Child Deaths

The death of a child is a devastating loss that profoundly affects all of those involved. The process of systematically reviewing the deaths of children is grounded in respect for the rights of children and their families, with the intention of learning what happened and why, and preventing future child deaths.

The Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) is a joint inter-agency forum between Brighton and Hove and East Sussex that meets every two months to review the deaths of all children, excluding those who are stillborn, from birth to age 18 years normally resident in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex.

The CDOP collects core information relating to each child’s death and receives reports from other reviews of child deaths, including individual reviews of Sudden Untoward Incidents, hospital reviews of perinatal deaths and Serious Case Reviews.

The Child Death Overview Panel is now being led by the Child Death Review (CDR) Partners, namely the Local Authority and the NHS Sussex ICB.

Click here for the Multi Agency guidance for responding and reviewing Child Deaths.