Kansas Administrative Regulations Agency 124 - CHILD DEATH REVIEW BOARD
Here’s an enhanced overview of Agency 124, the State Child Death Review Board, under the Kansas Administrative Regulations (KAR):
👶 Agency 124 — State Child Death Review Board (Article 1)
🔍 Sections & Key Provisions
124‑1‑1: Coroner guidelines – Establishes standards for coroners to identify and report suspicious child deaths. (regulations.justia.com)
124‑1‑2: Investigation protocol – The Board's executive director reviews birth/death certificates, coroner reports, and other relevant documents; assigns cases to Board members for in-depth review; ensures follow-up and certifies investigative outcomes; questionable causes/manners of death are referred to prosecutors. (law.cornell.edu)
124‑1‑3: Interagency coordination – Mandates formal agreements with public agencies (e.g., KDHE) to streamline information sharing and collaboration in reviewing child deaths.
124‑1‑4: Facilitate prosecution – The Board issues checklists for law enforcement in assessing child death cases and provides annual guidance to coroners on relevant statutes (K.S.A. 22a‑242). (law.cornell.edu)
📜 Statutory Authority & Structure
Legal foundation: Established by K.S.A. 22a‑243 and related statutes, as a specialized unit under the Kansas Attorney General’s Office (ksrevisor.org).
Composition and duties:
Comprised of appointed multidisciplinary members—coroners, physicians, attorneys, and child protection advocates—with the AG’s appointee as Chair .
Meets at least annually (and more frequently if needed) to review deaths of children (0–17 years) involving Kansas residents or non-residents who died within the state (ksrevisor.org).
Required to develop and adopt a formal review protocol covering coroners' guidelines, investigative processes, interagency cooperation, and prosecution referral measures—the very topics codified in KAR 124‑1‑1 through 1‑4 (ksrevisor.org).
Mandated to compile and submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature by October 1 of each year, detailing findings, analyses, and recommendations for statutory or procedural enhancements (ksrevisor.org).
Maintains confidentiality of all records and findings, except in narrowly defined circumstances (e.g., legislative review, contracted analysis, statistical reporting) .
🏛️ Administrative Context
The Board was created by the 1992 Legislature and remains within the AG’s Office, administered monthly to review the full range of child death cases, including non‑residents dying in Kansas (ncfrp.org).
This team works closely with the Midwest Regional Child Death Review Coalition, National Child Death Review network, and other bodies like Safe Kids Kansas (ncfrp.org).
✅ In Summary
Agency 124 codifies a structured, multi‑agency approach to investigate every child death in Kansas, from initial suspicion and investigation through legal referral and systemic review. It ensures consistent interagency coordination, standardized investigative protocols, legal accountability, and ongoing oversight through annual reporting and confidentiality protections.
📌 Want More?
If you're interested in:
The full text of any regulation section (e.g. 124‑1‑3 or 124‑1‑4),
The current annual report,
Membership details or training materials,
OR how the Board has evolved via recent legislative amendments —
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