Purpose of State Advisory Team

The purpose of the State Advisory Team is to provide guidance, expertise and consultation in analyzing and understanding the causes, trends and system responses to child fatalities, and to make recommendations in law, policy and practice to prevent child deaths in Michigan.  The committee also provides support to local teams, recommends improvements in protocols and procedures for the Keeping Kids Alive program and reviews Michigan's child mortality data as well as local child death review team reports to identify causes, risk factors and trends in child deaths.  The State Advisory Team is responsible for preparing an annual report that is presented to the Governor and the Legislature on child fatalities in Michigan.  The Michigan Department of Human Services has administrative responsibility for the team.

Participation on Citizen Review Panel

Many of the people who serve on the State Advisory Team additionally participate on the Citizen Review Panel (CRP) on Child Fatalities.  The Federal Government mandated the formation of this and two other Panels in 1999, for the purpose of providing an opportunity for citizens to aid in ensuring that states meet goals of protecting children from abuse and neglect by evaluating the strengths, weaknesses and challenges in the child welfare delivery system.  This CRP meets quarterly, reviewing and examining the identified cases of child abuse and neglect that have occurred within a given year.  At the end of the calendar year the Panel compiles their findings and recommendations in a report that is presented to the Department of Human Services for their knowledge and consideration, in hopes of improving the child welfare system in Michigan.