Multiagency data on fatal child abuse, an underutilized tool

The ICAN National Center for Child Fatality Review began the first child death team in 1978 and supported creation of 1000 more in 12 nations. The original ICAN data included something from all agencies as a management system. It was complex to match complex cases. Multiagency data was shared with line staff learned to work together. Other teams shared their data models. Later public health added national data, with a focus on family risk factors. Today, officials and media ask for data and how to stop these deaths. Answers generally include “more money” occasionally tied to “evidence based” intervention by a single profession. ICAN is revisiting complex data including a mix of public and private data from different jurisdictions. This includes criminal justice, and human services data. A national survey will identify other multiagency models. Forensic case data includes police interviews and comments to CPS workers by children who witnessed violence. A County computer index identifies children and risk from multiple agencies including Public health records for : child STD, certain birth records and infant birth/death matched data. New computer systems will automate hospital child abuse medical data to be shared with local child death review. A DCFS system will connect different agency records for each case being studied. ICAN will collect this maze of evidence beginning with a few infant homicide in a study of families and agencies. Cases will be reversed to find possible points for early intervention and prevention. This presentation include models and case examples.