State Spotlight - North Dakota

Last updated:  March 2011

Tracy Miller
Child Maltreatment Prevention Services Administrator
ND DHS - Children and Family Division
600 East Blvd. Avenue Dept. 325
Bismark, ND 58505
Phone: 701-328-1725
Fax: 701-328-3538
Email: tramiller@nd.gov

Website: http://www.nd.gov/dhs/info/pubs/Family.html

Tools

Reports

Mortality Statistics Program Description

Administration
The North Dakota Child Fatality Review Panel was established in 1995 by statute. Case reviews began in 1996. The program is housed out of the Department of Human Services. There is no annual budget and funding for the program is in kind. One staff person on the state level spends 30% of her time working on the CFR project.

Teams
North Dakota has a state level review team.

State Team: (Presiding Officer  -  Marlys Baker, Administrator, Child Protection Services, North Dakota Department of Human Services)
The panel has 15 team members who meet quarterly.

Reviews
All child deaths are reviewed. However, all deaths are not reviewed with the same level of intensity. An in-depth comprehensive review is done on all all sudden, unexplained and unexpected deaths. The panel reviews deaths to children who are less than 18-years-old.

Purpose
The purpose of the North Dakota Child Fatality Review Panel is to  identify circumstances that contribute to children’s deaths  and to recommend changes in policy, practice and law to prevent children’s deaths.

Data
Data is collected on all reviews. This is not required by legislation or policy. The CFR data is stored in Microsoft Access and is analyzed by the research unit within the Department of Human Services.

Annual Report
The CFR Panel does produce an annual report. The report is distributed to panel members, state attorneys, coroners, law enforcement and others by request.

Prevention Initiatives
The North Dakota Child Fatality Review Panel recommends changes in policy, practices and law to prevent child deaths.
Protocols
North Dakota is developing a meeting protocol for their CFR panel.

Training
On-going training is not offered. However, an orientation to the review process is provided to new team members.