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ABSTRACT
The Child Protection Service at Flinders Medical Centre has a philosophy of being child oriented, treating the child as a person and not an object from which evidence can be extracted. This extends to the medical examination which may not yield any physical evidence for sexual abuse, but still has a significant role in the overall assessment. The medical examination assists the child in seeing themselves as more than a victim, and understanding that healing can occur. The role of the medical examination in assessing allegations of child abuse and neglect should be one of integration with those providing the psychosocial assessment. Clear communication between doctors and non-medical professionals is essential to ensure that medical findings are correctly interpreted.