Illinois § 5

§ 5.

State policy. The following statements are the policy of this State: (1) Every child is entitled to live in safety and in health and to survive into adulthood. (2) Responding to child deaths is a State and a community responsibility. (3) When a child dies, the response by the State and the community to the death must include an accurate and complete determination of the cause of death, the provision of services to surviving family members, and the development and implementation of measures to prevent future deaths from similar causes. The response may include court action, including prosecution of persons who may be responsible for the death and juvenile proceedings to protect other children in the care of the person responsible for the care of the child who died. (4) Professionals from disparate disciplines and agencies who have responsibilities for children and expertise that can promote child safety and well-being should share their expertise and knowledge so that the goals of determining the causes of children's deaths, planning and providing services to surviving children and nonoffending family members, and preventing future child deaths can be achieved. (5) A greater understanding of the incidence and causes of child deaths is necessary if the State is to prevent future child deaths. (6) Multidisciplinary and multiagency reviews of child deaths can assist the State and counties in (i) investigating child deaths, (ii) developing a greater understanding of the incidence and causes of child deaths and the methods for preventing those deaths, and (iii) identifying gaps in services to children and families. (7) Access to information regarding deceased children and their families by multidisciplinary and multiagency child death review teams is necessary for those teams to achieve their purposes and duties. (Source: P.A. 88-614, eff. 9-7-94.)