– Rise in fatalities among children
– Surge in mortality rates for kids.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : The Black Country has seen a troubling rise in the number of children dying, with new data revealing a significant increase in child deaths across the region. According to a report presented to Walsall Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board, there were a total of 128 deaths of children under the age of 18 in the area between April 2022 and March 2023.
Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Dudley all experienced an uptick in child deaths compared to the previous year, while Sandwell, which already had the highest figures, maintained the same level of child deaths. The Black Country Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) has reviewed 96 of the 128 deaths, with the remaining cases still under review.
During the period under review, Sandwell recorded 40 child deaths, Dudley recorded 35, Walsall recorded 29, and Wolverhampton had 24 child deaths. These numbers represent significant increases from the previous year, with Dudley seeing a rise of 8 deaths, Walsall experiencing an increase of 11 deaths, and Wolverhampton recording 13 more deaths than the previous year.
Of the 128 child death notifications, 57 were aged zero to 27 days, 22 were aged 28-364 days, 16 were in the one to four age range, 16 were aged five to nine years, and 17 were children aged 10 years and over.
The panel is working to identify “modifiable factors” that have contributed to these tragic deaths and sharing their findings to help prevent similar incidents in the future. Common factors identified in perinatal and neonatal deaths include smoking, alcohol and substance misuse, and maternal obesity. The report also highlighted unsafe sleeping arrangements as a major factor in sudden or unexpected child deaths.
This news, initially reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, sheds light on a concerning trend in the Black Country. It is crucial for local authorities and communities to come together to address these issues and work towards ensuring the safety and well-being of all children in the region.
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“Child mortality rates”
“Young lives lost”.
