The need for multidisciplinary teams emerged over 30 years ago from the realization that no one discipline can successfully intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect cases. The first teams were established in 1958 at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, and the University Hospital in Denver. Since 1958, the number of teams has grown throughout the United States. The focus of these university hospital-based child protection teams is to review all cases referred, provide training, and initiate research. Today there are many different types of multidisciplinary teams.
Some teams focus on investigation of cases and are based in a public agency rather than a hospital.
Prosecutors sometimes serve on these teams to report on filing decisions. The purpose of this approach is to review cases to ensure a standard quality of intervention and coordination among agencies at the initial stages of a case. Lower numbers of cases make outcome information feasible to obtain and discuss. If the team has a dual mission of case review and case planning, it will also include a public health nurse, a mental health representative from a community mental health clinic, a child abuse treatment program, or a practitioner in private practice. The focus of this team is also influenced by the number of cases.