HEALTH Depending on what has happened to your child, it may be really important to have your child checked over by a doctor or nurse.
If the sexual abuse has happened recently: ♥ Your child may require a forensic check up at the hospital. ♥ The time since the last assault is an important factor – call your local hospital and ask to speak to a social worker or someone with child protection and let them know: ♥ if this has just occurred; or ♥ has occurred in the past 5 days; or ♥ if there has been a longer time frame. They will let you know what to do next. ♥ If your child needs a forensic check-up, the invasiveness of this check will be based on the type of the assault. Its purpose is to check if/that your child’s body is OK and gather any evidence of the assault. ♥ If your child is young and has experienced a significant assault to their body, the paediatrician may offer a general anaesthetic to reduce further trauma to your child. ♥ If you or your family members would like some emotional support, ask that the hospital link you with their Social Worker.
If the sexual abuse has happened in the past: ♥ Going along to your GP for a check-up for your child is still important. It can provide peace of mind for (you and) your child that everything is ok with their body. ♥ You don’t need to go into full details, however, letting your GP know what has occurred can be important, for any support that may be required in the future.
Whilst at the medical check-up: ♥ Explain to your child that the Doctors type of ‘touch’ is important as it helps take care of their body. ♥ Reassure them that you will be there and they are safe. ♥ Medical terminology is hard to understand – ask them to use clear and easy to understand language. Some questions to consider asking: ♥ What are they doing? ♥ Why are they doing it? ♥ Is any follow up required? ♥ Who will provide the follow up?
07 | NAVIGATING THE UNKNOWN
