Child Fatality Review:  A child's death is a tragic event. The Harnett County Child Fatality Prevention and Community Child Protection Team (CCPT) is a multidisciplinary group charged to review all child fatalities in Harnett County occurring in children between the ages of birth through seventeen.

GOAL (See GS 7B.1407):

• The purpose of the CFPT/CCPT is to review child deaths to better understand the causes of these deaths and to make recommendations based on the team's findings in order to reduce future child fatalities.
• In accordance with the plan established under G.S. 7B-1408(1), a separate Child Fatality Prevention Team shall be established in that county to conduct these reviews.

Local Child Fatality Prevention Teams are one component of the state’s three-tiered Child Fatality Prevention System along with the State Child Fatality Prevention Team, and the NC Child Fatality Task Force.

The CFPT reviews all child fatalities that do not meet criteria for review by the local Community Child Protection Team.  *Child deaths due to suspected abuse and/or neglect are not reviewed by the CFPT. Instead, they are reviewed by Community Child Protection Teams (CCPT), and those teams are supervised by the Division of Social Services.     

Purpose 

1. Identify the causes of child deaths
2. Identify gaps or deficiencies that may exist in order to improve the delivery of services to children and families
3. Make recommendations for changes and carry out changes that could prevent future child fatalities
4. Educate their communities on how to prevent children dying in their counties. *CFPTs usually review fatalities from the previous year. 

Membership

Membership in the CFPT is defined by G.S. 7B-1407. Local Teams; composition.   This statute requires the participation of certain local governmental agencies and private individuals. Also allows for the appointment of associate members from various fields of practice.

Process

Information regarding a case is gathered and presented at meetings in a systematic fashion. Contributing factors to the death are identified. The team makes recommendations for preventing future child fatalities. The CFPT meetings are confidential and closed to the public. A confidentiality statement is signed by each member at the start of each team meeting. The team follows a protocol and procedure manual, along with guidelines. 

For more information about the Harnett County Child Fatality Prevention Team contact the Harnett County Health Department 910-893-7550. For more information click on the link to view the North Carolina Child Fatality Prevention Team web site.