Overview
Child fatalities have been reviewed in Colorado since 1989. However, the Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS), as it exists today, was established and codified in 2005 under Section 25-20.5-401, C.R.S. Operated within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), CFPS is a statewide, legislatively mandated, multidisciplinary, and multi-agency network dedicated to preventing child deaths. It reviews fatalities of children aged 0-17 across Colorado to identify trends, develop prevention strategies, and reduce preventable deaths statewide.
Child Fatality Prevention System Scope
Local Review Teams
CFPS consists of 40+ local review teams covering all 64 counties. Local Review Teams are established by each county or district public health agency and may represent a single county or a region of several counties. The local review teams comprise multidisciplinary representatives from local agencies that provide services to children and families, in addition to other individuals who represent the community.
Local teams conduct multidisciplinary reviews of deaths involving children between the ages of 0-17 in Colorado caused by:
• Motor vehicle crashes
• Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs)/sleep-related infant deaths
• Suicide
• Child maltreatment (abuse and neglect)
• Unintentional injuries (e.g., poisoning, drowning, fires, falls)
• Homicide
• Undetermined causes
State Review Team
Established by the Child Fatality Prevention Act of 2013 (C.R.S 25-20.5-401), the Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS) State Review Team comprises multidisciplinary volunteers whose expertise spans child abuse prevention, pediatrics, public health nursing, family law, death investigation, motor vehicle safety, and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).
The State Review Team plays a crucial role in understanding and preventing child deaths. Beyond reviewing individual child deaths as needed, the team analyzes aggregated data and prevention recommendations submitted by all local county child death review teams across Colorado. Based on this comprehensive review, the State Review Team formulates recommendations aimed at preventing future child deaths and presents these vital insights to the state legislature on an annual basis.
Furthermore, the State Review Team is committed to fostering public understanding of the incidence and causes of child deaths in Colorado. By sharing this knowledge, the team aims to encourage public action and serve as a catalyst for changes in laws, rules, and policies. Ultimately, the overarching goal is to support the safe and healthy development of all children in Colorado and prevent child deaths.
State Support Team
The CFPS State Support Team are staff members of CDPHE. They are committed to aiding local and state teams in conducting effective reviews by providing guidance, technical assistance, and training to foster a statewide, coordinated system. Additionally, the State Support Team provides oversight and funding to the system.
How CFPS works
Local teams, composed of experts and community members from public health, law enforcement, medical, mental health, human services, schools, and coroners’ offices, review individual child death cases. These reviews aim to comprehensively assess the factors and circumstances contributing to the deaths.
Using review findings, local teams design and implement prevention strategies tailored to their communities, such as:
• Changes to the built environment to reduce motor vehicle incidents and the removal of a dangerous spillway at a river diversion site.
• Collaborating with partner agencies to use their existing text and email alert systems to address after-school and summer driving safety.
• Distributing bicycle helmets, gun locks, and car seats to families in need.
• Safe sleep education campaigns to reduce infant mortality.
• A screening program to reduce incidents of suicide.
• Prosocial youth opportunities to promote positive youth development and prevention of risky behaviors, including substance abuse and violence
The CDPHE State Support Team provides local teams with funding, technical assistance, and data analysis. The State Support Team compiles and analyzes aggregated data, which is then presented to CFPS members to discuss and suggest practice and policy prevention recommendations, submitted annually in a report to the Colorado General Assembly on July 1.
CFPS also collaborates with statewide partners, including the Sexual Violence Prevention Program, Motor Vehicle Safety Program, Office of Suicide Prevention, and the Title V Maternal and Child Health Program, to coordinate prevention strategies and maximize impact.
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 (CFRT), which reviews incidents of fatal, near fatal, and egregious abuse 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 CFRT within CDHS partner to make joint recommendations to prevent child fatalities, prevent future incidents of maltreatment, and strengthen the systems that provide direct service to children and families.
Key Differences Between CFRT and CFPS
CFPS focuses broadly on all preventable child deaths, regardless of prior involvement with the child welfare system, and it emphasizes proactive prevention through community-based efforts. In contrast, the CFRT focuses on system accountability in cases involving child maltreatment and prior child welfare involvement.
Legislative Reports
- CFPS produces an annual legislative report summarizing aggregated data and prevention recommendations.
CFPS Data Dashboard
- The Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System Data Dashboard is a valuable data resource available to partners.
- It provides counts, rates, trends, 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.
CFPS and CDHS
- CFPS works closely with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT), which reviews cases of fatal, near-fatal, or egregious abuse or neglect when the child or family had previous involvement with the child welfare system within three years. Together, CFPS and CFRT make joint recommendations to prevent child maltreatment.
Contact
Email cdphe_prevent_childfatality@state.co.us for more information.