The State Child Death Review Board examines trends and patterns that identify risk factors in the deaths of children, from birth through 17 years of age.
The State Child Death Review Board has developed the following three goals to direct its work:
- To describe trends and patterns of child deaths, identifying risk factors in the population;
- To improve inter-agency communication so recommendations can be made regarding recording of actual cause of death, investigation of suspicious deaths, and system responses to child deaths;
- To develop prevention strategies including community education and mobilization, professional training, and changes in legislation, public policy and/or agency practices.
To ensure a coordinated response that fully addresses all systemic concerns surrounding child fatality cases, the Kansas Legislature gave the SCDRB authority to obtain all records concerning each child. K.S.A. 22a-244(b) provides that the Board shall have access to certain records concerning the child. All records provided to the Board remain confidential.