London.

Following notification of a sudden unexpected and unexplained death a Rapid Response may be required. A Paediatrician and Police Officer may undertake a home visit, assisted by Children's Services Social Care where appropriate, to assess any additional factors that may help understand the circumstances/causes of death.