No Dedicated Child Death Review Team in Tas
Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Children’s Spokesperson
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
The Tasmanian Greens today called for an investigation into the need for a dedicated unit to investigate the deaths of children, and provide policy advice to the Minister regarding prevention.
During Budget Estimates today, Greens Children’s spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP raised concerns that Tasmania was the only jurisdiction, apart from the ACT, which did not have a formal Child Death Review Team.
“Other states have designated Child Death Review Teams which comprise a panel of experts to examine the causal factors behind the deaths of children, and to make recommendations for preventing future deaths,” Mr O’Halloran said.
“In New South Wales, for example, whenever a child dies the cause is recorded and investigated by the unit, which then provides policy advice to the Minister.”
“Minister O’Byrne confirmed there is currently no mechanism for strategic oversight in reviewing child deaths in Tasmania, which the Greens believe is not acceptable.”
“Reviewing child deaths is currently shared between the Council for Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and the Coroner.”
“The death of any child is an unthinkable tragedy, and we need to ensure that the state is providing an integrated and effective approach to preventing the untimely death of children.”
“The recent string of terrible accidents involving school children on our roads shows that there are things we can do in a policy sense to make Tasmania a safer place for children.”
“The Minister agreed that this is a real issue that needs more work to develop a robust framework for reviewing and reducing the number of child deaths in the state, and we look forward to hearing what steps will be taken from here,” Mr O’Halloran.
Paul O’Halloran MP Greens Children’s Spokesperson
