Child Abuse Protection

Child abuse and neglect are complex issues that involve multiple factors. The Florida Department of Health’s Child Protection Team is a medically-directed, multidisciplinary program that works with local sheriff’s offices and Department of Children and Families in cases of child abuse and neglect to supplement investigation activities, per section 39.303, Florida Statutes.

Child protection teams provide expertise in evaluating alleged child abuse and neglect, assessing risk and protective factors, and providing recommendations for interventions to protect children and enhance a caregiver’s capacity to provide a safer environment when possible.

If child abuse or neglect is reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline and accepted for investigation, the case is automatically eligible for assessment. There are no financial criteria for services.

Reports to the hotline that must be referred to the Child Protection Team include:

1. Injuries to the head, bruises to the neck or head, burns, or fractures in a child of any age
2. Bruises anywhere on a child 5 years of age or under
3. Any report alleging sexual abuse of a child
4. Any sexually transmitted disease in a prepubescent child
5. Reported malnutrition of a child and failure of a child to thrive
6. Reported medical neglect of a child
7. Any family in which one or more children have been pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital or other health care facility, or have been injured and later died, as a result of suspected abuse, abandonment, or neglect, when any sibling or other child remains in the home
8. Symptoms of serious emotional problems in a child when emotional or other abuse, abandonment, or neglect is suspected
9. A child who does not live in this state who is currently being evaluated in a medical facility in this state

Once a referral from the Florida Department of Children and Families or law enforcement has been accepted, the Child Protection Team may provide one or more of the following services:

The Child Protection Team staff provides training for child protection investigators, community providers of child welfare services, emergency room staff, and other medical providers in the community.

The Child Protection Team uses a telemedicine network to provide medical assessments for children who are alleged victims of abuse or neglect. Telemedicine offers benefits from many perspectives, including:

• Increasing the availability of local medical experts to evaluate children alleged to have been abused
• Reducing the number of children who need to travel to a different location for evaluation
• Increasing the number of successful court actions by improving local expert court testimony
• Creating new roles for nursing staff in evaluating these cases
• Increasing training opportunities for local health care providers

Telemedicine works by connecting a child from one location with a health care professional in another location. A doctor or advanced registered nurse practitioner located at the “hub” site directs the medical examination. 

Meanwhile, a registered nurse at the “remote” site greets the child, explains the telemedicine equipment, and assists with the medical examination.  The exam is conducted on the child at the remote site, but through the special telemedicine equipment, medical professionals are able to see the exam and diagnose the child. 

The program provides specialized treatment services for children who are victims of sexual abuse, as well as for their families. Through a combination of group, family, and individual counseling for child sexual abuse survivors and their families, the program works to reduce the trauma caused by the child sexual victimization, assist the family to recover from the victimization, prevent further child sexual victimization from occurring, and enable families to have healthy, non-abusive relationships.

Child sexual abuse includes the victimization of a child by sexual activities, including molestation, indecent exposure, fondling, rape, and incest.

A child who has been sexually abused and whose abuse has generated a Florida abuse hotline and/or law enforcement report, is eligible for therapeutic services provided by the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program. Children and their families are primarily referred to the program though the Florida Department of Children and Families, law enforcement, and community agencies. Individuals and other professionals may also make direct referrals.

Services Provided

Florida’s Poison Control Centers

The Florida Department of Health contracts with the three poison control centers, which are part of the Florida Poison Information Center Network. Established by section 395.1027, Florida Statutes, the network includes three certified regional poison control centers, located in Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami. These centers provide:

• Providing toll-free access to poison information for the public
• Managing poison cases
• Offering professional consultation to healthcare practitioners
• Delivering prevention education to the public
• Collecting and reporting poison-related data