Identification, Screening, and Assessment of Child Abuse & Neglect

Each year, hundreds of thousands of children in the United States experience abuse or neglect. A greater understanding of the risk factors and strategies for screening can help professionals working with children and families identify different types of maltreatment and high-risk situations.

• Assessment in child protection
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Children with disabilities

Child Abuse and Neglect: Topic Overview
WebMD
Provides an overview as well as indicators, risk factors, and exams and tests for determining child abuse and neglect. The guide also provides information on prevention and treatment options.

Child Abuse and Neglect: Recognizing the Signs and Making a Difference
Helpguide.org
Provides information on the warning signs and risk factors for different types of abuse. The guide also provides insight on how to recognize abuse in children. 

Child Abuse and Neglect: Risk and Protective Factors
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016)
Provides information on the individual, relational, community, and societal factors that contribute to the risk of child maltreatment. The page also provides information on protective factors and includes a resource section for more information on child maltreatment.

Diagnosis and Management of Physical Abuse in Children
Kodner & Wetherton (2013)
American Family Physician, 88(10)
Provides information on detecting and intervening in cases of suspected child maltreatment. The article provides specific steps for practitioners in recognizing and screening for abuse.

The Evaluation of Suspected Child Physical Abuse (PDF - 849 KB)
Christian (2015)
American Academy of Pediatrics
Provides guidance to practitioners on indicators and evaluation methods of suspected maltreatment of children.

Screening Children
Stanford Medicine
Provides age-appropriate questions to ask preverbal and verbal children in order to screen for abuse and neglect. The page also includes questions to ask parents when practitioners suspect maltreatment.

                                (Back to Top)