Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill establishes a critical incident review team for the new Department of Human Services to review cases that result of the death or near death of a child in state custody.

Highlights:

• Establishes the Critical Incident Review team under the West Virginia DHS (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that this team will be called upon in the cases of the following (Sec. 1): 

• The death of a child or the near death of the child in the custody of the department of Human Services;

• The death or near death of a child who is from a family that is known to child protective services; and 

• The death or near death of a child who is known to the DHS through a centralized intake report. 

• Specifies the membership of the Critical Incident Review team (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that the duties of the critical incident review team shall be the following (Sec. 1): 

• Review and analyze all deaths and near deaths as required by this article 

• Ascertain and document the trends, patterns, and risk factors associated with the deaths and near deaths evaluated 

• Provide statistical info and analysis; 

• Establish standard procedures for the handling of the critical incident review;

• Establish confidentiality of the records of the team and incidents;and 

• Seek additional expertise. 

• Specifies when the team needs to produce a report (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text