Charmaine R. Brittain, MSW, Ph.D., is Program and Research Manager at the Institute for Families, University of Denver. Dr. Brittain is an expert on child protective services, having been involved in CPS systems as a practitioner and as a consultant helping child welfare organizations improve their child protection systems through better training and program analysis. She is the co-editor of Helping in Child Protective Services: A Competency-Based Casework Handbook (Oxford, 2004).

With medical and mental health specialists hundreds of miles away from some rural communities, this book provides excellent information with access Internet resources that will help child welfare workers and interdisciplinary teams assess and assure child safety and well-being. It's a tool that no child welfare office can be without.--Dana Ward, District Manager, Department of Family Services, Rock Springs, Wyoming

"A thorough and clear explanation of maltreatment and medical diagnosis, this book belongs on every child welfare workers desk!" --Kate Trujillo, LCSW, Clinical Director, Denver Family Crisis Center

"Ideally, all child protection workers looking into cases of suspected abuse or neglect would have readily available consultation from specialists so they could make rapid, accurate, and appropriate decisions about the safety of children. This manual is a terrific substitute for in-person consultants - it should make the lives of children safer, and the careers of child protection workers longer and more satisfying." --Richard D. Krugman, M.D., Dean, University of Colorado School of Medicine

"A useful desk reference for anyone engaged in practice or training practitioners who work with children and family."- Katharine Cahn, Ph.D., MSW, Executive Director, Child Welfare Partnership, Graduate School of Social Work, Portland State University

"This book combines an excellent overview and detailed descriptions of how the medical and social services define child abuse and neglect. Its a child protection worker's dictionary, a supervisors educational tool, and invaluable desk guide. It creates a wonderful staff development opportunity for all levels of staff in the medical and social work disciplines to better understand each other, keep children safe, and strengthen families."--June Cairns, Staff Development Director, Philadelphia Department of Human Services

"The companion website is an excellent resourcethe slides in particular are viable for core training of county child welfare workers." - Tammy Snortum, MSSW, Training Manager, NEW Partnership for Children and Families, University of WI - Green Bay

"...[The authors] do a good job of illuminating the often frustrating and challenging working relationships between professionals of two fields that have different goals and perhaps view the cases through different philosophical lenses.There is also a plethora of excellent advice for prevention and for community response to maltreatment issues.Understanding the Medical Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment is a helpful reference guide for the beginning social worker and includes much helpful advice for experienced professionals as well."--Tasha R. Howe, PsycCritiques