The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is soliciting applications to start new, expand existing, or continue existing local and regional Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRTs). The purpose of the CFRT is to promote safety through comprehensive, multi-disciplinary examination of the cause, manner, and circumstances of a child’s death and to prevent future deaths.

Objectives of Child Fatality Review Teams:

• accurately identify, and uniformly and consistently report the cause and manner of every death of a child;
• improve communication and linkages among local and state agencies and enhance coordination of efforts;
• improve agency responses in the investigation of child deaths;
• improve agency response to protect siblings and other children in the homes of deceased children;
• improve criminal investigations and the prosecution of child homicides;
• improve delivery of services to children, families, providers and community members;
• identify specific barriers and system issues involved in the deaths of children;
• identify significant risk factors and trends in child deaths;
• identify and advocate for needed changes in legislation, policy and practices and expanded efforts in child health and safety to prevent child deaths; and
• increase public awareness and advocacy for the issues that affect the health and safety of children.

An OCFS approved CFRT is authorized in accordance with Social Services Law (SSL) §422-b to review the death of any child:

• whose care and custody or custody and guardianship has been transferred to an authorized agency (other than a vulnerable child as defined in Article 11 of Chapter 55 of the SSL);
• for whom child protective services has an open case;
• for whom the local department of social services (LDSS) has an open preventive service case;
• whose death has been reported to the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR); and
• any unexplained or unexpected death of any child under the age of eighteen.

An OCFS approved CFRT may exercise the same authority as OCFS regarding the preparation of a fatality report as set forth in SSL §20(5)(b) and (c). Such reports are subject to the review and approval of OCFS and the same redisclosure provisions as fatality reports prepared by OCFS.

Please see the RFP document located on the "Documents" tab for additional information and submission requirements.