KeepingKidsAlivePPTA ug2006

Keeping Kids Alive:The Child Death Review Process in MichiganUsing Findings to Advance Policy: 

Keeping Kids Alive: The Child Death Review Process in Michigan Using Findings to Advance Policy Lynda Meade Director Michigan Child Death Review lmeade@mphi.org. Keepingkidsalive.org

An Overview of Michigan CDR: 

An Overview of Michigan CDR Enabled by Legislation Project of the Department of Human Services Local teams review deaths and submit findings to state office State Advisory Team provides direction to program and drives policy recommendations State staff 4.5 FTE

Slide3: 

Child Death Review 83 counties/79 teams 1,186 team members 899 deaths reviewed in 2002 830 deaths reviewed in 2003 802 deaths reviewed in 2004 Over 6,000 since 1995

Slide4: 

Child Death Scene Investigations “[Various organizations]… should collaborate to ensure statewide utilization of Michigan standards for child death scene investigations using the State of Michigan Protocols to Determine Cause and Manner of Sudden and Unexplained Child Deaths as a model.” Examples of local team findings used in State Advisory Team recommendations

Policy Change: 

Policy Change Results: Public Act passed in 2004 requiring death scene investigations in all sudden and unexpected deaths of children under the age of 2 years State health department charged with promulgation of rules and regulations to promote consistency and accuracy among medical examiners Use of standardized protocols as published by Michigan Child Death Review program

Recommendation: 

Recommendation Infant Safe Sleep The Michigan Department of Community Health and Department of Human Services should collaborate to implement a statewide campaign that promotes safe infant sleep environments and explicitly describes the dangers posed to infants in bed-sharing and other unsafe sleep environments.

Policy Change: 

Policy Change Formation of state workgroup made up of public and private organizations Report issued and presented to the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet, which formally accepted the infant safe sleep message Funding designated to assist with community safe sleep campaigns

Slide8: 

Child Care Licensing Policy • In 2004, the Michigan Child Death State Advisory Team met with the new head of the Office of Child and Adult Licensing at the Department of Human Services. • They conveyed their concern regarding the regulation of licensed child care homes and facilities with respect to safe infant sleep, transport, water hazards and firearms access. • As a result, the new rules, which had not been changed in decades, have been substantially tightened, especially regarding safe infant sleep and transportation.

Recommendation: 

Recommendation Passengers in back of pickup trucks “Consider the merits of legislation and provide public education on…prohibition on children riding in the back of pickup trucks.” Impetus: One Michigan crash of a pickup truck killed 7 children, many of whom were in the truck bed.

Policy Change: 

Policy Change CDR participants provided testimony when proposed legislation was heard in committee. Public Act 434 was passed in 2000, prohibiting persons less than 18 from riding in pickup beds, except in cases of parades, farm work, construction, military or emergency purposes.

Recommendation: 

Recommendation Graduated licensing “The Legislature should amend the current graduated licensing law to place limits on the number of teen passengers allowed in vehicles driven by teens with Level Two Intermediate Licenses. This limitation should apply at all times of the day.”

Local Level Policy Change: MVCs in Mecosta County: 

Local Level Policy Change: MVCs in Mecosta County Findings: 8 deaths involving young drivers in 4 months. Asking teens about their experience in learning to drive, the team was told: Teens don’t always get all 50 hours driving w/parent; variety of conditions not required, so many never drive in rain, on gravel, etc before getting license. Parents not completely understanding their required responsibilities. Teens/parents not actually required to turn in log book of 50 supervised hours by the Sec of State.

Policy Change: 

Policy Change CDR team, led by DPS director, organized teen driving task force, including local teens and administration from three local schools, and members of the review team. MSP rep designed a new log book detailing where, when and under what type of conditions are being driven in the 50 hours of parental supervision driving. Schools agreed to require that parents attend orientation before children could attend drivers ed, and to require the new log books be completed. Team asked for and met with state leaders to ask them to tighten requirements, close loop-holes.

National Policy: 

National Policy As a result of the success of local and state child death review efforts, the Department of Health and Human Services added an objective to its Healthy People 2010 goals, that all states and the District of Columbia review all of their child deaths due to external causes.