Child Abuse

Keeping Children Safe

Visit our clinics to find safe, child-friendly evaluations and resources for kids. We offer assessments for children who may have experienced neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse and/or sexual abuse.

The clinics at Sanford Health focus on providing comprehensive evaluations that are less traumatic for children. We emphasize collaboration within our team to minimize the number of times a child has to tell their story.

We offer:

• Medical assessments
• Forensic medical evaluations
• Photo documentation
• Forensic evidence collection if necessary

Our Services

We provide more than child abuse assessments with a number of services that keep the child’s well-being a top priority. We offer safe and accurate evidence collection, if necessary, on the child’s behalf while trying to minimize their trauma. Our team is experienced in working with legal and community resources to keep kids safe.

One of our primary concerns is recovery. We help connect the child and their family to appropriate resources and programs. We can refer to mental health providers and other programs for treatment services. For their family, our clinics provide child abuse prevention resources.

Sanford Health’s child abuse services vary by location. Our main clinics are in:

• Fargo, ND — Sanford Children’s CARE Clinic
  • Phone: (701) 234-4585
• Sioux Falls, SD — Child’s Voice
  • Phone: (605) 333-2226
• Watertown, SD — Sanford Health Watertown Clinic
  • Phone: (605) 886-1565

Call a clinic near you to ask about their available services.

Report Child Abuse

There are five different kinds of child abuse:

• Physical abuse: Physical harm or injury to a child.
• Sexual abuse: Any sexual activity with a child.
• Emotional abuse: Damaging a child’s self-esteem or well-being emotionally with verbal or emotional battering.
• Medical abuse: Deceiving and lying to medical providers about a child’s health, so the child is put at risk of unnecessary medical care.
• Neglect: Failing to provide essential care to the child, including food, shelter, clothing, affection and more.

If you suspect a child has been abused, find resources in your state at the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline. Call (800) 422-4453 or visit their website.

What You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse

Child abuse can happen in any family and in any neighborhood. In most cases, child abuse is done by someone a child knows, often someone in a trusted or caregiver role.

• Talk about body autonomy with kids.
  • Allow kids to say no to physical contact.
• Help kids understand safe and unsafe situations.
• Encourage kids to tell you if they feel unsafe or experience an unsafe event.
• Identify three or more safe adults in multiple settings.
  • Settings could include home, school, church, sports teams or neighborhoods.
• Use anatomically correct terminology for body parts.
• Teach that safe people do not ask kids to keep secrets.
• Encourage open communication so a child feels comfortable talking to safe adults.

It is everyone’s responsibility to keep children safe. If you have a concern, report it to your local child protective services.

For additional prevention resources, please visit these sites:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Protection – Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
• AMAZE
• AMAZE jr.
• What's OK?
• Prevent Child Abuse America