Officials create statewide Child Fatality Review Team
RENSSELAER, N.Y. » The New York State Office of Children and Family Services announced the kickoff of a statewide Child Fatality Review Team.
The team is comprised of multiple state agencies and local professionals from multiple disciplines who are engaged in researching the causes of preventable child deaths and developing strategies to prevent such tragedies from occurring. OCFS established the statewide team to build upon the work of 19 county and regional CFRTs statewide.
“This dedicated team will work to prevent the heartbreaking tragedy of a child fatality caused by errors or from abuse and neglect,” OCFS Commissioner Sheila J. Poole said in a news release. “The CFRT will dig deeply to identify the most effective means of prevention and best practices and will work collaboratively to establish them in statewide child welfare policy and practice.”
Officials said the statewide CFRT members will work with their regional and local counterparts to better understand why child fatalities occur and how to prevent them. When a child fatality occurs, local CFRTs examine the events leading up to the death, closely examine any case files to review child welfare practice and any preventive services that were in place or should have been employed. They seek to identify trends and patterns that demonstrate a need for intervention.
“New York state invests heavily in preventive services for families,” OCFS Deputy Commissioner for Child Welfare and Community Services Lisa Ghartey Ogundimu said in the release. “This team will, for the first time, bring child fatality investigators from across the state together to identify systemic issues and make recommendations on policies, practice,s and programs that promote child health, safety, and well-being.”
According to the release, the statewide CFRT will promote communication within and between state and local agencies. It will meet quarterly and identify initiatives to promote locally and across the state to prevent child deaths.
Casey Family Programs has provided technical assistance and support for the development and creation of the statewide Child Fatality Review Team.
Members of the statewide CFRT are: Margaret Bissell Director, Bureau of Protective
Practices NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Melaney Szklenka, BSW Manager, Child and Family Safety Unit OCFS Yvonne McNeil NYC Regional Child and Family Services Specialist OCFS Amelia Mindel Program Manager, Child and Family Safety Unit OCFS Barbara Guinn Executive Deputy Commissioner NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Kathleen DeCataldo, Esq. Assistant Commissioner for Student Support Services NYS Education Department William Davis First Assistant to State Fire Administrator NYS Department of Homeland Security Patricia Lincourt, LCSW Associate Commissioner, Addiction Treatment and Recovery NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Patricia Zuber-Wilson Associate Commissioner, Division of Prevention and Problem Gambling Services
OASAS Donna Bradbury, MA, LMHC Associate Commissioner, Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) Cathy Hoehn, LMHC Suicide Prevention Project Manager OMH Bonnie Catlin, LCSW Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families OMH Mariyn Kacica, MD Family Health NYS Department of Health (DOH) Trista Borra State Program Manager, Office for Justice Initiatives NYS Unified Court System Kristen Anne Conklin, Esq. Executive Director NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children Henry J. Abeel, Sr. Senior Investigator, Special Victims Unit NYS Police Renée L. Rider Executive Director NYS Council on Children and Families Michael Wood Deputy Commissioner, Office
of Public Safety NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services Elizabeth Cronin, Esq. Director NYS Office of Victim Services Alicia R. Pekarsky, MD, FAAP Associate Professor of Pediatrics Upstate Medical University Jennifer Manganello, PhD, MPH Professor University at Albany School of Public Health Robin Schlaff Director Westchester County Office for Women Darlene Reda, Esq. Deputy Director Westchester County Office for Women Sara Haller Senior Medical Investigator Rensselaer County John Pease Child Protective Coordinator Erie County Chris Larkin CFRT Coordinator McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center Roslyn Norrell-Fleming Director of Program Development, Division of Child Protection Administration for Children’s Services Sara VanStrydonck Child Abuse Bureau Chief Monroe County District Attorney’s Office