Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System: Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

The Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report is now available!

The Child Fatality Prevention Act (Article 20.5 of Title 25, Colorado Revised Statutes) established the Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS), a statewide, multidisciplinary, multi-agency effort to prevent child deaths. As mandated in statute, this report identifies specific policy recommendations to reduce child deaths in Colorado and provides an overview of programmatic accomplishments since July 1, 2013. 

On an annual basis, the CFPS State Review Team prioritizes policy recommendations to submit to the governor and the Colorado General Assembly. The State Review Team’s decision to endorse the following prioritized recommendations was based on the review of aggregated child death circumstance data from 2008-2012, as well as multidisciplinary expertise about the best strategies to protect the health and well-being of children.

The Child Fatality Prevention System State Review Team determined that child fatalities can be reduced in Colorado if the following recommendations to policymakers are adopted and implemented.

• Modify child care licensing requirements and regulations regarding infant safe sleep to better align with the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations.
• Establish a statutory requirement that allows for primary enforcement of Colorado’s adult seat belt law, making it possible for a driver to be stopped and issued a citation if anyone (the driver and all passengers in all seating positions) in the vehicle is not properly restrained.
• Increase funding for the Office of Suicide Prevention to implement the following activities: 1) expand the Office of Suicide Prevention statewide community grant program to more counties and at higher funding levels; 2) expand the implementation and evaluation of means restriction education training at hospitals statewide; and 3) expand implementation and evaluation of school-based suicide prevention programs that promote resilience and positive youth development as protective factors from suicide statewide.
• Require newly licensed K-12 educators and special service providers (nurses, school psychologists, school counselors and social workers) to complete suicide prevention trainings.
• Increase funding for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to expand the Colorado Household Medication Take-Back Program at pharmacies across the state.
• Incorporate infant safe sleep education and how to address safety concerns related to infant safe sleep practices as part of the Colorado Department of Human Services Child Welfare Training System for child welfare professionals. (Joint Recommendation with Colorado Department of Human Services Child Fatality Review Team)
• Continue to provide dedicated resources for the implementation of Colorado’s Child Welfare Plan, “Keeping Kids Safe and Families Healthy 2.0,” to make prevention programs for families with young children available in every county in Colorado. (Joint Recommendation with Colorado Department of Human Services Child Fatality Review Team)