Extended Assessment of the Child Victim

Extended Assessments in Multidisciplinary Child Sexual Abuse Intervention

Extended Assessment is not a new term or concept. In the field of child sexual abuse it is often used synonymously with "forensic evaluation", "directed assessment", "abuse specific assessment", and "psychosocial evaluation". It is conducted for forensic purposes by clinical practitioners, but is differentiated from clinical assessments conducted for treatment goals.

The assessment is used to help determine if and by whom a child has been abused. The context, extent and nature of the abuse is also assessed. A psychosocial evaluation of the child's current functioning and needs identifies signs of traumatic effects of abuse that will effect interview approaches and treatment recommendations.

Historically, extended assessments became significant in child sexual abuse investigations as practitioners faced new and unprecedented challenges in determining what had/had not happened to the child, as well as providing convincing evidence for the veracity and reliability of the child's report. In order to "validate" or " substantiate" a report of child sexual abuse, the credibility of the child's report has become a cornerstone of case development, often determining what, if any, kind of intervention will occur.