Forming a Multidisciplinary Team To Investigate Child Abuse

• NCJ Number: 170020
• Author(s): M Ells
• Date Published: March 2000
• Length: 28 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Instructional Material

Annotation

This manual explains the benefits of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to investigate child abuse and provides advice on forming and operating an effective team.

Abstract

The manual notes that an increasing number of jurisdictions have established MDTs to promote the coordination and teamwork needed to ensure a timely and appropriate response to child abuse or neglect. MDTs include professionals from law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, medicine, counseling, and related fields. MDTs can take several forms and may involve different locales. Creating an MDT involves several steps: identifying and recruiting members, developing a mission statement and protocol, establishing and maintaining good working relationships among team members, and evaluating the team's performance. Crucial elements in making the team a success include confidentiality policies, conflict resolution practices, and periodic review. Checklists and lists of supplemental readings, organizations from which to obtain more information, and other titles in the series on child abuse