Primary Children's Hospital - Salt Lake City

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Child Abuse and Neglect

801-662-3606
801-662-3600

81 North Mario Capecchi Drive

Salt Lake City, UT 84113

This department offers

  • Child protection and family health
  • Medical services
  • Mental health services
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Child Abuse, Trauma, and Neglect

The Center for Safe and Healthy Families provides medical and mental health services to suspected victims of child abuse and neglect and their families. Our mission is to address child maltreatment through medical assessment, mental health treatment, education and research, guided by the Primary Children's Hospital philosophy of "The Child First and Always."

Our multidisciplinary team of child abuse pediatricians and nurse practitioners, child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and therapists provide evaluation and management of abused and trauma-exposed children. 

what sets us apart

Our clinic provides assessments, mental health services, and therapy for victims of child abuse, led by a multidisciplinary team

Comprehensive Expertise

We are Utah's only child abuse program with full access to pediatric sub-specialties, thanks to our partnership with Primary Children's Hospital and the University of Utah.

Collaborative Care

Our partnerships with hospitals, clinics, law enforcement, schools, and child protection agencies ensure timely and appropriate care throughout Utah and the Intermountain West.

Extensive Access Points

We provide services across multiple locations in Utah, including Primary Children's Hospital, Eccles Outpatient Services, and Children's Justice Centers in 16 counties, ensuring comprehensive access.

Medical Services

Our clinic provides medical assessments, mental health services, and therapy for victims of child abuse, led by a multidisciplinary team.

When a medical provider or community partner, such as law enforcement or child protective services, has a concern that a child might have an inflicted injury, our medical assessment team can evaluate the child to help determine the cause.  

When physical abuse is suspected, a child requires a specialized evaluation that includes a comprehensive history and a physical exam. Depending on the concerns and the age of the child, they may also need to have laboratory studies, imaging tests, and other pediatric specialists to evaluate them.  

When a child is evaluated for physical abuse, our team’s doctors, nurses and social workers work together to provide a comprehensive evaluation and to facilitate communication with other medical providers and community partners such as law enforcement or child protective services. 

Children often disclose sexual abuse long after the event occurred. When this happens, the child may benefit from a medical evaluation from child abuse specialists in a clinic or at a Children's Justice Center. Cases like this can be scheduled and do not necessarily require an emergency room visit because the goals of the exam are different than when a sexual assault has just occurred. When a patient is seen in the Center's outpatient clinic located in the Eccles Outpatient Services building or at a community Children's Justice Center staffed by one of our child abuse experts, the child will receive care that is appropriate for their age by pediatric specialists. They may be seen by a child abuse pediatrician, a nurse practitioner, a pediatric nurse, and/or a social worker. What is most important for our providers is to ensure that the medical exam is not a traumatic experience for the patient, while addressing their safety and wellbeing. When a child is seen in one of our clinical settings for past sexual abuse, we will take a comprehensive medical history, conduct a complete physical examination and do any testing that is necessary based on the type and timing of the events that led to the evaluation. We will communicate with a patient's primary care physician, if they have one, as well as with the community partners involved in the case. 

Sometimes a child has not disclosed sexual abuse but has a finding that causes a caregiver or healthcare provider to be concerned that they may have been a victim of sexual abuse. Our team may be able to help with a medical evaluation to clarify the concerning finding.

When a child or teenager discloses that they have been a victim of sexual assault that has very recently occurred, there may be a need to collect forensic evidence or provide immediate medical evaluation and care. In these cases, our team works to determine the best place to receive that care no matter where the patient lives in the state. When possible, we attempt to provide care in a location that is as close to the patient as possible using our Children's Justice Centers that are in communities around the state. It may be necessary however, depending on the timing and location of the patient to bring the child to Primary Children's for this specialized assessment. A child seen at Primary Children's for this assessment may be seen in the outpatient clinic located at Eccles Outpatient Center or in the Emergency Department at Primary Children's Hospital. They will be seen by either one of our child abuse pediatricians or one of our specially trained pediatric nurses. We will do a complete medical history, a complete physical exam and depending on the case, collect forensic evidence and/or do photo documentation of injuries. We may also need to do laboratory studies and/or given medicines to prevent infections or pregnancy after an assault has occurred. We will communicate with other medical providers caring for the patient as well as the investigators in the case. We will also help a family find appropriate therapy for their child.

Helps children and their caregivers by promoting less hostile and aggressive behavior, fewer negative interactions with family members, better social skills, and better developmental abilities. Most children who receive this treatment have experienced some form of physical abuse.

A 4-6 session early intervention designed to prevent the development of chronic PTSD and associated symptoms.

A trauma-informed treatment used to treat children and adolescents who have experienced abuse and trauma. Current symptoms are reduced when distressing memories associated with these events are reprocessed into a more adaptive and integrated state.

Uses step-by-step, live-coached behavioral parent training to improve parenting skills, decrease child behavior problems and improve the quality of the parent-child relationship.

Designed to reduce children's negative emotions and behaviors after they have experienced some form of trauma, including sexual abuse. It also provides support and skills to help parents cope with their own emotional distress and optimally respond to their child.

Child psychiatrists are part of our core team at Safe and Healthy Families and are available for consultation with medical providers at Primary Children's and the Children's Justice Centers. They can evaluate and treat children receiving trauma therapy services at Safe and Healthy Families when appropriate.

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What to expect

The Safe and Healthy Families medical providers and forensic nurses are specially trained in the area of sexual abuse and pediatric evidence collection. They will work with your doctors and other specialists to determine the very best plan of care for your child.  

When we see your child we will:  

  • Listen to you about what your concerns are regarding your child and why you brought your child to the hospital.  
  • Take a complete and thorough history regarding your concerns. 
  • Do a complete physical examination. 
  • Carefully document all of the information we are given.  
  • Decide on the best plan of care for your child and your family.  
  • Keep you informed of any decisions regarding your child's care. 

We may: 

  • Take photographs of any injuries. 
  • Order laboratory tests and X-rays. 
  • Gather evidence if we are concerned a crime has been committed. 
  • Consult with the Division of Child and Family Services or law enforcement.  

We encourage you to ask all the questions you want during this process. Please feel free to tell us about any concerns you have about the examination, photographic documentation, or evidence collection. You can ask for a medical social worker to help you at any time. 

Reporting Suspected Abuse 

Our physicians, nurse practitioners and forensic nurses work closely with other people in the community to make sure your child is safe. One of the causes of injury or illness could be that someone has hurt your child. We are required by law to report concerns of child abuse and will tell you if we plan to make such a report. 

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How to report abuse and neglect

If you are in an emergency, always first call 911. If you have a concern that a child has been abused or neglected and it is not an immediate emergency, call the Division of Child & Family Services at 1-855-323-DCFS.

Call 1-855-323-3237
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Refer to the Center for Safe Healthy Families

Referrals for urgent medical assessment can be made by calling: (801) 442-SAFE (7233). Referrals for non-urgent medical assessments can be made by calling our nursing line at: 801-662-3616. Referrals for mental health therapy can be made by calling our Social Work Intake line at: (801) 662-3606. For general inquiries, call (801) 662-3600.

(801) 662-3600
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Safe Healthy Families Fellowship

The University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, and the Center for Safe and Healthy Families at Primary Children's Hospital, offers a three-year post-residency fellowship in child abuse pediatrics. The goal of the fellowship is to provide board eligible physicians with valuable training in child abuse pediatrics that will prepare them for a career dedicated to the field of Child Abuse Pediatrics.

Learn more