Any caregiver who has reason to believe a child has been sexually abused must report it to Child Protective Services (CPS) or law enforcement. Caregivers do not need to investigate or be certain of the abuse—a reasonable suspicion is enough to make a report to protect the child. It’s CPS’s role to investigate the referral and determine the most appropriate course of action.
Caregivers should review these important reminders about child sexual abuse, especially teams who work in the Emergency Department:
- There is no need for proof or certainty about child abuse in order to report it.
- Care managers and/or Safe and Healthy Families are available 24/7 and may be consulted prior to disclosure to parents, or discharge of the patient, if abuse or neglect is suspected.
- Generally, the results of all labs and testing should be obtained prior to discharge.
Each state has specific laws regarding specific age requirements for consent to participation in sexual activity. For example, in Utah, no person under the age of 14 can legally consent to participation in any sexual activity. See the Compliance FAQ Abuse webpage for state-specific requirements.
Intermountain recently published the Sexual Assault and Abuse Response Pediatric Patients less than 14 years ED Procedure. This document sets forth the response process to make sure victims of sexual abuse receive care quickly and receive support, including possible prophylaxis treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or forensic evidence collection.
Resources to help providers make informed decisions about their patients:
- Contact Care Management to consult about disclosure to parents or the child and to help facilitate a safe discharge.
- For children that live along the Wasatch Front, providers may consult with Safe and Healthy Families (SHF). SHF is a joint program through Primary Children’s Hospital and the University of Utah. The SHF medical team members are experienced in communicating their medical findings to CPS and law enforcement and can offer suggestions about how to communicate with the child, their family, and CPS. If needed, call the Primary Children’s Hospital operator at 801-662-1000 and ask for the sexual abuse nurse on-call.
- For children who live outside the Wasatch Front, providers may contact the Children’s Justice Center (CJC) for their respective county. The Center will assist the provider in determining if evidence needs to be collected, it will facilitate the collection of the evidence, and determine if treatment for STIs needs to be given. To find a CJC, click here.
For questions about this reporting process or suspected cases of sexual abuse, please contact your local compliance officer.