Section 11174.32 Of Article 2.6. Child Death Review Teams From California Penal Code >> Title 1. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.6.
11174.32
. (a) Each county may establish an interagency child death
review team to assist local agencies in identifying and reviewing
suspicious child deaths and facilitating communication among persons
who perform autopsies and the various persons and agencies involved
in child abuse or neglect cases. Interagency child death review teams
have been used successfully to ensure that incidents of child abuse
or neglect are recognized and other siblings and nonoffending family
members receive the appropriate services in cases where a child has
expired.
(b) Each county may develop a protocol that may be used as a
guideline by persons performing autopsies on children to assist
coroners and other persons who perform autopsies in the
identification of child abuse or neglect, in the determination of
whether child abuse or neglect contributed to death or whether child
abuse or neglect had occurred prior to but was not the actual cause
of death, and in the proper written reporting procedures for child
abuse or neglect, including the designation of the cause and mode of
death.
(c) In developing an interagency child death review team and an
autopsy protocol, each county, working in consultation with local
members of the California State Coroner's Association and county
child abuse prevention coordinating councils, may solicit suggestions
and final comments from persons, including, but not limited to, the
following:
(1) Experts in the field of forensic pathology.
(2) Pediatricians with expertise in child abuse.
(3) Coroners and medical examiners.
(4) Criminologists.
(5) District attorneys.
(6) Child protective services staff.
(7) Law enforcement personnel.
(8) Representatives of local agencies which are involved with
child abuse or neglect reporting.
(9) County health department staff who deals with children's
health issues.
(10) Local professional associations of persons described in
paragraphs (1) to (9), inclusive.
(d) Records exempt from disclosure to third parties pursuant to
state or federal law shall remain exempt from disclosure when they
are in the possession of a child death review team.
(e) (1) No less than once each year, each child death review team
shall make available to the public findings, conclusions and
recommendations of the team, including aggregate statistical data on
the incidences and causes of child deaths.
(2) In its report, the child death review team shall withhold the
last name of the child that is subject to a review or the name of the
deceased child's siblings unless the name has been publicly
disclosed or is required to be disclosed by state law, federal law,
or court order.