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Medical Management of Child Sex Abuse (2012)

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UWI Telehealth collaborated with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Trinidad and Tobago Health Training Centre (TTHTC) to address the problem of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).  Accurate data on CSA in Trinidad and Tobago are not available.  Reliable statistics on the prevalence of CSA are difficult to collect because of under-reporting, the absence of a common definition of abuse and because numbers are reported for different time periods and in different units. The general consensus is that CSA is a significant problem locally.  It is well recognised that medical practitioners need updating in the medical management of CSA. Only an extremely small number of alleged cases actually reach the courts in Trinidad & Tobago.  This project targeted the public sector, government (legal and protective services) and non-governmental organisations involved in this area, in addition to medical practitioners.

The project hosted a visiting specialist, Dr. Owen Hanmer, MB ChB, DRCOG, DCH, MRCP (UK), FRCP (Lond & Edin), FRCPCH.  Dr. Owen Hanmer is currently a Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal London Hospital, UK.  He has vast experience in general paediatrics and the multidisciplinary assessment of child physical and sexual abuse, non-organic failure to thrive and fictitious illness. He was involved in the development of assessment and support processes for children and young people after sexual assault and has developed and delivered training courses in this field for doctors and other health professionals.

 

Medical Management of Child Abuse: Stakeholders Meeting Monday 12th November 2012, Capital Plaza Hotel, Port of Spain HEAD TABLE: From the right: Dr. J. Ramcharan, Lecturer, UWI, Dr. O. Hanmer, visiting specialist in CSA, Mrs. Rouse, Director of Mental Health, MOH, Professor Z. Ali, Director of UWI Telehealth, Professor G. Hutchinson, Head Clinical Medical Sciences, UWI Dr. I Sammy, Ag Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences UWI

 

During his visit a series of activities took place which included a national stakeholders meeting on CSA, a 3 day workshop to train Trainers in the medical management of CSA and a one day workshop on managing CSA for support staff.  These activities targeted doctors in the public health sector, paediatricians, post-graduate medical and psychology students, social workers, nurses and other support staff.

Training of Trainers  Medical Management of CSA 14th -16th November 2012  UWI Telehealth Facility Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex

 

Success Stories
The following outcomes were realized from the programme:

• A cadre of medical practitioners (District Medical Officers and Specialist) in the public health sector were trained to implement medical management of children with alleged sexual abuse according to best practise.

• A curriculum was develop for the continuing professional training of medical practitioners in managing CSA

• A standardized data collection instrument was developed and recommended for use in the medical management of CSA.

• A platform for ongoing prospective data collection was recommended in order to contribute to the understanding of CSA and to evaluate the effectiveness of the transfer of knowledge into practice.

• A larger number of individuals were exposed to the UWI Telehealth Programme and its progressive and innovative work.

Training in CSA for Support Staff 19th November 2012 Rooftop Restaurant Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex

 

The numbers of individuals who attended the various CSA activities were as follows:

1. National Stakeholders Meeting: 12th November 2012 at the Capital Plaza Hotel…85.

2. Training of Trainers: Medical Management of CSA: 14th -16th November 2012 at UWI Telehealth Facility, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) ...19.

3. Training in CSA for support staff: 19th November 2012, Rooftop Restaurant, EWMSC…49.