In 1991 the Oklahoma legislature recognized the need for a multidisciplinary review of how Oklahoma’s children were dying and created the Child Death Review Act.  As a result, the Child Death Review Board (CDRB) was created within the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY).

Since its beginning, the CDRB has reviewed more than 7,000 cases involving the deaths of Oklahoma’s children all aged 17 years and younger.  Although the results are confidential, the reviews have allowed the CDRB to collect statistical data and system failure information.  This has led to the development of recommendations to improve policies, procedures, and practices within (and between) the agencies that protect and serve the children of Oklahoma.

The CDRB strongly believes that through the implementation of these recommendations, lives will be saved, families will be strengthened, and agencies who serve to safeguard Oklahoma’s children, are supported in a manner that assists them in performing their duties.  The CDRB submits a report annually that includes information and recommendations aimed to reduce the number of child-related deaths in Oklahoma