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Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations - losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect. The WHO reports that over 40 million children, below the age of 15, are subjected to child abuse each year. Domestic violence in the home increases that risk threefold.
Child Abuse Investigation Field Guide is intended to be a resource for anyone working with cases involving abuse, neglect or sexual assault of children. It is designed to be a quick reference and focuses on the best practices to use during a child abuse investigation. The guide explains the Minimal Facts Interview, the Forensic Interview, and the entire process from report to court. It is understood that every state has different statutes regarding these topics; however the objectives of recognizing, reporting, and investigating cases of this nature are the same. Just as every crime scene is different, every case involving a child is different. Best practices and standard procedures exist to help ensure cases are discovered, reported and investigated properly, to ensure good documentation is obtained to achieve prosecution and conviction. This field guide will be a useful tool for law enforcement, child protective services, social service caseworkers, child advocates, and other personnel and agencies working for the welfare of children.
List of contents
1: Introduction2: Dynamics of Victimization3: Types of Child Abuse4: Investigation and Evidence Collection5: Juvenile Cases6: Preparing for Court7: Resources
About the author
Jerri Sites has 24 years of experience working in the field of child abuse investigations. She serves as a consultant for OVC TTAC and is a member of Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center’s Speakers Bureau. Ms. Sites was instrumental in creating the Children's Advocacy Center of East Central Missouri, serving as its founding Executive Director. As president of the Missouri Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, she helped create the state chapter for Missouri CAC's now known as Missouri KidsFirst, where she served as Director of Training. Jerri also took the lead in bringing the Finding Words training to Missouri, now known as Missouri ChildFirst. In 2015, Jerri became a published author, co-authoring the book “Child Abuse Investigation Field Guide” with Dr. D’Michelle DuPre. Jerri has vast experience in developing multidisciplinary teams and providing training and technical assistance to children's advocacy centers and partnering child abuse professionals in Missouri and nationwide. She presents at the national, state, and local level and provides expert witness testimony in child sexual abuse cases. In addition to consulting, Jerri is the Program Director for the Rainbow House Regional Child Advocacy Center in Columbia, MO, where she supervises staff and provides training regarding investigative best practices for child abuse professionals in the 10 county region it serves.
