Child abuse and neglect are complex issues and may be difficult to distinguish from typical childhood injuries. In the third edition of Child Abuse Quick Reference, leading researchers and clinicians provide up-to-date, comprehensive information for easy identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect. It is particularly exciting to see a section on prevention included in a text of this type, because many families come into contact with various service sectors before child abuse and neglect occur, and professionals equipped to assess factors that put families at risk may have the opportunity to prevent abuse and neglect. Health care, social service, and law enforcement professionals will find this text an important resource in preventing, identifying, and responding to child abuse and neglect.

Beverly L. Fortson, PhD
Behavioral Scientist
Division of Violence Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia

Child Abuse Quick Reference, Third Edition is an invaluable resource that offers detailed guidance for the assessment and care of suspected or confirmed victims of child abuse and includes useful information for providing expert witness testimony in court. I applaud the authors for devising a text intended to assist a variety of multidisciplinary team members in the assessment and interpretation of medical findings in cases of suspected abuse. This text will allow health care providers, social workers, law enforcement personnel, and their colleagues in related fields to answer questions that may arise in the course of their work without having to search through several sources.

Qiana A. Johnson, DNP, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner
Atlanta, Georgia

Child Abuse Quick Reference: For Health Care, Social Service, and Law Enforcement Professionals provides readers a comprehensive overview of child maltreatment in a quick reference format. The extensive definitions of terms provided throughout the book are very useful for quick review. While every chapter is very informative, the chapters “Neglect, Abandonment, and Failure to Thrive,” “The Chemically Abused Child (Poisoning),” and “Prevention” were particularly instructive. Written by leading experts in the field, this field guide is highly recommended for professionals from a broad array of disciplines who are committed to identification, treatment, and prevention of various forms of child maltreatment.

Susan J. Kelley, RN, PhD, FAAN
Professor
Associate Dean and Chief Academic Officer for Nursing
Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

The new third edition ofChild Abuse Quick Reference: For Health Care, Social Service, and Law Enforcement Professionalsis an easy-to-use guide to the assessment and care of the child abuse victim. The book covers a comprehensive list of topics that must be considered when confronted with child abuse cases. It focuses on methods for assessment, evaluation, treatment, and prevention that can be utilized across professions. Key images in radiology provide a quick guide to injuries in abused children, stressing differences across age groups. An in-depth discussion of the sexual abuse interview for children is a major strength, from which any clinician can glean important techniques for trauma-informed care in the process of interviewing a child. This is a handy guide for all child care professionals.

L. Kathleen Sekula,
PhD, PMHCNS, FAAN
Professor, Director:
Graduate Forensic Nursing Programs
School of Nursing
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Randell Alexander, MD, PhD is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida and the Morehouse School of Medicine and has served on several state child death review committees. He is an active researcher, lectures widely, and testifies frequently in major child abuse cases throughout the country.

Diana Faugno, a Minnesota native, graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1973 with a degree in nursing and obtained an MSN in 2006. Her professional experience includes nursing in the Medical/Surgical, Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, and Neonatal Intensive Care departments. Ms. Faugno obtained her certification in pediatric nursing in 1990, began a career as a sexual assault nurse examiner in 1991, and became a certified sexual assault nurse examiner in 2002. She is the former director of Forensic Health Services, which includes a child abuse program, sexual assault team, and a family violence program in North San Diego County. Currently, Ms. Faugno is a board director for End Violence Against Women International. She has made several presentations to the scientific community and has led workshops on sexual assault presented at the American Academy of Science.

Patricia Speck is an internationally recognized family nurse practitioner who specializes in public health and forensic nursing. She graduated from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing and later completed her doctoral dissertation on sexual assault program evaluation. As a board certified family nurse practitioner, Patricia’s clinical practice focuses on the health aftermath of violence and her research centers on forensic nursing practice topics. She is a consultant, author, and lecturer on forensic nursing and has earned more than 20 local, national, and international awards and professional honors for her work. Patricia chairs the American Public Health Association’s Family Violence Forum and is a former president of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.