Co-Principal Investigator: Stephanie Rivaux, Ph.D., LMSW
Child Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX) has contracted with The Child and Family Research Institute to examine child abuse medical examinations, specifically the barriers to children receiving such examinations in Texas. This project will specifically address the following research questions:
- What are the procedures for multidisciplinary team members to refer children for medical examinations?
- What are the barriers for child abuse victims to receive medical examinations?
- How do these procedures and barriers differ for urban, suburban and rural areas?
To address these research questions, a mixed methods approach will be used. An online survey will be conducted with all multidisciplinary team members at all the 66 children’s advocacy centers. Additionally, in-depth interviews and/or focus groups will be conducted with multidisciplinary team members in areas identified by CACTX. Data from both the online survey and interviews will be analyzed to produce a white paper with recommendations for improving medical examinations for child abuse victims.