For families who have experienced the death of a child, their private tragedy is all too often exacerbated by an inappropriate or incompetent professional response. For the professional charged with the responsibility of having to deal with unexpected child deaths, such as a pediatrician, a police officer, or social worker, this title offers guidance on how to respond adequately to this tragic event but also places the subject in a larger social context, examining the history, epidemiology, causes, and contributory factors surrounding the death of a child. The book also covers the prevalence and types of death, the role of the police in an unexpected child death, how to support families, how to undertake a serious case review, and how to prevent child deaths in the future. Part of the prestigious NSPCC Wiley Series in Safeguarding Children - The Multi-Professional Approach.
Foreword vii
Preface ix
A Note on Terminology xiii
List of Contributors xv
Acknowledgements xix
I Understanding Childhood Death 1
1 A Family's Journey 3
Ann Chalmers
2 Childhood Deaths in Context 10
Peter Sidebotham, Peter Fleming
3 Natural Causes of Unexpected Childhood Deaths 25
Peter Fleming, Peter Sidebotham
4 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 41
Peter Blair
5 Deaths from Unintentional Injuries 61
Jo Sibert, Peter Sidebotham
6 Fatal Child Maltreatment 75
Peter Sidebotham
II Responding When a Child Dies 95
7 Responding to Unexpected Child Deaths 97
Peter Sidebotham, Peter Fleming
8 Police Investigation in Unexpected Childhood Deaths 132
John Fox
9 The Paediatric Post-Mortem Examination 154
Phil Cox
10 Supporting Families 170
Alison Stewart, Ann Dent
III Learning Lessons 203
11 Reviewing Child Deaths 205
Martin Ward Platt
12 Serious Case Reviews 232
Paul Tudor, Peter Sidebotham
Appendices
1 Emergency Department Flow Chart and Checklist 252
2 History Proforma 256
3 Physical Examination Proforma 259
4 Laboratory Investigations 260
5 Scene Examination Proforma 263
6 Resources for Bereaved Adults 265
7 Resources for Professionals 271
8 Practical Information for Families 273
9 Opportunities to Be with Their Child 279
10 Creating Footprints, Photographs and Mementoes 281
11 A Framework to Guide Visiting 284
12 Child Bereavement Network Belief Statement 290
13 Local Case Discussion Proforma 291
14 Child Death Review Core Dataset 294
15 CDRT Proforma for Analysis 301
16 Tools for Developing a Child Death Review Team 304
References 310
Index 339
