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 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 CFRC 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 risks 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 sources of data collection by developing protocols for autopsies, death scene investigations, and complete recording of cause of death on all death certificates.
• Enable state agencies, law enforcement, health care providers, and community-based organizations to more effectively prevent and investigate child fatalities.
  

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.

• 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)

Resources

• Keep Your Kids Safe This Summer (July 2020)
  
• Legislation - 2019 Senate Bill 118 - Printer friendly

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