8 Hour Investigations of Child Physical Abuse and Death

This course is designed to provide law enforcement officers with a comprehensive overview of various crimes against children involving child abuse. Each topic will be discussed in a way that professionals working child abuse can recognize and distinguish various offenses involving children, appreciate their unique characteristics, dispel common myths and outdated practices, discern how injuries may or may not be present, understand the complexities involved and learn how to overcome the challenges these cases present. This session will also provide guidance with responses to these specific calls while acknowledging the unique characteristics and discuss how to work with an MDT for the best outcome. The importance of an adequate investigation will be highlighted on cases where victims are unable to tell their story. The focus will include real case scenarios of incident investigation, suspect interviews, child interviews, non-offending caretaker/witness interviews, crime scene evaluation and creation of timelines. The most common forms of physical abuse will be discussed, which will include bruises, burns, fractures and abusive head trauma as well as child death investigations.
 
The goals of this course are as follows:

• Officers can recognize and distinguish offenses of child maltreatment.
• Officers can appreciate how responses may appear and the unique characteristics of crimes against children, including challenges and barriers specific to child victims.
• Dispel common myths and outdated practices with physical abuse.
• Recognize the importance of trauma informed and victim centered responses.
• Discern how injuries may or may not be present.
• Understand the complexities involved with evidence in physical abuse and death investigations.
• Learn how to overcome challenges these types of crime present.
• Demonstrate how to identify and utilize the evidence to interpret who and what caused a child’s injuries and/or death.
• Explore the necessary MDT investigative process needed to determine mechanisms behind serious abusive injuries and death investigations.
• Apply medical aspects of child maltreatment to a comprehensive MDT investigation of child abuse and/or death.