Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence

Third place among 17 nominated projects for
The European Crime Prevention Award 2022

The project is a co-creation and intervention project supported by funds from the Danish Victims Fund and set up as a cross-sectoral collaboration between the Danish Children´s Centre for the Capital Re­gion, the Section for Child Abuse at the Copenhagen Police, and the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen.

The project has during a period of two years (April 2020 – March 2022) offered standardised forensic medical screenings (a full forensic medical examination combined with a health and well-being screening) in all cases of violence against children reported to the police in the Copenhagen Police District where the child is subsequently video interviewed at the Danish Children´s Centre for the Capital Region.

This has led to over 200 children undergoing forensic medical screenings, and we have collated experiences and knowledge that, it is hoped, will help improve practice in the area – both locally and nationally.

The evaluation report, Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence, published September 2022 

Video: Presentation of the project, Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence.

Video: Presentation of the project, Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence.

Video: Presentation of the project, Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence - experiences and results.

Video: Presentation of the project, Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence - experiences and results.

Research in the Systematic Forensic Medical Screening of Children in Cases of Suspected Physical Violence project:

• The children’s perspective 
  On the project, we have involved the children directly as information providers – and more specifically looked at their experience of the forensic medical examination and video-recorded police interview. 
  
  
• Cross-sectoral collaboration 
  In connection with the project, through interviews with professional specialists, we have mapped the collaboration regarding the child on the day on which the child attended the video interview and the forensic medical screening at the Danish Children’s Centre for the Capital Region.  
  
  
• Cases of child abuse and legal certainty (PhD project) 
  The project studies the impact of forensic medical examinations in cases of child abuse. In which cases can forensic evidence make a difference? The project also investigates the typical patterns of injury which might imply an act of interpersonal violence.  
  
  
• Identification of child abuse by specific health markers and health behavior markers (PhD project)
  The overall purpose of the project is to develop common guidelines for systematic early identification and clinical management of children who are suspected of being exposed to violence.