Guideline

WHO Guidelines for the health sector response to child maltreatment

Year of Publication

2019

Issuing Institution

World Health Organization

Links

Recommendations

9 included recommendations

Health care providers should be alert to the clinical features associated with child maltreatment and associated risk factors and assess for child maltreatment without putting the child at increased risk.

Status

Maintained

Recommended in favor

Conditional

Certainty of evidence

Very low

Health care providers should not use a universal screening approach (e.g. a standard instrument, set of criteria, or questions asked of all children in health care encounters) to identify possible child maltreatment.

Status

Updated

Health care providers should consider exposure to child maltreatment when assessing children with conditions that may be caused or complicated by maltreatment (see Boxes 1-6: Examples of clinical conditions associated with maltreatment and alerting features), in order to improve diagnosis/identification and subsequent care, without putting the child at increased risk.

Status

Maintained

Written information on child maltreatment should be available in health-care settings in the form of posters, and pamphlets or leaflets (with appropriate warnings about taking them home in case that could compromise safety).

Status

Maintained

Psychological debriefing should not be used in an attempt to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress, anxiety or depressive symptoms.

Status

Maintained

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) including with a trauma focus may be offered for children and adolescents who have been exposed to maltreatment and are diagnosed with PTSD.

Status

Maintained

Evidence-based psychological interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), may be offered to children and adolescents who have been exposed to maltreatment and are experiencing emotional disorders, and caregiver-skills training to their non-offending caregivers

Status

Maintained

Evidence-based psychological interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy , may be offered to children and adolescents who have been exposed to maltreatment and are experiencing behavioural disorders

Status

Maintained

Caregiver interventions that promote nurturing caregiver-child relationships, including through improved communication skills and direct coaching of parents while they are interacting with their children, may be considered.

Status

Updated