Unexpected Death in Childhood

"It gives practical advice to professionals and can be recommended for specialists in legal medical and specialists from other fields involved in the investigation of these deaths inside and outside the UK." (International Journal of Legal Medicine, September 2008) "It gives practical advice to professionals and can be recommended for specialists in legal medicine and specialists from other fields." (International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2008)

Peter Sidebotham, Consultant paediatrician and senior lecturer in child health, University of Warwick, UK. Designated doctor for child protection, North Warwickshire and Rugby PCTs, Co-editor NSPCC/Wiley Series in Safeguarding Children, Associate editor Child Abuse Review; editorial board, Child Abuse & Neglect. Peter Fleming, Professor of Infant Health and Development, University of Bristol, UK, Consultant Paediatrician, United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust.

Foreword vii Preface ix A Note on Terminology xiii List of Contributors xv Acknowledgements xix I Understanding Childhood Death 1 1 A Familys 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