Last updated:  March 2011

Susan Rodriguez
Texas Child Fatality Review Coordinator
Office of Program Decision Support
Texas Department of State Health Services
1100 W. 49th St.
Austin, TX 78756
Phone: (512) 458-7111
Fax:  (512) 458-7658 
Email:  Susan.Rodriguez@dshs.state.tx.us

Website: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mch/Child_Fatality_Review.shtm

Tools

• Texas Child Fatality Review Legislation
• Texas Legislation Moving Child Fatality Review from Social Services to Public Health

Reports

• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Biennial Report, 2002-2003
• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Biennial Report, 2000-2001
• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report 2006
  
• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report 2007
  
• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report 2008
  
• Texas Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report 2009
  

Mortality Statistics

• Texas Child Mortality Data, 2002
• Texas Child Mortality Data, 2003
• Texas Child Mortality Data, 2005
• Texas Child Mortality Data, 2006
• Texas Child Mortality Data, 2007

Administration
The Texas Child Fatality Review Program was established in 1995 by legislation. In the past few years, it has been primarily funded by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS).  However, legislation passed by the Texas Legislature in May 2005 transfers responsibility, including funding, for the program completely to DSHS in FY 2007. 

Although the coordination for the Texas Citizen’s Review Panel is housed out of the DFPS, it is independent of the child fatality review process. 

Teams
Texas has both state and local CFR teams. 

State Team:
The Texas State Child Fatality Review Team (SCFRT) is comprised of 24 members who meet quarterly. DSHS is responsible for assisting the SCFRT in the establishment and training of review teams, preparation of the Annual Report, and support of the activities of the SCFRT. 

Local Teams:
Texas has 70 local teams that cover 197 of the 254 Texas counties. There are 57 counties without CFR teams. Local team leadership and membership varies from county to county. 

Reviews
The death certificate is the basis for the review and is sent to local team coordinators from the Center for Health Statistics located at the Department of State Health Services. They are accompanied by birth certificates with medical information on the mother and newborn if the child is under two years of age. Texas teams would ideally like to review all child deaths under age 18. The only active FIMR in Texas is located in Fort Worth and is operated by the local health department. 

Purpose
The purpose of the Texas CFR Program is to improve the response to child fatalities, provide accurate information on how and why Texas children are dying and ultimately reduce the number of preventable child deaths by taking data into prevention practice . 

Data
Local teams are responsible for collecting and entering data on the child death reviews on the multi-state online reporting system.

Annual Report
The Texas Child Fatlity Review Coordinator works with other DSHS staff and the SCFRT Committee to write the annual report, which is distributed to the Governor, Legislators, agency heads and child advocates. 

Prevention Initiatives
The SCFRT Committee has actively advocated for the passage of laws that would require use of child passenger booster seats, and that was finally passed in the latest legislative session. The SCFRT Committee has also issued numerous Position Statements that have been used as the basis for prevention activities: Safe Sleep for Infants, Motor Vehicle Safety for Infants and Children; Water Safety for Children; Child Suicide; and Fire and Burn Prevention for Children.. The position statements are posted on the Texas CFR website. In their most current recommendations, the SCFRT Committee is recommending all use of wireless devices (unless hands-free) while driving, the requirement of circumferential fencing on all new residential swimming pools, and the abolishment of the parent-taught driver education option in Texas.

Protocols
Texas has a child death scene investigation protocol in place. 

Training
Through the generosity of the Title V program, training is provided to the members of the local teams and the members of the State Committee. Historically, the CFR program co-hosts an annual conference with the Children’s Assessment Center of Houston. Due to economic constraints, this conference will now take place every other year, with the next conference in April 2012. Title V sponsors the attendance of two members per local team and of all State Committee members. In 2009, Title V granted a one-time grant for conducting one-day workshops in each of the eight public health regions in Texas. It is the intent to offer regional workshops in the years when the Annual Conference will not be held.