Child Death Review (CDR) information

By law in England, the death of every child from a newborn up to 18 years old will receive a child death review (CDR). Completed reviews will be reviewed again by a local Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP).

The purpose of the CDOP is to provide an overview of deaths to see if they could have been prevented where possible. More than 50 CDOPs are in place across the country, and each is accountable to the local safeguarding children board. They are made up of representatives from social care, and the police as well as coroners and paediatricians. Panels meet several times a year to review all the child deaths in their area. Panels are not given the names of the children who died or the professionals involved in their care. The main purpose is to identify themes and prevent similar deaths in the future.

Child Death Overview Panels do not produce reports on individual child deaths, which is why parents do not receive any information from the panels about their individual child. The panels do, however, produce an annual report which is a public document.

You should have been told by your hospital if your baby's death was being reviewed by your local CDOP.

To find out the contact details of the CDOP in your local area, go to this page. 

Sands is on the Steering Group of the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) ensuring the voices of parents are central to their work. Launched on  April 1st 2019, the NCMD collects all information on child deaths across England to get a national picture of how deaths might be prevented and care improved for future families.