Last updated:  April 2010

Chairperson of the CDRT Executive Council:
Daniel J. Cuneo, Ph.D.
2217 West Main
Belleville, IL 62226
Phone: 618/ 227-5498 
Fax: 618/ 235-4316
Email: dcuneo@charter.net

Vice Chairperson of the CDRT Executive Council:
Duane Northrup
302 N. Broadway Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: 217/ 384-3888 
Fax: 217/ 384-1290
Email: dnorthrup@co.champaign.il.us

Executive Director of CDRT:
Kate Ashmore-Watson
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services
406 E Monroe Station 222
Springfield, IL 62701-1498
Phone: 217/785-0429
Fax: 217/524-2101
Email: Kate.Watson@illinois.gov

CDRT State Coordinator:
Sherry Barr
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services
406 E Monroe Station 222
Springfield, IL 62701-1498
Phone: 217/ 785-2503
Fax: 217/524-2101
Email: Sherry.Barr@illinois.gov

Website: http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/index.shtml

Tools

• Illinois Child Death Review Legislation
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
• SIDS of Illinois, Inc.
• On-line Mandated Reporter Training
• Get Water Wise...Supervise Brochure
• Care Enough to Call Brochure
• Safe Sleep for your Baby
• Never Shake a Baby
• SIDS of Illinois, Inc, Safe Sleep Brochures

• Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics 1997 Annual Report
• Illinois Child Death Review Team 2002 Report and Recommendations
• Illinois Child Death Review Teams Annual Report for 2006

• Illinois Child Mortality Data, 2002
• Illinois Child Mortality Data, 2003
• Illinois Child Mortality Data, 2005
• Illinois Child Mortality Data, 2006

Administration
The Illinois Child Death Review Teams were established in 1994 by statute (Section 515/1 et seq.).  Illinois’s CDR Program has an annual budget of $120,000 and is funded by and housed out of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). DCFS also provides support in kind and contracts with SIDS of Illinois, Inc. for the Executive Director Position and a part time seasonal employee.  

Teams
There are currently 9 teams across the state of Illinois.  These teams are Aurora, Champaign, Cook County A, Cook County B, East St Louis, Marion, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield.  All of the teams cover several counties except for the Cook County teams because they cover the City of Chicago.  Each team elects their own Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.  The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson run the meeting. 

Executive Council Chairperson: 
The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson from each of the nine teams are the Executive Council.  The Executive Council meets monthly to review the recommendations made by each of the teams, bi-monthly with the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services to discuss recommendations, and quarterly to discuss the procedures common to the Child Death Review Teams.  The Executive Council is also one of the panels for Illinois Citizen’s Review. 

Process
By law, the county registrars are mandated to send all death certificates of children under the age of 18 to the State Central Register at DCFS.  The State Central Register forwards these death certificates to the CDRT staff.  The CDRT staff check to see if the child/ family had contact with the Department of Children and Family Services within the last year of the child’s death.  If the child did have contact with DCFS then the child’s death is mandated for review.  The appropriate team will review the child’s death.  The teams are also allowed to review at their discretion, any child death that is sudden, unexpected, or unexplained.

Recommendations
After the review of the child death, the team decides if they can make a recommendation on the case.  There are four types of recommendations a team can make:

1. Primary prevention, i.e., Get Water Wise, Supervise
2. DCFS, i.e., policy/ procedural change within the department
3. Other systems, i.e. contacting hospitals or coroners regarding policies
4. Case specific, i.e., concern for the surviving children

Response
A response feedback loop has been created between the Child Death Review Teams Executive Council and the Department of Children and Family Services. The Executive Council meets with the Department of Children and Family Services’ Director on a bi-monthly basis. The Director discusses the recommendations with the Executive Council and decides if agrees with the response from the Department of Children and Family Services’ Deputy Directors. There is a specific timeline that the Director must follow when responding to recommendations. According to legislation, the Director has 90 days to review and reply to recommendations made by a team. After he submits this reply to the Executive Council, he has 90 days to submit an additional report that details how the recommendation will be implemented by the Department. Within 180 days of the additional report a further report must be submitted by the Director to the Executive Council stating the specific changes within the Department that have been made in response to the recommendation.

Purpose
The purpose of the Illinois Child Death Review Teams is to reduce the number of preventable child deaths in Illinois.

Data
Standardized data reporting forms are completed for all reviews. Child Death Review Teams’ data is stored in a database and analyzed by the DCFS Research Center. The Illinois Child Death Review Teams have access to state vital statistics. State vital statistics are reviewed and sent on to regional teams.

Annual Report
Illinois produces an annual report. The report is distributed to the Governor, Legislators, Coroners, State’s Attorneys, Law Enforcement agencies, Team Members and others as requested. 

Prevention Initiatives
The Child Death Review Teams’ findings motivate prevention activities in Illinois.  A drowning prevention campaign, Get Water Wise...Supervise continues to circulate throughout the state.  Posters, brochures, coloring books, and Powerpoints are available at no charge.  Recently, CDRT has taken a great interest in the prevention of bedsharing with infants.  In 2009 – 2010, billboards were placed throughout the state spreading the message of safe sleep for baby, 1) baby on back, 2) alone, 3) in a safe crib. 
The CDRT staff distribute information on all of the following for free: Care Enough to Call, Get Water Wise, Supervise, How well do you know lover (paramour safety), Safe Sleep for Your Baby, Never Shake a Baby, and No Shame, No Blame, No Names (Safe Haven Law).  CDRT has partnered with SIDS of Illinois, Inc. to distribute information on topics including Safe sleep, Safe Crib, Tummy Time Tips & Tools, Safe Sleep for my Grandbaby, and SIDS and the Childcare Provider.  These brochures are also free.  All brochures listed are offered in English and Spanish.

Protocols
Illinois recently updated the Illinois Child Death Review Teams Protocol and Best Practices for the Multidisciplinary Review of Child Deaths in June 2009.

Training
The Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive Council, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and SIDS of Illinois, Inc. hosts a symposium every year for all team members.  The symposium updates the knowledge and the skills of all members.  It also offers a networking opportunity for the different teams.