Citizen Review Panels are panels made up of citizen volunteers who oversee the child protective services system within federal mandates as described in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The findings of the Citizen Review Panels are described in the CRP Annual Report to which the Department of Social Services must respond. The Annual Reports and Agency Responses are published at the CRP website.
The State Child Fatality Advisory Committee (SCFAC) examines each case of unexpected and unexplained child death in South Carolina. By reviewing the circumstances and actions surrounding a child's death, effective community responses to the prevention of child fatalities may be determined. The SCFAC is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team of local, regional and key state professionals from varying fields and levels and is established by state statute. The mission of the committee is to decrease the incidence of preventable child deaths by:
- Understanding the causes of child death;
- Creating plans for implementing changes within the agencies represented;
- Advising the Governor and the General Assembly on statutory, policy, and practice changes which will prevent child deaths.