Unexpected Death in Childhood: A Handbook for Practitioners

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