Due to the complex nature of child abuse and neglect investigations and family assessments, multidisciplinary teams are often used to enhance and improve investigations and responses for children and families. Multidisciplinary teams represent a variety of disciplines that interact and coordinate their efforts to diagnose, treat, and plan for children and families receiving child welfare services. They may also be referred to as a "child protection team," "interdisciplinary team," or "case consultation team." Resources include State and local examples.
Bringing Families Together: Models of Hope and Recovery [Video]
Center for Children and Family Futures & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2012)
Explores how communities are strengthening linkages among child welfare, mental health services, substance use treatment, and the court systems to improve outcomes for children and families.
Defining the Children's Hospital Role in Child Maltreatment (PDF - 1,520 KB)
National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (2nd ed.) (2011)
Helps child protection teams assess their current services and augment their strengths while raising their awareness of the leadership role that children's hospitals play in responding to, treating, investigating, studying, and preventing child abuse and neglect cases.
Difficult Economic Times Prove Value of Multidisciplinary Approaches to Resolve Child Abuse (PDF - 90 KB)
Giles
Update, 22(1), 2009
Discusses the impact the recession may be having on child abuse, the temptation to cut back on child abuse prevention programs and prosecution during tough economic times, and the need for multidisciplinary child abuse investigation teams in association with child advocacy centers to ensure cost-efficient and effective prosecution.
Evaluating Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Training: A Comprehensive Program and Questionnaire
Beran
IPT Journal, 15(5), 2005
Provides a step-by-step, how-to evaluation of a child abuse investigation training.
How Judges Can Build Multidisciplinary Collaborations to Benefit Children and Families (PDF - 568 KB)
Townsend (2008)
Discusses how successful systemic change has resulted from multidisciplinary collaborations with the court system through strong judicial leadership, the inclusion of governmental and community stakeholders, and the development of sustained trust between stakeholders.
Interdisciplinary Child Welfare Training Program
University of Michigan School of Social Work (2004)
Offers an interdisciplinary training program for community-based groups of child welfare and family providers on substance abuse, interpersonal violence, women and drugs, and parenting and mental illness.
State and local examples
Guidelines for the Multidisciplinary Response to Child Abuse in Alaska (PDF - 1,670 KB)
Alaska Children's Justice Act Task Force (2010)
Provides guidelines for professionals participating in the initial evaluation of children for whom there is a concern of maltreatment and explains best practices for responding to child abuse in Alaska.
Improving Responses to Allegations of Severe Child Abuse: Results from the Instant Response Team Program (PDF - 968 KB)
Vera Institute of Justice (2004)
Presents the outcomes from New York City's program involving child protection staff, police, and prosecutors.
Patterns of Interaction in Multidisciplinary Child Protection Teams in New Jersey
Bell (2001)
Child Abuse and Neglect, 25(1)
View Abstract
The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how multidisciplinary team members in child protection work together within the team.