LSCP Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)
The LSCP have a statutory responsibility to review the deaths of all children in Leeds.
The Leeds Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) has been undertaking its role to review the death of every child aged under 18 who were resident in the city since April 2008. The responsibility for this process differs slightly to Working Together to Safeguard Children in that the key agencies responsible for this process are the Local Authority and Health.
To comply with the national guidance, Leeds have employed a Designated Doctor for Child Deaths who has a role to work between the CDOP and the Health Economy. This post continues to add richness to discussions as well as further scrutiny and challenge to the safeguarding system.
The CDOP have also extended its child death review arrangements to include specific focus on neonatal deaths through its Neonatal Death Overview Panel (NDOP). This panel, chaired by the CDOP Chair, has representation from midwifery, neonatologists, obstetrics from Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust, the LSCP Business Manager and the CDOP Designated Doctor for Child Deaths. The Neonatal panel considers information from internal hospital meetings and investigations such as Perinatal Mortality Review meetings, as well as using Coroners Reports, Post-mortem Reports, MBRRACE (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries) Forms and Death Discharge Summary’s to consider if there were any modifiable factors to learn from. The outcome of these reviews is presented to the CDOP for assurance and transparency purposes.
Leeds CDOP is Chaired by the Chief Officer / Consultant in Public Health. In 2021-22 there were six CDOP meetings where nineteen deaths were reviewed and seven Neonatal CDOP meetings where thirty-six deaths were reviewed.
A significant finding from the CDOP report was that 52% of child deaths occurred in children living in decile 1, the poorest 10% of Leeds. These findings were reflected a national report by the National Child Mortality Database published in 2021. The report Child Mortality and Social Deprivation 2021 (PDF), found that over a fifth of all child deaths in England might be avoided if children living in the most deprived areas had the same mortality risk as those living in the least deprived. This translates to over 700 fewer children dying per year in England.
An overview of the child death review arrangements, the findings from the CDOP Annual Report, recommendations made and progress on the previous year’s recommendations.
Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood Strategic Reference Group (SSRG)
Established in 2014 to implement the findings from a local independent review of the SUDIC process, the group continued to meet to ensure that the city’s response to sudden and unexpected child deaths are effective, coordinated and meets the needs of families. Key areas of work undertaken by the SUDIC team have been:
- Developed SUDIC information leaflets for families that comes in a range of different languages and includes contact details for the SUDIC team and information on how to give feedback
- An online event on the “National and Regional Impact of Covid-19 on Child Deaths” was developed and delivered by the SUDIC Consultants, offering an opportunity for ongoing professional development within the team and across the SUDIC network.
- A briefing on Child Death Review Processes in Leeds has been developed for delivery via the Leeds LSCP training programme offering practitioners across the multi-agency partnership an opportunity to gain some basic understanding of the SUDIC process.
- When the SUDIC team undertake a home visit (usually within 48 Hours), families are provided with information for a range of bereavement support groups including the Community Bereavement Service offered by Martin House.