When a Child Dies

If a child has passed away in Croydon or if a child who normally lived in Croydon has passed away elsewhere, it is important that the appropriate agencies are notified. This helps ensure that the necessary support and reviews are in place. 

If you are a professional and need to to report the death of a child, please Complete the online eCDOP form.

Once the death is reported, a coordinator will reach out to the agencies and professionals who have been involved with the child or family. This will include those who may have supported the child prior to or at the time of passing. Each identified professional will then be sent an agency form to complete, which should be returned as soon as possible to help with the review process.

If abuse or neglect is suspected as a possible cause of death, the Child Death SPOC will inform the Head of Safeguarding for Children and Business Manager of CSCP who will then log a Serious Incident Notification. 

Child Death Reviews

The Child Death Review process applies to all children, defined by the Children Act 1989 as individuals under 18 years of age. A review must be conducted for every child death, regardless of the cause. This includes the death of any live-born baby for whom a death certificate has been issued. Croydon is part of the South West London Child Death Overview Panel (SWL CDOP), which also includes the boroughs of Sutton, Merton, Wandsworth, Richmond, and Kingston. All child deaths of Croydon residents will be reviewed by the SWL CDOP.

Prior to review at the SWL CDOP, there will have been a Joint Agency Response (JAR) meeting IF the JAR criteria is met. This must be held within 5 working days of a child’s death. The Joint Agency Response meeting is chaired by the Designated Doctor for Child Death Reviews.

Joint Agency Response (JAR) criteria is set out in Working Together 2023. 

A JAR is required if a child’s death 

  • is or could be due to external causes 
  • is sudden and there is no immediately apparent cause (including sudden unexpected death in infancy/childhood) 
  • occurs in custody, or where the child was detained under the Mental Health Act 
  • occurs where the initial circumstances raise any suspicions that the death may not have been natural 
  • occurs in the case of a stillbirth where no healthcare professional was in attendance.

All child deaths will also be subject of a Child Death Review Meeting (CDRM). The CDRM is chaired by a Consultant Paediatrician from Croydon University Hospital. This is the multi-professional meeting that takes place prior to the child death review partners review (SWL CDOP). At the meeting, all matters relating to an individual child’s death are discussed by professionals involved with the case. Learning from presented cases will be published in an annual report to illustrate patterns and trends in child deaths, this data is also shared with the National Child Mortality Database.


flow chart illustrating the child death review process


 

What professionals need to complete 

Professionals who receive a reporting form are asked to review their agency’s case records for the child or family members. Any information known to them or their organisation should be included on the form.

If certain details are not available, please make a note of this on the form, rather than leaving any sections blank.

Supporting guides 

Please read the following useful guides: 

For further detailed information about child death reviews read the child death review statutory and operational guidance. 

Croydon SPOC for Child Deaths contact details 

Email: CDOPCroydon@croydon.gov.uk 

Telephone: 020 8604 7392 

Internal telephone line: 47392 

More information