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Do I have to have examinations?

Sometimes you will be asked to have a medical examination after telling about abuse. There are two main reason for this. The first and most important is to check out any injuries and to get you any treatment you might need. The second reason is to gather evidence of the abuse you have talked about. If there are cuts bruises or other marks, often photographs of these will be taken. This is done by a trained Police Photographer. All medicals are done by specially trained doctors and they have very strict rules about how the medicals are carried out. Sometimes there needs to be two doctors carrying out the examinations. One will always be a specially trained children’s doctor, called a paediatrician, the other might be a doctor who has special training in working out what may have caused any injuries. These doctors are called Forensic Examiners. What the doctors find out from any medical examination will be shared with the Police and Social Workers.

You will ALWAYS be asked by the doctors IF YOU AGREE to an examination and they will only go ahead if you do agree.