Home - ACT Children & Young People Death Review Committee

The death of a child is a tragedy bringing grief to all involved. It can have a huge impact on the community and that is why the aim of the CYPDRC is to learn from these tragic circumstances.

Messages to the Community

The growing body of evidence produced by the committee leads us to share the following messages with the broader ACT community:

The data indicate that the rate of deaths where co-sleeping is a factor has dropped dramatically. It’s a sign that the community has heard the message there. For more information on co-sleeping see the fact sheet.

Given the opportunities for incidental risk, the committee encourages parents and guardians as well as the broader community to be vigilant about children: keep watch, lock pool gates, keep button batteries out of reach for instance. Be aware of the environment of where you live and where you visit.

Look for signs and be aware of the children and young people you interact with. Understand how you can support them. There are contact details and links to other useful resources on the Links page.