Background and Purpose
Every multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is required by
ORS 418.785 to establish a child death review process. This includes the development of a county child death review team (county team), including county team protocols.
Each of Oregon’s 36 county child death review teams has a chair (also referred to as the team lead) and a coordinator. The county teams are chaired by the county District Attorney’s office. Members of a county team should include professionals specially trained in areas relevant to the purpose of the team and may change depending on the type of death being reviewed. Per statute, the county medical examiner or “local health officer” must assist the team.
Child death review process was established by Oregon law for the purpose of preventing serious physical injury and death resulting from child abuse by:
- Identifying local and state issues related to preventable child deaths; and
- Promoting implementation of recommendations at the county level.
In practice the purpose is to address all preventable child deaths. Consistent with the broader purpose, county teams are statutorily mandated to review child deaths when abuse may have occurred at any time prior to death or may have been a factor in the death, all child deaths where there is an autopsy performed by the medical examiner, and any child death as established by the child abuse multidisciplinary team.