Harrisburg, PA -- This month and throughout the year, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making the Commonwealth a better place for children and families.
Across the Commonwealth, a vast network of professionals, made up of a wide-variety disciplines, work every day to combat child abuse and support the wellbeing of our children. Per the Child Protective Services Law, each county in Pennsylvania is required to form a Multidisciplinary Investigative Team (MDIT), which is a group of professionals, convened by a district attorney, who work together in a coordinated and collaborative way to investigate child abuse cases. The goal of the MDIT is to avoid duplication of fact-finding efforts and interviews and to minimize the trauma to the child during a child abuse investigation. These "boots on the ground" professionals deserve our recognition and our sincere gratitude for their dedication to combatting and preventing child abuse.
In order to support the work of Pennsylvania's MDITs, in December 2021, PCCD, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute (PDAI), and the Children's Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania (PennCAC) announced the release of the Model Set of Standards for Pennsylvania's Multidisciplinary Investigative Teams (MDITs), which provides counties with standardized guidance and best practices on how to investigate child abuse cases. In addition, MDITs can utilize the accompanying webinar, "Introduction to MDITs," to support new team members in learning the various roles and responsibilities associated with this important responsibility.
Both the webinar and symposiums were financially supported through Federal Children's Justice Act funding made available by the PA Department of Human Services (DHS). More information about PCCD's efforts to address child abuse can be found on its Children's Advocacy Center Advisory Committee (CACAC) webpage. More information about PDAI and its educational offerings can be found on the Institute's website. More information about PennCAC and the technical assistance it provides to MDITs and CACs throughout Pennsylvania can be found on their website as well.
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