Cook Children's CARE Team

At Cook Children's, the Child Advocacy Resources and Evaluation Team is dedicated to creating a safer, healthier community for all children they serve by providing the care, support, and tools to bring an end to child abuse.

All children who are suspected victims of child abuse should be assessed to determine the need for medical evaluation. A medical evaluation holds an important place in the multi-disciplinary assessment of child abuse. An accurate history is essential in making the medical diagnosis and determining appropriate treatment of child abuse.

Sexual Abuse

Most examinations are scheduled in the CARE Team clinic, not performed on an emergency basis, because most child abuse situations involve delayed discovery. It is never too late to report suspected abuse. As many as 95% of physical examinations for suspected child sexual abuse do not show diagnostic injuries.

Physical Abuse

A physician or pediatric nurse practitioner will complete a thorough medical examination of the child to determine any injuries that the child may have. This may include labs and/or X-rays.

Other Child Maltreatment

While physical and sexual abuse are the topics that are most prominent in the media, there are other forms of child abuse that we evaluate for that can have devastating consequences for a child. These include neglect, drug exposure, and medical child abuse.