August 31, 2026 Report of the Office of the Child Advocate Child Fatality Review Panel

Published on Monday, August 31, 2026

The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is the independent, autonomous state agency tasked with the responsibility of protecting the legal rights of children involved with the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). The OCA functions as the oversight agency to DCYF.

Pursuant to Rhode Island General Law (R.I.G.L.) § 42-73-2.3(b)(1)-(3), the OCA shall convene a Child Fatality Review Panel to review fatalities and near fatalities of children under the age of twenty-one (21) if the statutory criteria are met.

On September 30, 2025, the OCA issued a press release to announce the convening of a Child Fatality Review Panel to review twenty-nine (29) fatalities and nine (9) near fatalities of children from birth to age six (6) that occurred between 2019 and 2026 that met the OCA’s statutory mandate for review.

The OCA is announcing that two (2) near fatalities and one (1) fatality of children from birth to age six (6) that occurred in 2026 were added to the cases reviewed by this Panel as they met the criteria and demographics for review. In total, the Panel reviewed thirty (30) fatalities and eleven (11) near fatalities.

Of the thirty (30) fatalities reviewed, there were four (4) in 2019, three (3) in 2020, four (4) in 2021, five (5) in 2022, five (5) in 2023, six (6) in 2024, two (2) in 2025, and one (1) in 2026.

Of the eleven (11) near fatalities reviewed, there were three (3) in 2019, zero (0) in 2020, one (1) in 2021, one (1) in 2022, two (2) in 2023, two (2) in 2024, zero (0) in 2025 and two (2) in 2026.

The Panel and OCA staff have completed extensive case review, analysis, and discussion of the cases. The OCA is issuing a public report outlining the Panel’s findings and recommendations which will be made public on the OCA website in accordance with statutory requirements.

The OCA recognizes the profound impact near fatalities or fatalities have on families, friends, and the community. The OCA and the Panel understand the significance of our role and approached the review of these difficult cases with diligence and care. Our goal is to develop meaningful recommendations for policy and practice changes that can help prevent similar tragedies in the future.