The Child Protection Program was founded in 1985 and can be best described as providing service to children, families and professionals involved with child maltreatment. The programs offer:
• Clinical evaluation of suspected victims of child abuse
• Crisis counseling services for families
• Professional consultation for health care providers, child protection services, law enforcement officers or other professionals
• Expert testimony in legal settings
• Professional education
• Parent education
• Leadership in identifying and solving community issues dealing with child abuse.
Child abuse has become a board certified subspecialty of the American Board of Pediatrics. The Child Protection Program provides physicians, nurses, social workers and support personnel able and willing to offer these services.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
The Child Protection Program mission is to improve care, evaluation and coordination of services to children who are suspected victims of child abuse or neglect. They are highly visible as a leader in the state for medical evaluation for children who are suspected to have been abused or neglected, provide consultation and education to community professionals dealing with child abuse, and continue community and state services and leadership in child abuse issues.
OUR SERVICES
Child Abuse Consultation Team: provides comprehensive medical evaluations for children alleged to have been physically abused or neglected. The majority of physical abuse evaluations actually turn out to be inpatient and emergency room consultations at Riley Hospital, and inpatient consultations at Methodist Hospital. Approximately 350 child abuse patients are seen per year, many of whom spend some time in the pediatric intensive care unit. We receive numerous phone calls (hundreds) from physicians, child protective service caseworkers and law enforcement seeking guidance on cases they are handling. The consultation team also provides the services of the PEDS program, offering consultation to DCS on every case of suspected abusive head trauma reported to them. For services call 317.944.5000 and ask to speak with the child abuse physician on call.
PEDS Program (Pediatric Evaluation and Diagnostic Services): These patients are referred by the Department of Child Services. The goal of the PEDS Program is to provide expert knowledge from child abuse pediatric physicians as a resource for medical diagnosis, assessment and determination of possible abusive head injury, differentiating maltreatment, accidental injuries and medical conditions. For more information call 317.630.7403 or email iucpp@iupui.edu
Pediatric Center of Hope (PCOH Riley and Wishard): provides comprehensive medical evaluation for children alleged to have been sexually abused. The clear majority of children are referred by child protective services and law enforcement; health care providers are the second most common source of referral. Services are provided by dedicated physicians, nurses, social workers, and forensic nurse examiners. The Center of Hope is a major source of expertise and consultation for Indianapolis and much of central Indiana with requests from throughout the entire state. For services call 317.944.5000 and ask to speak with the Pediatric Center of Hope nurse on call.
Kohl’s Caring for Our Kids:
Thanks to a recent grant from Kohl’s Cares we have continued the Kohl’s Caring for Our Kids Campaign aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect and promoting positive parenting skills. What we seek to offer through this program is a pool of resources to help you keep your children and other children who you know and love safe and nurtured. For more information, please see http://www.KohlsCaringForOurKids.org
Crisis Counseling Services: are an extension of the Pediatric Center of Hope and bridge the gap in services from the time a child is identified as a possible victim to the four to eight week time frame in which formal ongoing counseling may become available. This program serves children and families in person and over the phone. Follow up is provided to all children seen for suspected sexual abuse in the Pediatric Center of Hope. Consultation is also provided to community resources and children and families not actually seen in our programs at the medical center. This program has served a tremendous need in providing support to families in the early stages of an allegation and investigation when there is so much turmoil and families are not sure what to do. 317.692.2378
First Candle’s Bedtime Basics for Babies (a national infant safe sleep campaign): partners our program closely with Riley, Methodist and Wishard Hospitals, Marion County Child Protective Services and other community agencies serving families. We serve as the coordinators for the state coalition for crib and education delivery for families in need. The work with patients/clients at times involves families who are at high risk for deaths in unsafe sleeping conditions due to a lack of education and appropriate equipment. This program developed as a result of our observations from the Marion County Child Fatality Review Team. Families at risk are the ones targeted with this program by providing a stationary crib or a portable crib along with education on safe sleep practices. Portable cribs are appropriate for families who are in transition without a permanent home. Hundreds of families are served yearly. The Soothing Babies Safely (a shaken baby syndrome prevention program) is being developed for use in all three hospitals. 317.630.6307 or 317.630.8718
Liaison Child Abuse Forum: is a community coordination effort founded and directed by the Child Protection Program. This forum brings together Marion County Child Protective Services, law enforcement, prosecutor, hospital representatives, and public school system representatives on a monthly basis to solve community problems in the identification, evaluation and handling of child abuse cases. This group has been responsible for developing community protocols on handling child abuse cases in schools, attempting to establish more uniform hospital guidelines for child abuse cases, and initiating the battered women’s domestic violence training protocol. 317.692.2379
Marion County Child Fatality Review Team and Indiana State Child Fatality Review Team: Team members were instrumental in getting legislation to encourage these teams statewide. Other Child Protection Program personnel serve on these teams in administrative support capacities. These committees review the deaths of all children not due to medical illness; trends in deaths and completeness of individual cases are assessed. Recommendations for improving child death investigations have resulted. Legislation has now been passed to develop statewide child fatality reviews. Multidisciplinary trainings to improve child death scene investigations are being provided as funding becomes available. 317.630.2617
Team members participate in Marion County Child Protection Team, Marion County Child Advocacy Center and Child First/Finding Words as well as participating in the efforts of Legacy House and The Julian Center. Team members are regularly requested to participate in ad hoc committees and task forces in the hospitals and community, including several governor appointed positions.
After Hours call 317.944.5000 and ask for Child Abuse Physician on call for physical abuse and neglect concerns or Pediatric Center of Hope nurse on call for sexual abuse concerns. For more information email us at iucpp@iupui.edu