CHILD PROTECTION
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Child protection specialists at Riley Children’s are active in national and local organizations, including: ■ American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Child Abuse and Neglect ■ American Academy of Pediatrics Trauma Informed Care Champion ■ American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Foster Care Adoption and Kinship Care ■ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Justice Act Task Force ■ USA Gymnastics Safe Sport Committee ■ Ray E. Helfer Society, including the executive committee (treasurer) ■ Local and state child fatality review teams and child advocacy centers
Child Protection at Riley Children’s Health offers multidisciplinary clinical services and education to improve the evaluation and care of maltreated children. Our team of board certified physicians provides evidence-based consultation in cases of suspected child maltreatment. These consultations are objective assessments to help determine the extent of injury and whether a medical cause or an accidental mechanism accounts for the injury pattern.
Our physicians are currently engaged in research related to: ■ Evaluation of physical abuse when domestic violence occurs ■ Disparities in evaluation and reporting of drug ingestions by children ■ Radiography use in assessing possible child maltreatment – Use of postmortem body CT scans to evaluate occult injuries – Spinal fractures in children evaluated for nonaccidental trauma ■ Statewide placement and health outcomes for Black children in foster care ■ Costochondral junction variations in children younger than 2 years ■ Diagnosis of metaphyseal variations and classic metaphyseal lesions in the knees
Specialized programs
TOP DISTINCTIONS
Child Abuse Consultation Service Child protection specialists facilitate comprehensive medical evaluations for children alleged to have been physically abused or neglected.
Docs InCASE Program Our team, collaborating with 15 pediatric practices in Indiana, facilitates pediatric care and coordination in advancing the medical role in child protection. Foster Care Bridge Program Riley Children’s offers a trauma- informed, multidisciplinary clinic to serve as a bridge—providing comprehensive healthcare and acquiring appropriate resources for children entering and making transitions within the foster care system until a permanent medical home is identified. The child protection team led 62 community education programs in 2024.
■ Extensive history of collaboration and care coordination with healthcare providers, child protection case managers, law enforcement and the judicial system ■ Consults with the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) on more than 7,000 cases of suspected child maltreatment each year ■ Home to one of only 31 ACGME-accredited child abuse pediatrics fellowship programs in the nation
Pediatric Center of Hope Riley specialists in child abuse pediatrics provide comprehensive medical
evaluation for children alleged to have been sexually abused. Crisis Counseling Services These services bridge the gap from the time a child is identified as a possible child sexual abuse victim to when formal ongoing counseling may become available.
Foster Care Bridge Program Encounters: 2021 – 2024
234
222 214
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
Physical and Sexual Abuse Consultations by Year: 2020 – 2024
7,178
Children Served: 2024
6,272
Child abuse consults 6,485 Pediatric Center of Hope consults 693
5,373 5,495
DIVISION CHIEF Shannon L. Thompson, MD, FAAP Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine > Connect with Dr. Thompson on Doximity.
Crisis counseling 632 DCS consults 7,178
5 board certified physicians
See full team member list >
2020–21
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
Annual Report 2024 – 2025
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