The State Child Fatality Advisory Committee (SCFAC) was enacted in 1993. S.C. Code 63-11-1950 mandates that the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee (SCFAC) review completed investigations of deaths involving children age 17 years and younger that are unexpected, unexplained, suspicious, or criminal in nature. Since its enactment, the committee completed the review of 2,813 child fatalities as of October 6, 2021.
The SCFAC meets on the first Wednesday of every other month and has traditionally scheduled reviews of 42 cases at each meeting, completing approximately 200 case reviews annually. Each case is presented by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Special Victims Unit and is reviewed by the committee to analyze and develop an understanding of the causes and various manners of child deaths.
In addition to the SLED cases reviewed, the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) presents motor vehicle deaths. The motor vehicle deaths reviewed are not exhaustive, limiting the data reported by the committee for these fatalities. All motor vehicle traffic deaths are investigated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), which tracks and reports data on these deaths separate from this committee’s report.
The committee adopted a new format for 2023 and modified their meeting formats to incorporate an AcciMap approach to reviewing and analyzing information about child deaths. This safety science method was initially facilitated by former Vice-Chairperson Santana Jones and is now facilitated by representatives from the S.C. Department of Social Services.
The committee’s collaboration serves as a means to implement changes and initiate action within agencies represented on the committee and to propose changes in statutes, regulation, policies, and procedures to ultimately prevent and reduce the number of child deaths in South Carolina.
The mission of the committee is to decrease the incidence of preventable child deaths by:
• Developing an understanding of the causes and trends in child death;
• Developing plans for implementing changes within the agencies represented;
• Advising the Governor and the General Assembly on statutory, policy and practice changes which will prevent child deaths.
The committee is composed of twenty (20) members, including law enforcement, legal, medical, state agencies working with children, legislators, and two members from the general public.
It is our vision to prevent future deaths of children by developing an understanding of how and why children die in the State of South Carolina.
Access the statutes concerning the Committee’s creation, purpose, duties, and confidentiality here:
South Carolina Child Fatality Advisory Committee Legislation
For questions, please contact:
Email: info@childadvocate.sc.gov
South Carolina State Child Fatality Advisory Committee 