To gain support for forming an MDT, seek out professionals working in other MDT's in your area or in your profession and communicate their experience to others in your organization. Share the current literature on the team approach, which overwhelmingly supports the MDT concept. For instance, one study has revealed that in a jurisdiction where an MDT created a close working relationship between law enforcement and child protective services, three out of four cases were referred for criminal prosecution, and nearly 95 percent of those cases resulted in convictions 1 . Those proportions are much higher than in jurisdictions without MDT's. An initial meeting of potential team members is critical to laying the foundation for success.
Any interested person can call, convene, schedule, or coordinate the first meeting.
Participants in the initial meeting should discuss their reasons for attending the meeting and the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the team method of investigating suspected harm to children. The need for investigations will most likely be universally expressed, sometimes in terms reflecting the frustrations commonly felt by professionals handling these cases. It is important for all participants to hear what other people are saying and to be heard by others. Members will express opinions reflecting their professional training. Their opinions may be heated because they feel defensive about criticism of their agencies or angry about the ways their agencies have failed to protect children from abuse.