Collaboration of Helpers Lowering Deaths of Children (Project: C.H.I.L.D.)

Cook County Health and Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center will address the issue of child fatalities cause by crime victimization by forming the Collaboration of Helpers Lowering Deaths of Children (Project: CHILD). Project: CHILD aims to reduce the incidence of child maltreatment in three counties in Illinois, Cook, Peoria, and Vermilion, by— 1) Convening a multidisciplinary team of stakeholders to form a Collaborative whose mission is to identify the needs and challenges of families, maximize their strengths, and provide assistance when necessary; 2) Creating a regional unit-based multidisciplinary team to investigate severe child abuse cases, including physical abuse and neglect of children younger than 3 years old; and 3) Broadening the unit-based multidisciplinary team in a downstate area lacking a Child Advocacy Center to include telemedicine for this area, to ensure access to medical review, intervention, and oversight in severe child abuse investigations. Using a public health model, Project: CHILD will examine 5 years of data on child fatalities and near fatalities from various sources.

CA/NCF