Brendan Burke joined the Office of the Child Advocate in February 2022. Brendan serves as the lead for the OCA on matters relating to child fatality review and prevention. He convenes the Connecticut Child Fatality Review Panel (CFRP) each month which reviews all unexpected and unexplained child deaths. Brendan is the Child Advocate’s principal investigator on any in-depth child fatality investigation requested by the CFRP, the Governor, the General Assembly or conducted at the Child Advocate’s discretion. Child fatality reviews focus on the examination of systems and opportunities to improve policies and practices to prevent additional tragedies from occurring. Brendan represents the OCA on numerous statewide committees and national initiatives focused on prevention of child injury and death. Prior to working at the OCA, Brendan worked for the CT Department of Children and Families for 20 years, serving multiple communities and developing systems to enhance child welfare practice statewide. Brendan holds a Bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and a Master of Social Work from Fordham University.