Guidance for Notification of All Child Deaths

The death of any child or young person is a tragic event for families and a key priority at all stages should be to ensure that families can access support and information.

The purpose of this guidance is to clarify the initial requirements of what to do following all child deaths and ensure immediate notification of the death to any professional known to be involved with the child or family.

It will provide staff with clarity to initiate the Datix process (risk management system) following every child death including issuing of a briefing note and updating IT systems following the death of a child.

It will address the role of the Public Protection Service (PPS) to collate and analyse health information where there are/are not brothers and sisters of a deceased child and where there may need to be a multi-agency response following the death including rarely when there may be child protection concerns.

Raise awareness of National Guidance for reviewing child deaths and support information for families. National hub for reviewing and learning from the deaths of children and young people – Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Finally, it will consider the need to ensure staff have access to appropriate support following the death of any child they have provided care to.