Every year since the 1990s the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program looks at every child death in our state — from birth through age 17 — to see which ones might have been prevented. Their goal is simple but vital: to use what we learn to save lives.
The 2025 report (the 32nd annual edition) shows that communities across Arizona — including all tribal nations and local review teams — completed reviews for 100% of child deaths in the year.
That thorough work helps point out trends, risks, and possible solutions so that parents, lawmakers, and communities can do better.
2025 Child Fatality Review Report
What Are the Main Problems
The report breaks child deaths into different types — accidental injuries, homicides, suicides, natural (medical) causes, and more.
Some of the biggest issues include:
Premature births and sudden infant deaths — For babies under one year, prematurity and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) remain major challenges.
- Drowning deaths — Children sometimes die in water-related accidents.
- Firearm-related deaths — Gun injuries remain a serious cause of child fatalities.
- Car crashes and motor vehicle accidents — Crashes continue to put young lives at risk.
- Infectious disease deaths — The report notes that deaths from infectious illness rose, and a significant portion may have been preventable.
While some deaths are unavoidable, many fall into categories labeled “preventable” — meaning that safety rules, education, health care access, or better supervision could be effective.
What the Report Recommends
Based on its findings, the CFRP proposes several key steps for families, communities, and lawmakers to help reduce child deaths.
- Require proper storage of all firearms by making adult owners legally civilly & criminally responsible for keeping the firearm unloaded and locked in a safe with the ammunition stored separately.
- Families should store firearms securely, keeping guns unloaded and locked, with ammunition stored separately. Arizona should implement a child access prevention law to reinforce the importance of safe gun storage.
- Parents and caregivers should use age-appropriate car seats and seat belts — and enforce rear-seat travel for children under 13. Enforcement of existing requirements would help
- Communities should expand home-visiting and support programs (especially for expectant mothers), and encourage healthy behaviors during pregnancy to reduce premature birth deaths
- Parents must know safe-sleep guidelines for babies and avoid using items not designed for infant sleep or recalled products.
- Access to health care and preventive measures — including vaccinations and timely medical care — should be improved, especially to address disease-related deaths.
Some recommendations need new laws; others can be acted on by state agencies, community groups, or families right away.
Firearm Violence in Arizona: Data to Support Prevention Policies
You can see the numerous graphs and policy recommendations in the full report (142 pages): 2025 Child Fatality Review Report