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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Alfonso Alvarez, LICSW, ACSW, Pediatrics, MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center, 151 Everett Ave, Chelsea, MA 02150, 617-887-4216, aalvarez1@partners.org and Sarah Oo, MSW, Community Health Team, MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center, 151 Everett Ave, Chelsea, MA 02150.

Background The Pediatric Violence Prevention Program was created to help pediatricians at MGH Chelsea screen for child abuse and neglect and to assist directly with cases needing immediate crisis intervention. The Pediatric Unit has a high volume of visits every day and busy Pediatricians were unable to efficiently address critical violence prevention issues in the midst of short wellness checkups and sick visits. Yet, Chelsea continues to have the second highest child abuse rate in Massachusetts.

Description of the Program A bi-lingual, bi-cultural LICSW sits in Pediatrics as a part of the team, providing clinical evaluations for cases of family violence, initial therapy until appropriate referrals are made, short-term case management to families, and direct consultation to pediatricians. The social worker tracks sexual and child abuse cases through the complex medical and legal systems, staying connected to the families throughout the process. The social worker improves the interface of Pediatrics and collateral agencies by coordinating services and attending important meetings. The social worker tracks 51-A's filed throughout the health center to ensure coordinated case management. The social worker also organizes trainings for providers across the health center on dealing with family violence and understanding the systems involved in child protection cases. The position of the social worker is not productivity mandated, which allows for flexibility in scheduling when working with children and families – even allowing the opportunity to provide clinical services at home if appropriate.

Findings to Date Since November 1, 2004 the LICSW has received over 200 referrals, ranging from consultations with families around issues of safety and parenting to serious crisis interventions around abuse that involved DSS and the DA's office. The pediatricians all agree that this position is invaluable to improving the way they are able to handle cases of child abuse and neglect. Pediatricians are routinely screening for family violence, knowing that there is a vital resource to help if it is found.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Recognize the critical value of placing mental health services in the midst of Pediatric services when dealing with the complexities around child abuse and neglect and that busy Pediatricians will be more likely to screen for family violence if there is a resource available to help them deal with a positive screen.
• Understand the value of having violence prevention mental health done with flexibility when it comes to traditional productivity standards.

Keywords: Family Violence, Pediatrics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered