With charges filed and arrests made, the focus of the Portage child abuse and murder case now shifts to the welfare of the children, especially the 11 year old boy that was tortured and abused.

Due to legal limitations, doctors we spoke with could not comment about this case specifically. But, they did discuss the help that is available for victims of child abuse.

Last Thursday, police responded to a house in Portage on suspicion that a kidnapped child was in the residence. Later that day, they discovered an 11 year old boy who had been severely abused. Arrests have been made and the investigation continues. But, many wonder about the future of this boy.

The University of Wisconsin's Children's Hospital Child Protection Program was set up for victims of child abuse. In the last year alone Doctors have seen hundreds of cases. And in addition to normal health services, the program offers trauma treatment to kids through intervention. But, the program can not succeed by itself. They work with the entire community.

"The beauty of having a comprehensive children's facility like we have here, "said Dennis Lund, The Chief of the Children's Hospital, "is that we have every service in the hospital involved in the care of a child like this."

The doctors stress that a child has the most chance of recovery if the abuse is reported early, a responsibility that we all have.

"Each individual in a community has the potential to save an child's life." said Dr. Barbara Knox who works at the hospital. "People just need to be cognoscente of the fact that reports they make can not be released to other individuals."

But even if the abuse is missed, there is always hope.

"The central theme of children is that they are resilient." Said Dr. Knox. "And I think that that is one of the things that we go into pediatrics for, we desire to help children and their resilience is one of the things that allows us to do that. "

It is not certain that the 11 year old boy found Thursday will attend the University of Wisconsin's Child Protection Program. But, there is a possibility and the center does see cases this severe. The boy is still at the UW hospital where he continues to recover.