The forensic role of the child psychiatrist in child abuse and neglect cases

Child abuse and neglect are immense problems that vex the United States legal and mental health systems. In its effort to meet the challenges of child abuse and neglect, the legal system may turn to child psychiatrists to shed light on the needs of children, parents, and family. The courts have no effective means to develop a sophisticated understanding of abusive family relationships and the needs of children without consulting child psychiatrists. In this forensic arena, child psychiatrists can demonstrate their expertise in useful ways and gamer respect for the profession. Although psychiatrists know their role and are at ease in clinical settings, many do not have much experience in forensic matters. Entry into the legal arena for the uninitiated can be bewildering at best. The goal of this article is to help child psychiatrists along the road to becoming more knowledgeable about, and comfortable functioning within, the subset of the legal system that deals with child abuse and neglect.