NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF A STATEWIDE CHILD FATALITY REVIEW TEAM

The Team Seeks to Prevent Child Deaths by Identifying Trends, Causes and Most Effective Prevention Methods

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services today announced the kickoff of a statewide Child Fatality Review Team, comprised of multiple state agency 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,” said OCFS Commissioner Sheila J. Poole. “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.”

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,” said OCFS Deputy Commissioner for Child Welfare and Community Services Lisa Ghartey Ogundimu. “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, practices and programs that promote child health, safety and well-being.”

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

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