Graphs
Deaths of children and young people about whom the department received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 in the three years prior to their deaths, by cause of death, Queensland, 2009-10 to 2011-12
| Year | Accidental | Non - Accidental Death | Natural Causes | Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) | Suicide | Unknown/Not yet determined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2009 - 30 June 2010 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 18 |
Tables
| Description | Annual |
|---|---|
| CD.1: Deaths of children or young people about whom the department received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 in the three years prior to their deaths, by age group, Queensland | Excel Excel |
| CD.2: Deaths of children or young people about whom the department received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 in the three years prior to their deaths, by cause of death, Queensland | Excel Excel |
| CD.3: Deaths of children or young people about whom the department received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 in the three years prior to their deaths, by Indigenous status, Queensland | Excel Excel |
| CD.4: Deaths of children or young people about whom the department received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 in the three years prior to their deaths, by sex, Queensland | Excel Excel |
What are child death case reviews?
The death of any child about whom the department receives information under the Child Protection Act 1999 (the Act) in the three years prior to their death will be subject to a review as stipulated by the Act. "Knowledge" of a child covers the full range of concerns such as a child being yelled at or smacked in public, left home alone or attending school without lunch to the most severe forms of child abuse and neglect.
A review is conducted in circumstances where:
- the department was aware of alleged harm or risk of harm to the child
- the department took action in relation to the child under the Act
- the chief executive (Director-General) reasonably suspected the child would need protection once they were born, although they were not born at the time the suspicion arose.
Reviews are conducted by the department under Chapter 7A of the Act. The department now conducts most reviews internally, but may commission an independent reviewer of required.
The reviews do not investigate cause of death, but consider service delivery to the subject child under the Act and explore the decisions and issues that significantly impacted on service delivery by the department, including reviewing, where relevant, the department's engagement with other agencies to provide service to the subject child.
Why this topic is important
Reviews are the primary mechanism for in-depth analysis of the department's practice framework, systems and service delivery. They provide the opportunity for a 'spot audit' of departmental practice surrounding the case of a child about whom the department has received information under the Child Protection Act 1999 .
The department takes seriously its commitment to openness, transparency and accountability. There is also a commitment to fostering a learning and development culture within the department in order to promote continuous improvement in practice quality. This is the real benefit that child death case reviews have provided and will continue to provide.
Trends
In 2011-12, the number of children who died and were known to the department in the three years prior to their deaths was 79. Given the nature of the causes of death, the number of deaths in any future period in not predictable and any increase or decrease in child deths over a given period cannot be linked to any single cause.
It is important to note that the deaths of these children and young people stem from a wide range of causes, including:
- diseases and morbid conditions
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- accidental deaths, including road fatalities, drownings and house fires
- suicide
- fatal assaults.
There has also been an increase in the general population of children aged zero to 17 years and, due to this, there are increasing numbers of children becoming known to the child protection system. For 2011-12, the most common cause of death for children known to the department was natural causes, such as disease and morbid conditions which accounted for 29 per cent of the deaths.
