The Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS) is a statewide, legislatively mandated, multidisciplinary, multi-agency network to prevent child deaths. Since 1989, the CFPS has reviewed child deaths in Colorado to describe trends and patterns and identify prevention strategies. Housed at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, CFPS consists of at least 43 local child fatality prevention review teams (local teams), a 46-member State Review Team, and the CDPHE State Support Team.
The CDPHE State Support Team works with county and district public health agencies to coordinate 43 local teams that review deaths of infants, children, and youth under 18 in Colorado and to implement strategies to prevent future deaths. Local teams include community members and experts from law enforcement, coroner, legal, human services, schools, public health, medical and mental health to ensure a comprehensive review and development of prevention initiatives. The CFPS State Review Team develops prevention and data quality recommendations based on aggregated data for the legislature on how to prevent child deaths in an annual legislative report. CFPS works to prevent child deaths by collaborating with partners working on issues that share many of the same prevention strategies, such as the Sexual Violence Prevention Program, Motor Vehicle Safety Program, Office of Suicide Prevention, and the Essentials for Childhood Initiative. This gives CFPS the opportunity to collaborate with other programs, leverage resources and prevent child deaths by changing the environments where people and families live, work, learn and play. Read about CFPS’ progress on prior recommendations.
Types of Child Deaths Reviewed by CFPS Local Teams:
- Motor vehicle crashes.
- Sudden unexpected infant death.
- Suicide.
- Child maltreatment.
- Unintentional injuries (such as poisoning, falls, fires or drowning).
- Homicide.
- Undetermined.
CFPS Legislative Reports
Every year, the CFPS State Review Team develops prevention and data quality recommendations to prevent child deaths in Colorado based on aggregated data. The recommendations and data from the system are compiled into a legislative report submitted to the Colorado General Assembly on July 1st annually. Read the Child Fatality Prevention System 2023 Legislative Report. You can find past legislative reports on the CFPS Blog site.
Data Reports and the Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System Data Dashboard
The system also develops data briefs by leading causes of death including sudden unexpected infant deaths, child maltreatment deaths, motor vehicle and other transport-related deaths, firearms deaths, suicides, unintentional drowning, and unintentional poisoning.
In addition, the Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System Data Dashboard is a valuable data resource available to CFPS partners. The dashboard provides counts, rates, and circumstance data on the leading causes and circumstances of death for all jurisdictions across Colorado and summarizes some of the most frequently requested data available from the system.
Partnership with the Colorado Department of Human Services, Child Fatality Review Team
Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 25-20.5-407 (1) (i), the CFPS State Review Team is required to collaborate with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) Child Fatality Review Team, which reviews incidents of fatal, near fatal or egregious abuse or neglect determined to be a result of child maltreatment when the child or family had previous involvement with the child welfare system within the last three years. CFPS and CDHS partner to make joint recommendations to prevent child fatalities, prevent future incidents of maltreatment and strengthen the systems which provide direct service to children and families.
For more information about the Child Fatality Prevention System, please visit www.cochildfatalityprevention.com or email Shiv Sunger Child Fatality Prevention System Program Manager.