Overview of the Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse: Update 2000. Juvenile Justice Bulletin.

In response to requests from law enforcement professionals for guidelines on investigating child abuse and neglect, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention developed the Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse series. This document is a synposis of each Portable Guide and provides annotated bibliographies of the series. The purpose of the series is to provide practical guidance and an on-the-job reference for those who work with child victimization issues. An array of people including police officers, detectives, social workers medical personnel, and psychologists, will find the series to be useful. Currently, there are 13 guides in the series, each addressing a specific aspect of investigating a suspected case of child abuse or neglect. Subjects covered include the recognizing of injuries caused by abuse; collecting evidence; interviewing victims and witnesses; formatting multi-disciplinary investigative teams; and learning about the use of computers in the sexual victimization of children. An extensive list of resources for professional training, technical assistance, and support is included. (JDM)