Editors’ summary

This chapter, written by the two paediatricians whose diagnoses of sexual abuse precipitated the crisis, provides the medical data submitted to the Butler-Sloss Inquiry on 157 children in which abuse was suspected or detected as part of a differential diagnosis. They describe the children as falling into two groups: Group A, in which there was already concern about sexual abuse, such as a disclosure by the child; and Group B, in which the paediatrician was the first to raise the possibility of abuse while seeing the child for other reasons. Although this latter group was a source of contention, the authors stress the importance of the paediatrician's role in initiating protection of children whose abuse would otherwise continue. A significant number of all those in whom abuse was diagnosed (Groups A and B combined) made a disclosure, this being more likely if the child was older or in a safe place. The chapter poses the dilemmas for the doctor in the context of professional and political considerations.

Introduction

This chapter describes the 157 children whose details were submitted by us, as two consultant paediatricians, to the Cleveland Inquiry in 1987. The children form two groups. In Group A, there was a concern about sexual abuse before the child saw the paediatrician. In Group B the paediatrician was the first to raise the possibility of sexual abuse in children referred with other health problems. Essential data is provided to show how the medical diagnosis was made for each group.