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Save National templates for LSCBs to use when collecting information about child deaths
In accordance with Working together to safeguard children (paragraph 7.7) all Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) need to keep information about each child's death. This data will help inform strategic planning on how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the area.
In order to assist LSCBs in this task, the DCSF commissioned Warwick University to lead development work on the templates which can be used by all LSCBs. These data-collection templates build on the data set used in the study undertaken by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), and on the findings from a DCSF-commissioned study Preventing childhood deaths: A study of 'Early Starter' Child Death Overview Panels in England.
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National templates for LSCBs to use when collecting information about child deaths.
Please note that the national templates supersede the CEMACH dataset. The DCSF national templates should be used for the implementation of LSCB responsibilities under Working Together to Safeguard Children as from 1 April 2008.
Important: Please use the DCSF national template Form A (notification of child deaths) for ALL child death notifications, including neonates (babies under 28 days). DCSF are currently considering how LSCBs responsibilities to collect information on all child deaths including neonates can lawfully fit with CEMACH's collection of data for its perinatal mortality study. We would be grateful if, pending further advice, you use Forms A and B as suggested. CEMACH are continuing to collect data on all neonatal deaths (those from birth up to before 28 completed days of life). The standard CEMACH Perinatal Mortality Surveillance 2008 form should continue to be completed as normal.
The Department is currently investigating options for creating web-enabled forms for LSCBs to use to enter and collate data. The web-enabled forms would allow LSCBs to fill in information on-line and collate it easily - and then the DCSF would be able to extract the information for National Statistics.
In addition, work is also underway to consider how best to collect, collate and analyse information about child deaths at a regional and national level. The DCSF is drawing on the findings from the CEMACH- and Warwick-University-led LSCB study in taking forward this work, and will be engaging with LSCBs in the forthcoming months to consider what data should be collected at a national level. This will be in addition to the number of child deaths considered by each LSCB to be preventable and the total number of child deaths which will be required to monitor progress on Indicator 4 (reducing the incidence of preventable child deaths) in the PSA 13: Improving children and young people's safety.
For 2008/09, the figures for the number of child deaths and the number of preventable child deaths will be collected directly from LSCBs.
Further information will be published as soon as it becomes available.
Associated documents
Preventing Childhood Deaths - A Study of 'Early Starter' Child Death Overview Panels in England
(1.6Kb)
CEMACH Perinatal Mortality Surveillance 2008 form
(197.2Kb)
CEMACH Perinatal Mortality Surveillance 2008 form
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Last updated on 30/04/2009
