Child Death Review Team

Under Part 5A of the Community Services (Complaints, Reviews and Monitoring) Act 1993, the NSW Ombudsman convenes and supports the NSW Child Death Review Team (CDRT).

The CDRT includes experts in healthcare, child development, child protection and research, as well as representatives of key government agencies.

We maintain a register of all child deaths in NSW. The CDRT analyses this register to identify trends and to find ways to reduce the risk of preventable deaths of children in the future.

As well as convening the CDRT, we also review and report on reviewable deaths in NSW.

Read the CDRT’s Strategic Priorities Plan 2022-25.

Role of the CDRT

  • maintains a register of child deaths in NSW
  • classifies deaths in the register according to cause, demographic criteria and other factors
  • analyses the register to identify patterns and trends
  • undertakes research to prevent or reduce the likelihood of child deaths, guided by the CDRT Research Framework
  • makes recommendations to government and community organisations about legislation, policies, practices and services
  • reports to the NSW Parliament on its work and activities.

Working with other jurisdictions

The CDRT is part of the Australian and New Zealand Child Death Review and Prevention Group (ANZCDR&PG), a collaboration of child death review teams from across Australia and New Zealand. Every year, the ANZCDR&PG comes together to share information and insights to better understand and prevent child deaths.

The other ANZCDR&PG members are:

CDRT members

The NSW Ombudsman convenes the CDRT. Staff from the Ombudsman’s office support the CDRT.

The CDRT is required to prepare an annual report. Members must follow the CDRT Charter (under review) and Code of Conduct.

Statutory members as April 2022

Paul Miller
Convenor
NSW Ombudsman

Monica Wolf
Community Services Commissioner / Chief Deputy Ombudsman

Zoe Robinson
NSW Advocate for Children and Young People

Agency representatives

Alison Sweep
Director Engagement and Family Support

Department of Communities and Justice

Anne Reddie
Director, Child Wellbeing and Mental Health Services
Student Support and Specialist Programs
Department of Education

Danny Doherty APM, Detective Superintendent
Commander, Homicide Squad
State Crime Command
NSW Police Force

Matthew O’Meara, Dr
Senior Staff Specialist Paediatric Emergency Medicine
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick

Sarah Bramwell
Director, Practice Learning
Office of the Senior Practitioner
Department of Communities and Justice

Vanessa Chan
Director, Criminal Law Specialist
Department of Communities and Justice

Independent experts

Bronwyn Gould AM, Dr
General Practitioner

Ilan Katz, Professor
Professor Social Policy Research Centre
University of NSW

Kathleen Clapham AM, Professor
Professor (Indigenous Health), School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences
Director, Ngarruwan Ngadju First Peoples Health and Wellbeing Research Centre
University of Wollongong

Lorraine Du Toit-Prinsloo, Dr
Chief Forensic Pathologist and Clinical Director, Forensic Medicine Newcastle
Forensic & Analytical Science Service
NSW Health Pathology

Luciano Dalla-Pozza, Dr
Head of Department (Cancer Centre for Children)
Senior Staff Specialist (Paediatric Oncology)
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead

Ngiare Brown, Professor

Chancellor
James Cook University
Chair
National Mental Health Commission Advisory Board
Director and Program Manager
Ngaoara Child and Adolescent Wellbeing
Executive Manager Research and Senior Public Health Medical Officer
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Professor of Indigenous Health and Education
University of Wollongong

Susan Adams, Dr
Senior Staff Specialist, General Paediatric Surgeon and Head of Vascular Birthmarks Service
Sydney Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor, School of Women’s and Children’s Health
University of New South Wales

Susan Arbuckle, Dr
Paediatric/Perinatal pathologist
The Children's Hospital at Westmead