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. 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
Radiography use in assessing possible child maltreatment: ■ Use of postmortem body CT scans to evaluate occult injuries ■ Use of whole-body MRI in comparison with skeletal surveys to detect fractures
Committed to quality improvement ■ Enhancing use of an evidenced-based post-traumatic stress screening tool across all Child Protection Program outpatient clinics to improve early identification and streamline the path to restorative care for our pediatric patients ■ Optimizing patient scheduling capacity and improving our visibility and access to IU Health and the community ■ Implementing a case series describing the differences between accidental pet injuries and physical abuse to prevent diagnostic errors
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. 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 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. Docs InCASE (Doctors for Indiana Child Abuse Screening and Education) Program We partner with 15 pediatric practices in Indiana that provide local expertise and assistance to DCS through consultation and participation in community child advocacy teams. They additionally participate in educational trainings and case reviews around child protection issues.
■ 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 6,500 cases of suspected child maltreatment each year ■ Home to one of only 31 ACGME-accredited child abuse pediatrics fellowship programs in the nation
Foster Care Bridge Program Encounters: 2022 – 2025
222 214
189
Pediatric Center of Hope Riley specialists in child abuse pediatrics provide comprehensive medical
evaluation for children alleged to have been sexually abused.
The child protection team led 62 community education programs in 2025.
2022–23
2023–24
2024–25
Physical and Sexual Abuse Consultations by Year: 2021 – 2025
7,556
7,178
Children Served: 2025
6,272
5,495
Child abuse consults 6,857
Crisis counseling consults 668
DIVISION CHIEF Shannon L. Thompson, MD, FAAP Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine > Connect with Dr. Thompson on Doximity.
Pediatric Center of Hope consults 699
DCS consults 6,620
5 board certified physicians
See full team member list >
2021–22
2022–23
2023–24
2024–25
Refer a patient online
T 317.274.2617
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker