Professional Documents
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Child Abuse Quiz
Child Abuse Quiz
a) Yes, the parents will be informed because, in our legal system, everyone has a right to confront
his/her accusers
b) Yes, the parents will be informed because a dental hygienist is not a mandated reporter and
would be reporting voluntarily
c) No, parents will not be informed because the law provides confidentiality for mandated reporters
d) No, the parents will not be informed because a dental hygienist is not a mandated reporter and
would be reporting voluntarily
2. Ryan is a six year old boy who tells the Physician’s Assistant in his pediatrician’s office that he is afraid to
go home. The PA does not report this to anyone and the child is later hospitalized with severe injuries
inflicted by his father. The PA tells the pediatrician about his error of judgment; he is concerned that he
could be in legal trouble or could be sued. The pediatrician reassures him that such a statement from a
child does not constitute reasonable cause to report child abuse and that the law protects practitioners
from errors that are made in good faith. Is this correct?
a) Yes, mandated reporters are only obliged to report when they have some objective evidence of
abuse, e.g. injuries, aggressive or sexually suggestive behavior
b) Yes, NYS Social Services Law provides protection and confidentiality for mandated reporters
whether they report or not.
c) Partially correct: it is a Class A misdemeanor to suspect child abuse and fail to report it but
mandated reporters cannot be sued in civil court
d) No, it is a Class A misdemeanor to suspect child abuse and fail to report it and mandated
reporters can be sued in civil court
3. Jonathan is a third year resident at Downstate who is enjoying his Saturday off playing soccer in Prospect
Park. He does not have a medical license yet. He observes a family having a barbeque nearby. One of the
children is cranky and a woman who appears to be his mother yells at him several times and finally takes
his food away, saying that he won’t eat for the rest of the day because of his bad behavior. The child
begins crying loudly and the mother hits him sharply in the head with the barbeque tongs. Is Jonathan
legally obligated to report this?
5. Isha is a second year resident taking care of a six year old child in clinic. The child lives with her
grandmother in a shelter. The grandmother is undocumented and unemployed. Isha finds the child
malnourished and in need of eyeglasses and dental work. The child seems listless, is wearing dirty
clothing, and steals a sandwich from the refrigerator in the staff lounge/conference room while Isha is
talking to the grandmother. The grandmother says she cannot afford to pay for what the child needs and
frequently does not have enough to eat herself. Is Isha obligated to report this?
6. Jea-Hyoun is a pediatric surgeon seeing a five year old boy for follow-up after removing a Wilm’s tumor.
She has a reasonable suspicion of child neglect – it appears that the boy is left unattended and without
supervision for prolonged periods and her instructions for post-operative care at home have clearly been
ignored. What is Jea-Hyoun obligated to do?
a) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) and notify the parents
of the referral
b) Send a written report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A
c) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) and send a written
report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A within 48 hours
d) Call the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR), notify the parents of
the referral, and send a written report to Child Protective Services on Form LDSS-2221A within 48
hours