Child Death Investigation - One Day Course
This is a one-day intense child death investigation course. It is a comprehensive overview of the proper response to a child death scene. This class will give the investigator the perspective from the prosecutor, medical examiner and Child Protective Services. The team approach is a unique approach utilized in the investigation of injury and deaths involving children.
The investigator will learn the common practices of a Homicide response, the practices of Child Protective Services, and the Medical Examiner. The investigator will learn what is required for prosecution of cases involving children as victims. The investigator will learn about cause of death findings in cases in sudden natural deaths including infectious diseases and inherited conditions. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome will be covered in depth, with emphasis on important interview questions, scene investigations, and autopsy findings. The information will be taught through visual presentation of cases, including scene findings, and autopsy findings.
At the conclusion of the course, the investigator will:
- Know common causes of death in infants, toddlers, and older children
- Be able to differentiate common accidental injury patterns from inflicted injury patterns
- Recognize natural conditions that may be mistaken for abuse
- Be familiar with common victim and perpetrator characteristics in the most common causes of death from inflicted injury
- Recognize “recurring themes” and findings in neonaticide and factitious illness
- Identify scene investigative techniques unique to the pediatric age range
- Be familiar with victim and perpetrator characteristics in the most common causes of death in each unique age group
- Understand the complexity and specificity that pediatric death investigation requires and the importance of re-creating the event in the interview
- The importance of the Team Approach