A profile of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Programme patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, 2018 - 2024

Background. In South Africa (SA), few recognised centres deal specifically with cases of child abuse, resulting in limited knowledge of the profile of suspected abuse and neglect patients in SA hospitals. The Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Programme assists with the detection and management of suspected child abuse and neglect in children. Objectives. To provide a retrospective description of the profile of suspected abused and neglected patients presenting to the SCAN Programme at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) from 2018 to 2024. Method. A retrospective, contextual, descriptive research design was used. All patients aged ≤14 years with suspected abuse and or neglect referred to the SCAN Programme at CHBAH were included. Results. A total of 589 patients were included, of whom 316 (53.65%) were female, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 4.60 (4.16) years. The majority of patients (234, 39.73%) were referred from the paediatric department. Of the referrals, 338 (57.39%) were for physical abuse, 129 (21.91, 0%) for sexual abuse, 20 (3.40%) for emotional abuse and 184 (31.24%) for deliberate neglect. Three hundred and fifty-six (60.44%) patients were reported to statutory social services. A majority (76, 32.62%) of patients not reported were already known to these services. For 170 (28.86%) patients, a case docket was opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS), and of these, 35 (5.94%) were enrolled in court. Only 198 (48.65%) patients who had a SCAN Programme Clinic appointment attended the clinic. For the 182 (30.90%) patients for whom no clinic appointment was made, 40 (21.98%) patients were discharged from the SCAN Programme as no abuse or neglect was identified, 33 (18.13%) were transferred back to their referral facility, 56 (30.77%) were removed and placed by statutory social services without notifying the Programme and 37 (20.33%) patients died. Sixteen (8.79%) patients were discharged from the treating ward without notifying the Programme and had unknown outcomes. Conclusion. The SCAN Programme aims to detect suspected abuse and neglect of children early, to protect these patients from harm and to prevent maltreatment. The results of this study highlight the need to expand the SCAN Programme at CHABH to ensure that vulnerable patients receive the needed care.