A Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect

Second Edition

Edited by Angelo P. Giardino, Michelle Lyn, and Eileen R. Giardino

The impact of child maltreatment on victims, families, and society-from immediate medical care and legal services to long-term mental health care and law enforcement-cannot be understated. And it remains a severe problem in spite of increasing public awareness and stricter laws. To keep up with growing body of professionals staying informed on this subject, the second edition of A Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect assists the reader in recognizing abuse/neglect (exclusive of sexual abuse) in children and youth, and determining its extent. Illustrated with clinical photographs, the Guide details systematic evaluation procedures, explains the tasks of an evaluation team, and expands and updates the knowledge base in these and other major areas:

• Specific injuries, including burns, bruises, fractures, head and abdominal injuries.

• Malnourishment and other forms of neglect.

• Medical child abuse (previously known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy).

• Maltreatment of children with special health care needs.

• Domestic partner violence.

• Prevention strategies, psychosocial assessment, collaborations with law enforcement and the courts, and more.

The new edition of the Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect offers expert information useful to practitioners across professional domains: public health professionals in maternal and child health and school settings; physicians and nurses; clinical social workers, child psychologists, and school psychologists; attorneys and law enforcement personnel.

Autorentext
Angelo P. Giardino is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is also Medical Director of Texas Children's Health Plan, Inc.

Zusammenfassung
As we near the 50th anniversary of the landmark article by C. Henry Kempe and his colleagues entitled The Battered Child Syndrome, which ushered in the modern era of professional attention by pediatricians and other child health professionals, we have reason for both celebration and concern. We can take heart that over the recent ve decades, a great deal of professional attention focused on the problem of child abuse and neglect. In every state of the country, there are mandatory repo- ing laws that require nurses, physicians, and social workers to report suspicions of maltreatment to the appropriate authorities for investigation. The act of repo- ing provides legal immunity to the reporter except when performed in bad faith. Progress in understanding the factors that place children at risk for harm from ph- ical abuse and neglect now permits prevention and intervention. The peer-reviewed literature dealing with child abuse and neglect has proliferated with high quality work being done and reported on the many dimensions related to the epidemi- ogy, mechanism, treatment, and prognosis of child maltreatment. Efforts are being directed toward developing an evidence-based approach to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. These are some of the positives. However, negatives exist and remain reasons for concern. Despite a tremendous amount of attention to the pr- lem of maltreatment, there are at least 3 million reports of suspected child abuse and neglect made annually, with nearly 1 million cases being substantiated.

Inhalt
Child Abuse as a Health Problem.- Introduction: Child Abuse and Neglect.- Evaluation of Physical Abuse and Neglect.- Specific Injuries.- Skin Injury: Bruises and Burns.- Fractures and Skeletal Injuries.- Abdominal and Thoracic Trauma.- Abusive Head Trauma.- Neglect and Failure to Thrive.- Medical Child Abuse.- Other Patterns of Injury and Child Fatality.- Related Issues.- Maltreatment of Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs.- Intimate Partner Violence.- Prevention of Child Physical Abuse.- Teamwork.- Multidisciplinary Teams.- Psychosocial Assessment of Alleged Victims of Child Maltreatment.- Legal Issues and Documentation.- Mental Health Issues: Child Physical Abuse and Neglect.