NC H862

Establishes a State Office of Child Fatality Prevention within the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, to coordinate state-level support and oversee the entire North Carolina Child Fatality Prevention System.

Appropriates $569,885 recurring and $18,115 nonrecurring funds for fiscal year 2023-2024, and $758,885 recurring for 2024-2025, including up to five full-time positions and $189,000 for county implementation of changes in 2024-2025.

Restructures child death review teams (Local Teams) to be single or multicounty teams with mandatory review of child deaths in nine specified categories and implementation of the National Fatality Review Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS) by July 1, 2025.

Reorganizes the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force into three committees (Perinatal Health, Unintentional Death Prevention, and Intentional Death Prevention) with clarified duties to advise the State Office on effective statewide child death review operations.

Establishes at least three independent citizen review panels to evaluate state and local child protection agency policies, procedures, and practices, including reviews of child fatalities and near fatalities.