The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention

Program Description

Administration
The Tennessee Child Fatality Review (CFR) Program was established in 1995. It is housed out of the Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Family Health and Wellness. Tennessee is a member of the Southeast Coalition on Child Fatalities.

Teams
Tennessee has both state and local CFR teams. Both team levels are mandated. There is no official relationship with the Citizen’s Review Panel (CRP); however, a representative from the Department of Children’s Services sits on both the State Child Fatality Review Team and the CRP.

State Team:
The state child fatality prevention team reviews the reports from the local teams, analyzes statistics of the incidence and causes of child deaths and makes recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly to promote the safety and well-being of children.

Local Teams: (Chairperson(s) – Department of Health team leaders)
Local teams have been established in the 31 judicial districts. Retrospective reviews are conducted by these teams.

Reviews
Tennessee reviews all deaths of children 17 years of age or younger.

Purpose
The goals of Child Fatality Review are to improve the response to child fatalities, provide accurate information on how and why Tennessee children are dying, and ultimately reduce the number of child deaths by establishing policies and programs for prevention.

Data
Standardized data reporting forms are completed for all reviews.

Annual Report
The State Child Fatality Review Team reviews the reports from the local teams, analyzes statistics of the incidence and causes of child deaths, and makes recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly to promote the safety and well-being of children. This report is required by statute.

Prevention Initiatives
Tennessee CFR findings have influenced policy changes such as encouraging collaboration between disciplines and autopsy requirements.

Protocols
The Tennessee CFR program has a confidentiality protocol.

Training
New members to local and state teams undergo an orientation session with the Program Director. A training for all child fatality review team members is held annually.

Last Updated: August 2024