Report calls for standardisation of child death review process

A report by Child Bereavement UK has called for the standardisation of training and roles for keyworkers who support families following the death of a child.

Current reviews in England and Wales are managed by child death overview panels to determine if a death was preventable, while a keyworker acts as the primary contact for the family during this investigation.

The charity surveyed 32 panels and found significant differences in how keyworkers are funded and trained. Some families reported feeling “utterly bereft” by a process that suggested their child “no longer mattered”.

Recommendations in the report include ring-fenced budgets for keyworker roles and the introduction of a nationally agreed job description. It also suggests that all staff in these roles should have access to regular bereavement training.

The report says support should begin as soon as possible after a death and continue until the review concludes. It also advises panels to use a standard contact tracker to ensure consistency.

Maninder Hayre, director of services and partnerships at Child Bereavement UK, said: “While we welcome the role of the child death review in terms of improving future outcomes for babies and children, the process is nevertheless daunting and unfamiliar for families. The death of a baby or child is one of the most devastating things a family will ever have to face – the role of the keyworker is vital in ensuring families are informed and considered at such a difficult time.”

One anonymous family told the charity: “We would have found comfort even in knowing that meetings were taking place in which our son and what happened to him was being discussed.”