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State Spotlight - Georgia
 Last updated: February 2008
Eva Pattillo
Georgia Child Fatality Review
506 Roswell Street, Suite 230
Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: 770-528-3988
Fax: 770-528-3989
Email: eva_p@bellsouth.net
Website: http://www.gacfr.dhr.georgia.gov
Tools
Reports
Mortality Statistics
Program Description
Administration
Georgia’s Child Fatality Review Program (GCFR) was established in 1990
by statute (Section 19-15-1 et seq.). GCFR is an independent program
administered out of the
Georgia Department of Human Resources. The program is funded by Children’s Justice Act dollars and state general funds. The
annual budget is $334,562. There are five full
time employees at the state office with two program managers. Local
teams have no paid staff.
Teams
Georgia has both state and local review teams which are mandated. GCFR
is a member of the
SE Coalition on Child Death Review.
State Team:
The state team is called the Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel
(GCFRP). The panel is comprised of 16 members, which meet quarterly to
oversee the county child fatality review process, reports to the
governor annually on the incidence of child deaths and recommend
prevention measures based on the data.
Local Teams:
Georgia has 159 local teams with seven mandated members that are
directed to meet within 30 days of a child’s death. The county coroner
alerts the team members of the deaths and initiates the review.
Reviews
GCFR teams review all injury, SIDS, unexpected or unattended physical
deaths to children who are less than 18 years old.
Purpose
The main purpose of Georgia’s CFR program is to prevent deaths. The
mission of GCFR is to serve Georgia’s children by promoting more
accurate identification and reporting of child fatalities, evaluating
the prevalence and circumstances of both child abuse cases and child
fatality investigations, and monitoring the implementation and impact
of he statewide child abuse prevention plan in order to prevent and
reduce incidents of child abuse and fatalities in the state.
Data
Standardized data reporting forms are completed for all reviews. State
vital statistics are used to serve as a form of quality assurance
making sure that all appropriate deaths are being captured for review. The
Division of Public Health aggregates and analyzes is the data used
for the annual report to the community.
Annual Report
An annual report is produced and distributed to the Governor, Lt.
Governor, Speaker of the House and members of the
community.
Prevention Initiatives
Georgia’s CFR findings have influenced policy
changes.
Statewide changes have occurred in child protection policy in that all
CAN reports of children less than one requires a fully undressed exam
by the worker, the state crime lab has made child death autopsies a
priority, changes have occurred in graduated drivers licensing and the
Division of Family has protocol to review policies, procedures and
operations. Many local community changes have occurred as a result of
CFR including new traffic lights and a crosswalk connecting two busy
malls. Local teams also have an increased understanding of team
member’s roles, better communication and working relationships. Child
death investigation teams also have been formed.
Protocols
Georgia has CDR meeting, confidentiality and child/infant death
investigation protocols in place.
Training
The Georgia CFR Program offers training throughout the state as needed.
The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and
Children’s Services funds an annual statewide conference.
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