Institutional child abuse investigations are best conducted by specially trained teams. The primary goal of such an investigation is to obtain facts on what happened and determine whether or not the facts indicate that an institutional employee departed from institutional policy in abusing a child or whether an employee acted in accord with institutional policy in abusing the child. Before beginning the investigation, the childcare worker should review the facility policy manual and observe the institution's total program. A review of documents and records relevant to the incident should precede interviews with staff and residents. Records should help in identifying potential witnesses. In interviewing staff and residents, pointed questions should establish the truthfulness of the interviewee. Careful notes from interviews should be used to analyze inconsistencies nnd contradictions in witnesses' accounts. Overall, institutional abuse investigations are more like police investigations of alleged crimes than investigations of parental child abuse. Childcare agencies should also be concerned about preventing child abuse in secure care facilities. This should include advocacy of institutional licensing and monitoring. Workshops should be held to instruct staff and administrators in the nature and causes of abuse and reporting laws. 35-item bibliography.