When a child dies from suspected abuse, Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law requires a special review to understand what happened and identify ways to better protect children in the future.

Here’s how the process works:

A review team meets

The county Children and Youth Services (CYS) agency convenes a special review team. This team includes CYS staff, the District Attorney, and other professionals.

The team examines the case

The team reviews the circumstances of the child’s death, the services and involvement that occurred beforehand (such as CYS, law enforcement, mental health, drug and alcohol services, schools, and health care providers), court records and whether all laws and regulations were followed.

A report is written

The review team prepares a written report with its findings and recommendations—outlining what could have been done differently and how the system can improve. This report must be submitted to the state within 90 days of the team’s first meeting.

The state reviews and responds

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services reviews the report and issues a written response within 45 days.

Information is shared with the public

A public version of the report, with private and personal information removed, is then released. This allows the community to understand what happened and what steps will be taken to strengthen the system.