– Rise in fatalities among children
– Surge in child mortality rates.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : The Black Country has seen a concerning rise in the number of children dying, according to new data. A report presented to Walsall Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board revealed that between April 2022 and March 2023, there were a total of 128 deaths of children under the age of 18 in the area.
The data showed increases in child deaths in Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Dudley compared to the previous year, while Sandwell, which already had the highest figures, remained the same. The Black Country Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) has reviewed 96 of the 128 deaths, with the remaining cases still under review.
Sandwell recorded 40 child deaths during the year under review, while Dudley saw 35 deaths – a significant increase from the 27 deaths reported the previous year. Walsall recorded 29 child deaths, marking an increase of 11 from the previous year. Wolverhampton had 24 child deaths, which was 13 more than the previous year.
Of the 128 child death notifications, 57 were infants 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 notified child deaths were in children aged 10 years and over.
The panel is focused on identifying “modifiable factors” that have contributed to these deaths and sharing findings to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The report highlighted smoking, alcohol and substance misuse, and maternal obesity as common factors in perinatal and neonatal deaths. Additionally, unsafe sleeping arrangements were identified as a major factor in sudden or unexpected child deaths.
This news was reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organizations. For more updates, follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk.
In light of this concerning increase in child deaths, it is crucial for authorities and communities to work together to address the underlying issues and implement preventive measures to protect the most vulnerable members of society..
– child mortality rates
– rise in child fatalities.
