Stockport child death overview panel - statutory responsibilities and arrangements

Learning from child deaths

The death of a child is a devastating loss that profoundly affects the family and all those involved. Our process for reviewing the deaths of children is grounded in our respect for the rights of children and their families. Our intention is to learn what happened and why, and prevent future child deaths.

Child Death Overview Panels (CDOP) review every death of a child, whatever the circumstances, to find out if there's anything we can learn. We identify any concerns that the death suggests for other people and that contributes to wider understanding of the causes of childhood mortality.

Child deaths in Stockport are reviewed by a panel covering Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. Our panel includes:

  • doctors
  • other healthcare professionals
  • public health professionals
  • child safeguarding professionals
  • a representative of Greater Manchester Police

CDOP is a statutory requirement. The panel seeks to understand the circumstances of each child’s death by reviewing paperwork, such as clinical records and policing records. While the panel will ask for the information it needs from organisations who have responsibility for a child’s care, it does not conduct police investigations or interviews. CDOP panel meetings are held in private, and the child’s parents do not attend.

Reporting a child death

All child deaths must be reported by an appropriate professional to the CDOP panel. Reports must be made through the eCDOP online portal.

Information for families

Further information about what happens after a bereavement, including the CDOP process, is available on the Lullaby Trust's website (PDF, 495KB).

If you're the parent of a child who has died in Stockport, you'll have a key link worker, who'll often work at the last NHS organisation that cared for your child. You can contact your key link worker if you have any questions about your child’s death.

CDOP enquiries

If you have any questions about our CDOP process, you can: