Parents and Families

Learning from your experience

We are sorry if you are reading this because you have lost a child or young person who was dear to you. As a Committee we offer you our condolences and hope that you are getting the support you need to deal with such a difficult experience.

Our Committee was established by the Minister of Health to review deaths of children and young people aged 28 days to 24 years. Our aim is to find ways to prevent such deaths in the future.

If you would like to contribute to our work we would appreciate hearing from you. We think you may be able to help us get a complete picture of how and why some deaths happen. We would like you to tell us about your experience.

You can provide your information by clicking on this link - Parent or Family Report to The New Zealand Child and Youth Mortality Review

How will your information be used?

We will treat any information we receive from you as confidential and will store it on a secure database.

This means it is difficult for us to provide you with any feedback from our database. If you want to know anything more about what we do or how your information will be used, please feel free to contact us.

We review all the information gathered about deaths of children or young people in New Zealand (including any information you give us) and make recommendations to the Minister of Health about how we can reduce preventable deaths. This information is also included in our annual reports. If you would like a copy sent to you contact us.

Unhappy about anything that happened?

Please note we do not deal with complaints or do any investigations. If you are unhappy about anything that happened then there are people whose job it is to deal with such problems. There is page on the Ministry of Health Website that may help - view the Ministry of Health page on making a complaint.

Related information

Coronial Services of New Zealand (www.justice.govt.nz)
The Coronial Services of New Zealand serves the community through investigating circumstances and causes of death in a respectful and professional manner. The findings of these investigations will be used to make recommendations for the improvement of public safety and to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.

When Someone Dies: A Guide to Coronial Services in New Zealand
A booklet for those dealing with the death of a loved one. This beautifully presented booklet explains the coroners process including the people involved, the role of the Police and reasons for post-mortem examinations Also covered are practical matters such as death certificates, identification of the deceased and support for the bereaved.

Kidshealth (www.kidshealth.org.nz)
Kidshealth is a child and youth health information website to support parents and health professionals. The site is a joint initiative between the Starship Foundation and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand.

The Kids Help Foundation Trust (www.whatsup.co.nz)
0800 WHATSUP (0800 9428787) is a telephone counselling service. All children and young people aged between 5 and 18 in New Zealand are free to call between noon and midnight seven days.

The Foundation of the Study of Infant Deaths (www.fsid.org.uk)
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) is a UK charity that works to prevent SUDI and promote health. It funds research, supports bereaved families and promotes safe baby care advice.

Suicide Prevention (www.moh.govt.nz/suicideprevention)
This Ministry of Health webpage gives information and links to more information about the types of support services and/or resources needed by families, whānau and significant others bereaved by suicide (postvention) and for those affected by a suicide attempt (post-attempt).

Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand (www.spinz.org.nz)
SPINZ is associated with the Mental Health Foundation, its kaupapa or main purpose is to provide best practice information on suicide prevention that supports effective intervention and prevention across Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Skylight - Bereaved by Suicide Group
This group is for adults and young people (17 yrs plus) who have been affected by the suicide of someone they know. It allows members to:

share their thoughts and feelings around what’s happened
discuss the nature of suicide
gain information and ideas about how to care for themselves and others, including children, after a suicide.

The group is facilitated by professional counsellors and educators and runs over six weeks.

If you are interested visit the Skylight website or contact them by phone on 04 920 9967 or email at css@skylight-trust.org.nz.

Information about Child and Youth Mortality Review
One of the purposes of this brochure is to make sure that all parents and family/whanau know that information is collected about the death of every child and young person in New Zealand. It also covers the work of the CYMRC.

Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee

Te Rōpū Arotake Auau Mate o te Hunga Tamariki, Taiohi