Over this period, 276 cases were recorded, constituting an incidence of 0.63 cases per 100,000 children (0-17) per year. A total of 246 cases could be classified based on available data. Of these, the most common case category was characterized by children who died as a result of severe physical assaults. Apparently, deliberate overt and covert homicide was less common, and deaths as a direct consequence of neglect were rare; however, there was some evidence of neglect in at least 40 percent of all cases, although it was not the direct cause of death. Children from Black and ethnic minority families seem to be disproportionately at risk, particularly within some subcategories. Less than one in three cases had previously been subject to a child-protection plan, the number of cases in which there was evidence of previous abuse or neglect was much higher. This suggests that there must be improved mechanisms for identifying and protecting children most at risk. Data on all notified cases of fatal maltreatment between April 2005 and March 2009 were examined for case characteristics related to a systemic classification of five broad groups of maltreatment deaths. 4 tables, 2 figures and 33 references