Categories
Child Abuse

It Really Is “Normal to be Normal” in Child Sexual Abuse

Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center has a webinar coming in June, It Really Is “Normal to be Normal” in Child Sexual Abuse. The session will be held June 28th at 1pm CT. I’m posting this pretty early, so hopefully, people will be able to make it, but they archive their sessions, so no worries if you have a conflict. From the website:

Brief Overview: A child abuse pediatrician will describe the medical evaluation for a child suspected of having been sexually abused with emphasis on why physical and laboratory findings are often absent. Reasons why children typically delay disclosure will be presented with accompany published references. Strategies and techniques for court preparation when a case of suspected child sexual abuse with a normal€ exam is being presented for civil hearing or criminal trial will also be discussed. Resources and literature references will be provided for the attendees.

Expert Presenter: Karen Farst, MD, MPH, is a child abuse pediatrician at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She is an associate professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and director for the university’s Center for Children at Risk. She is a past president of the National Children’s Alliance Board of Directors. She earned her B.A. and M.D. from Texas Tech University and then completed a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UAMS. Following a child abuse fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, she completed a Masters of Public Health from Fay Boozman College of Public Health at UAMS.

Register here.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Navigating the Ethical Maze: Storytelling for Organizations Working With Vulnerable Populations

In the latest issue of Free Range Thinking (PDF), Andy Goodman references a recent issue brief from the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership, Navigating the Ethical Maze: Storytelling for Organizations Working with Vulnerable Populations (PDF). I post about it here because many of us include survivor stories in the work we do–as a way to help funders see the real world impact of our work as we attempt to garner program support, or as a component of trainings and educational opportunities so that clinicians understand the consequences of our interactions with patients. While this piece doesn’t focus completely on our issue (there is a great deal of overlap), there is much to be considered in the brief. Worth your time.

BTW, NSVRC has a storytelling series that starts next week–if you’re interested in this subject and want to explore it in greater depth, I encourage you to check out their 4 webinars (space is limited, but they will all be archived):

Session One: Thursday April 12, 2018 @ 1-2pm Eastern
Introduction to the Value of Personal Storytelling for Sexual Violence Intervention

Session Two: Thursday May 10, 2018 @ 1-2pm Eastern
Understanding a Trauma-Sensitive Approach to Storytelling

Session Three: Thursday June 14, 2018 @ 1-2pm Eastern
A Review of Ethics Guidelines for Working with Sexual Violence Stories

Session Four: Thursday July 12, 2018 @ 1-2pm Eastern
Publicly Sharing Stories to Effect Change

(Register for the webinars here)

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: March 2018 Edition

Time once again for Articles of Note, our monthly romp through the newly published peer-reviewed literature. As always, this is not an exhaustive review, just what is particularly interesting to me as I wander my way through the new and relevant. Distribute as you see fit, just make sure to attribute appropriately:

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Working with Interpreters: Enhancing Communications with Individuals Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Vera Institute’s Center on Victimization and Safety has a webinar coming up, Working with Interpreters: Enhancing Communications with Individuals Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The session will be held March 20th at 2pm ET. This is a great topic that often is missed in basic educational courses, so I encourage people to register. Don’t know if it’s archived, but I am guessing so. From the registration:

Participants will learn to distinguish between interpreter qualifications, certifications, and specializations to ensure quality and appropriate language access delivery. Presenters will discuss interpreter codes of conduct, the roles of interpreters. They will highlight the importance of confidentiality, impartiality, and accuracy. Participants will gain practical strategies for working with interpreters and improving working relationships. Special interpreting needs will also be discussed.

Register here.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Sexual Assault Testimony

Myths Surrounding Virginity: A Guide for Service Providers (and a few other resources)

I found this so fascinating: the International Rescue Committee has a new guide for service providers, Myths Surrounding Virginity. I just finished working my way through it; what a great resource for really sifting through the issues related to the subject. I can see using it for educating other disciplines on the realities of what we already know as forensic clinicians (and probably a few folks within healthcare, as well).  It’s brief, so I encourage you to download it (PDF) and check it out for yourself.

From the website:

Virginity is a sensitive subject. The concept itself has a complicated history and, while it describes sexual activity for all genders, there is greater value placed on female virginity. For women and girls, virginity is too often tied to moral character, purity, honor, and social, moral and religious values.

In following the endnotes in this document, I was reminded of a piece I had posted a while back. You may want to also revisit it, while you’re focused on the subject matter. See also this free full-text article (PDF) on virginity testing (as well as this one); this expert statement on the issue of testing (abstract only); and ethics statements here and here.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: Valentine’s Day 2018 Edition

Time once again for Articles of Note, our monthly(ish) romp through the newly published peer-reviewed literature. I have to tell you–this month’s offering is pretty light. There wasn’t *that much* that really captured my attention. Still, there is some good stuff here, so while it’s not pages and pages, it’s still worth perusing. Attribution, please, if you reproduce my work (as always):

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Building Partnerships

For those of you interested in engaging in research to help inform practice, whether as clinicians in the field or academic researchers looking for your next project, I encourage you to consider Building Partnerships, an upcoming webinar from the Center for Victim Research. The session will be held February 28th at 1pm ET. From the registration page:

The Center for Victim Research will present “Building Partnerships,” an interactive webinar on victim researcher and practitioner collaborations, on February 28, 2018, from noon to 1 pm EST.

*Are you a researcher looking to do “real world” research that impacts crime victim response?
*Are you a victim service provider looking to partner with a researcher to inform your work?
*Do you want to learn more about partnerships while engaging with colleagues like yourself?

This webinar is for you! Dr. Christine Murray will lead you through the benefits – and challenges – of researcher-practitioner partnerships to set you on the road toward more successful collaboration. During the hour-long webinar, there will be opportunities to share your voice and questions with colleagues and other Center for Victim Research staff.

Register here.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse

A New Understanding of the Childhood Brain

{Don’t forget, we currently have a giveaway going on. You have until Friday to enter…}

I hadn’t seen this video until WHO tweeted it out yesterday; a lot of you will find it relevant to your work (and it’s a great teaching tool). Enjoy…

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: January 2018 Edition

Time once again for Articles of Note our monthly(ish) romp through the peer-reviewed literature. Plenty of interesting research in this go-round, so spend some time looking through it. I dare say, a little something for everyone this month.

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse

Reading Now (and a Giveaway)

I was asked by an FHO reader if I would talk about what’s on my current reading list. It’s a favorite topic of discussion for me (I love hearing what people are reading), so here’s what is on my list THIS week (it could all change by next week, naturally). Note, I don’t usually have a ton of uninterrupted time for pleasure reading except on airplanes (I don’t work on airplanes–that is an unbreakable rule of self-care for me), but when it overlaps with my professional life, I make time. So in no particular order:

The General Appearance of Patients (Akshay Govind, which came to my attention because of the corresponding discussion on the IAFN community site–also, come on folks, document patient appearance and demeanor. Or at the very least, have a clinical rationale and not a courtroom rationale for not doing it, since it’s relatively common practice to include such documentation). {H/t Nancy Downing}

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity (by Nadine Burke Harris on the health impacts of trauma in childhood)

Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say (Kelly Corrigan)

How Collaboration Wins (Harvard Business Review)

It’s been a tick since the last giveaway, so include in the comments something on YOUR reading list right now, and I will select one person at random (THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED) to receive their own copy of The Deepest Well (you can read more about the book here, or watch her excellent TED talk here). Leave a comment by 5pm ET on January 26th to be eligible. Giveaway open to all FHO readers, regardless of location.

{This post is not sponsored. However, some links take readers to Amazon affiliate links. Purchases provide a nominal commission to this site that helps offset the cost of regularly maintaining FHO.}

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse

Child Interviewing 2018: Update on Research and Practice

Happy New Year, all! Hope everyone had a relaxing and peaceful holiday. I really needed the downtime, but I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. The road beckons next week, so this is my week to organize and prep for the next several months of travel.

Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center is always on my short list for dependable continuing education, so it’s fitting we start the year off with one of their offerings. Child Interviewing 2018: Update on Research and Practice will be held February 22nd at 1pm CT. From the site:

[The session] will discuss the major research advances in 2017/2018 that help interviewers to do a better job when they question children, and whenever possible, provide videotaped examples of the novel procedures.

Register here.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here.

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Sexual Assault Testimony

New Resource Library from Alliance for Hope (and Signing Off for 2017)

You know how I do love a good library. Alliance for Hope just announced their new online library has launched, and it’s worth bookmarking as a source for a multitude of professional materials, including strangulation resources. There is a section specific to medical; the library itself is multidisciplinary. As with many things online, be discerning in your review–not everything contained in the library is peer-reviewed or current, so caveat emptor.

And with that, I am signing off for the year. FHO will return on January 3rd with new content, including a brand new resource for the Store (it may or may not be on bruising–who can tell with these things 😉 ) and the 9th anniversary of our little nerdy site. I am going to take some time off to spend with my family, particularly my wife (whose birthday is today–happy birthday, honey), and kiddo. We’ll be traveling a bit, and throwing an end of year party to celebrate the garbage fire that was 2017 (well, it wasn’t all bad, but a good chunk of it was pretty awful). In addition to Sasha’s birthday, we have just started Hanukkah (Chag Sameach! to all my peeps); Christmas is right around the corner, our 5th wedding anniversary falls a few days after that, and then the New Year. What a whirlwind. Here’s hoping you have some fun and relaxation during the holiday season; that your days are filled with love, laughter and good food; and that for those of you struggling during what is sometimes a difficult time of year, you find peace and the inner fortitude to just keep moving forward. Thanks for spending time with us in 2017.  See you in 2018!

Categories
Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: December 2017 Edition

It’s time once again for Articles of Note, the last one of 2017. As always, this is a review of the recent peer-reviewed literature, but is not exhaustive in nature. It’s meant to be used as a way to enhance currency and understanding of practice issues, and is not the final word on any single topic (I had a lawyer ask me about this, so now–here we are with the disclaimer). PDF with active links follows. Use in good health and share widely:

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse Sexual Assault

Global Human Trafficking and Child Victimization

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released their policy statement, Global Human Trafficking and Child Victimization. The statement is available full text from their journal site; if you haven’t yet, check out their related Call to Action, as well as the 2015 policy paper, Child Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Health Care Needs of Victims.

 

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse Testimony

Working with Your Prosecutor in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center has a webinar coming up, Working With Your Prosecutor in Child Sexual Abuse Cases. The session will be held December 14th at 2pm ET. I have zero information on the webinar, except what I’ve already told you here, so check back with the site to see if they post more details. And yes, they archive, so it’ll be available after the fact.

Register here.

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note, November 2017 Edition

Before I depart for France, one more post for the week. I’ll be back next week with a few goodies, including my annual gift guide. In the meantime, enjoy this month’s Articles of Note, our regular romp through the peer-reviewed literature. New and improved, too–I upgraded my Adobe software and can now make linkable PDFs. You’re welcome 😉

And for those of you who are veterans, wishing you a Happy Veteran’s Day this week–thank you for your service, on this day and every day.

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Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

Categories
Child Abuse DV/IPV Sexual Assault

IAFN Pediatric Strangulation Case Review & Assessment

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

I wanted to bring to your attention the new IAFN Pediatric Strangulation Case Review and Assessment. I don’t typically post pricier options for continuing education, but this one looks comprehensive and has 20 CEs to go with it,  I think it’s worth your time and resources. Cost is $115, but if you attended the annual conference in Toronto, where it was previewed, you received a coupon code in your email that decreased the cost to $99. From the announcement:

IAFN and Evidentia Learning have jointly developed a new e-learning module on the topic of pediatric strangulation, which was officially launched at the IAFN conference in Toronto.

IAFN Pediatric Strangulation Case Review & Assessment contains a collection of living pediatric/adolescent strangulation patients evaluated and treated in the medical setting, presented in conjunction with evidence-based knowledge on pediatric strangulation evaluation and treatment. 

Learners can assess their knowledge acquisition through a review of:
– Definitions and terminology
– Anatomy and physiology
– Manner and associated signs & symptoms
– 29 interactive cases
– Post-testing

Authors:

Jennifer Pierce-Weeks, RN, SANE-P, SANE-A
COO, International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN)

Ralph Riviello, MD, MS, FACEP
Professor and Vice-Chair of Clinical Operations
Department of Emergency Medicine, Drexel University

Heather Rozzi, MD
Medical Director, Forensic Examiner Team
WellSpan Health

Raquel Vargas-Whale, MD, MS, MSc, FAAP
Medical Director, CARE Team
Driscoll Children’s Hospital

Kim Nash, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P
Forensic Nursing Specialist, International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN)

Tracy O’Brien, BSN, SANE-A, SANE-P
Forensic Examiner Program Coordinator
WellSpan Health York Hospital

Emily Huggins, RN, BSN, MHA, CEN, SANE-A, SANE-P
Forensic Examiner Program Manager
WellSpan Health York Hospital

Diane Daiber, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P
Forensic Nursing Specialist, International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN)

 

Categories
Child Abuse Sexual Assault

Responding to Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused

Our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex is now available. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it here

The World Health Organization has released new clinical guidelines, Responding to Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused. This document is unrelated to/unconnected from any of the documents upon which we typically rely within the forensic nursing community (e.g. either National Protocol); that said it’s worth reviewing. From the Executive Summary:

This guideline aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for quality clinical care for children and adolescents who have, or may have, been subjected to sexual abuse, in order to mitigate the negative health consequences and improve their well-being. The objectives are to support health-care providers to provide quality, immediate and long-term clinical care and to apply ethical, human-rights-based and trauma-informed good practices in the provision of such care. Where relevant for provision of clinical care and where there is supporting evidence, sex-based differences and gender-based inequalities are flagged.

Download the PDF here.

Categories
Child Abuse Sexual Assault

Legal Protections and Forensic Considerations for Immigrant and Refugee Child Victims

I am so thrilled about the response to our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it hereFor those of you outside the US, I have fixed the glitch that would not allow you to purchase it. Please let me know if you have further issues. 

KIDSta has a webinar coming up, Legal Protections and Forensic Considerations for Immigrant and Refugee Child Victims. The session will be held November 8th at 2pm ET. From the announcement:

Immigrant and refugee children suffer multiple traumas in their home countries, during their process of immigration and are highly vulnerable to victimization following their arrival in the United States. This webinar will discuss how migration, immigration status, culture and trauma impact the physical, brain and emotional development children who are victims of sexual assault and child abuse and the special needs of immigrant and refugee child victims. There are multiple forms of immigration relief that have been designed to offer protection for children who have been victims of domestic and/or sexual violence. Immigration relief is available both for immigrant child victims and for immigrant non-abusive parents of citizen and foreign-born child victims. A central focus of the webinar will be to provide practical tools for assisting abused children and their protective parents in accessing the legal remedies they qualify to receive under immigration, public benefits and family law. The webinar will include a discussion of the special role well-written reports from forensic examinations can play as evidence in immigration and family law cases involving abused immigrant and refugee children.

Register for the webinar here.

Categories
Child Abuse Sexual Assault

A Team Approach: Child Life’s Role in Pediatric Sexual Abuse Cases

I am so thrilled about the response to our first offering in the FHO store, Injury Following Consensual Sex. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, you can find it hereFor those of you outside the US, I have fixed the glitch that would not allow you to purchase it. Please let me know if you have further issues. 

SAFEta/KIDSta has a webinar coming up, A Team Approach: Child Life’s Role in Pediatric Sexual Abuse Cases. The session will be held Novermber 1st at 2pm ET. From the site:

This webinar will focus on the collaboration between Pediatric Forensic Examiners and Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS), particularly on the role of Child Life Specialists during the sexual abuse medical forensic exam. As trained medical professionals, Child Life Specialists utilize knowledge of child development, stress and coping theories, and family systems theories to promote positive outcomes during pediatric sexual abuse examinations. Working alongside Pediatric Forensic Examiners, Child Life Specialists are able to promote positive coping through rapport building, preparation, and developmentally appropriate divisional activities. During this webinar, the audience will learn about the role Child Life Specialists play while supporting staff, patients, and families during pediatric medical forensic exams. After the webinar, audiences should be able to: implement basic knowledge of child development theories during medical forensic exams, understand the role of child life, and name three successful outcomes that indicate positive coping during medical forensic exams.

Register here.