Child Fatality Review Committee
Child Fatality Review is grounded in the belief that a child’s preventable death is a community’s responsibility. A sentinel (unanticipated) event should raise a call to action. The primary goal is to learn what happened and prevent harm to other children in New Hampshire.
The Committee membership is comprised of representation from the medical, law enforcement, judicial, legal, victim services, public health, mental health, child protection and education communities.
The objectives of the Child Fatality Review Committee are:
- Describe trends and patterns of child deaths in New Hampshire, including sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) and sudden death in the young (SDY).
- Identify and investigate the prevalence of risks and protective factors among the populations of deceased children.
- Evaluate the service and system responses for children and families and to offer recommendations for improvement of these services.
- Improve the quality and comprehensiveness of child fatality data by enhancing and integrating information obtained from autopsies, death scene investigations, death certificates, police reports, medical records, and other relevant sources.
- Enable state agencies, law enforcement, health care providers, and community-based organizations to more effectively prevent and investigate child fatalities.
Under an Executive Order of Governor Stephen Merrill in 1996, New Hampshire began systematically reviewing the preventable deaths of New Hampshire children to identify and investigate risks and the service system responses. This Executive Order has successfully guided the work of the CFRC for more than 20 years. The Child Fatality Review Committee (CFRC) was re-established by Senate Bill 118 in 2019 with support from Governor Chris Sununu.
Past Meeting Minutes
2023
- February 21, 2023 (minutes contain non-public session)
- January 17, 2023 (minutes contain non-public session)
2022
- December 20, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- November 15, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- September 20, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- August 16, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- July 19, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- June 21, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- May 17, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- April 19, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- March 15, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- February 15, 2022 (minutes contain non-public sessions)
- January 18, 2022 Meeting Cancelled
2021
- December 21, 2021
- November 16, 2021
- October 19, 2021
- September 22, 2021
- August 23, 2021
- July 20, 2021
- June 15, 2021
- May 18, 2021
- April 20, 2021
- March 16, 2021
- February 16, 2021
- January 19, 2021
2020
- December 15, 2020
- November 17, 2020
- October 20, 2020
- September 10, 2020
- August 18, 2020
- July 21, 2020
- June 16, 2020
- May 19, 2020: Meeting Cancelled
- April 21, 2020: Meeting Cancelled
- March 17, 2020: Meeting Cancelled
- February 18, 2020
- January 21, 2020
2019
- December 17, 2019: Meeting Cancelled
- November 19, 2019
- October 15, 2019
- September 30, 2019
Annual CFRC Reports
After each review, the Committee identifies risk factors related to the death and makes recommendations aimed at improving systematic responses in an effort to prevent similar deaths in the future. The Committee publishes the recommendation and the agency responses to those recommendations in an Annual Report.
- Nineteenth Report (December 2022)
- Eighteenth Report (December 2021)
- Seventeenth Report (December 2020)
- Sixteenth Report (December 2019)
- Fifteenth Report (October 2017 - Revised December 2018)
- Fourteenth Report (November 2015)
- Thirteenth Report (June 2013)
- Twelfth Annual Report (September 2011)
- Eleventh Annual Report (October 2009)
- Tenth Annual Report (October 2007)
- Ninth Annual Report (0ctober 2006)
- Eighth Annual Report (October 2005)
- Seventh Annual Report (October 2004)
- Sixth Annual Report (October 2003)
- Fifth Annual Report (October 2002)
- Fourth Annual Report (November 2001)
- Third Annual Report (October 2000)
- Second Annual Report (October 1999)
- First Annual Report (1998)