NCJ Number
206873
Date Published
September 2004
Length
78 pages
Annotation
This report describes a recommended protocol for the investigation and care of families after the sudden unexpected death of an infant or young child in the United Kingdom.
Abstract
Every parent has the right to have the death of their baby investigated properly. Following the acquittal of Sally Clark, a mother accused of murdering her infant child, in January 2003, an intercollegiate Working Group was established by the Royal College of Pathologists and The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to review how investigations of such deaths should be conducted in the United Kingdom. This report presents the recommended protocol agreed upon by the Working Group. The goal of the investigation is to determine the cause of death; it should be carried out by specially trained professionals from multiple agencies working in close collaboration and should be carried out with the utmost sensitivity, discretion, and respect for the family and the deceased child. In addition to focusing on the child, the investigation should consider family history, past events, and the circumstances in which the child lived. Protocol implementation is recommended for all NHS Trusts, police services, social services departments and coroners’ services in the United Kingdom as soon as appropriate staff training has been conducted. Key elements of the recommended protocol procedures include: coroners have jurisdiction over the child’s body and all that pertains to it; babies found dead at home should be taken to the accident and emergency (A&E) department and resuscitation should always be initiated unless inappropriate; and parents should be allowed the opportunity to hold their baby at the A&E department. The protocol also addresses the tasks falling to each agency and professional involved in the investigation process. An audit of the protocol should be conducted after each case. Figure, tables, references, appendix