[Institutional management of child sexual abuse].

In the years 1992-94 the Child Protection Centre Kiel carried out the first investigation of how various institutions (nursery schools, schools, advisory offices, children's specialists, youth welfare departments, police, judicial authorities etc.) in the German-speaking area deal with suspected cases of sexual child abuse. A special comprehensive questionnaire and a personal interview were drawn up to find out details concerning knowledge, experiences, attitudes and concrete measures of the employees. The particulars were evaluated of about 900 persons from three differently structured districts in Schleswig-Holstein. The institutions (with the exception of the police and judicial authorities) do not have any clear concepts regarding the handling of suspected cases of sexual child abuse. The reactions of the institutions usually depend on the level of knowledge, experience and subjective assessment of individual employees. Roles are not clearly defined and there is not enough cooperation between the institutions. The employees require more practice-orientated training and case-specific supervision. There are not enough coordination bodies for those concerned, therapeutic places and accommodation possibilities for children and youths as well as effective offers of assistance for adults and youths who have abused children.