Review your state\’s mandated reporter statute. Provide details about this in your post. If faced with a mandated reporter issue, what are the steps in reporting the issue? Create a mandated reporter scenario and post it. Respond to one of your peer\’s scenarios using the guidelines for submission/reporting in your state. Be sure to include a reference to your state\’s website related to mandated reporting.
State Mandated Reporter
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
State’s Mandated Reporter
All states have at least experts or professionals referred to as mandated reporters. A mandated reporter is an individual required by law to report reasonable suspicions of abuse (NedBarnett, 2022). In the state of Texas, Chapter 261 of the Texas Family Code orders for a Mandated Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting to protect children’s rights. It protects them from harassment, bullying, and intimidation (Textprotect, 2022). Mandated reporters face some mandated reporting challenges regarding issues about suspected child abuse. Nurses are mandated reporters, meaning they have the responsibility to report any suspicions of a child or adult abuse or neglect (DFPS, 2022). Nurses should call the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in case they suspect child abuse or neglect.
If faced with a mandated reporter issue, for instance, if a child reports abuse, the first step is to show concern and listen without showing disbelief or anger. It is important to try and ask the child or victim what happened, by whom, and where it happened (NedBarnett, 2022). Then contacting local law enforcement (Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)) to report the situation should follow. The report should be made within 48 hours of discovery. A written report may be submitted detailing the issue (DFPS, 2022). The law enforcement will then take over the investigation.
One of the mandated reporter issues in the facility involved a 15-year-old girl who was admitted with a head injury. The patient showed signs of abuse and the attending nurse had to let the nurse manager know about the issue (Textprotect, 2022). On asked the child about possible abuse, she admitted that she has been going through abuse by her stepmother who she lived with (DFPS, 2022). After gathering comprehensive information, the matter was reported to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
References
DFPS. (2022). When and How to Report Child Abuse. https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Child_Safety/report_abuse.asp#:~:text=Texas%20law%20requires%20that%20any,make%20a%20report%20onlineExternal%20Link.
NedBarnett. (2022). Mandatory Reporting of Child Sex Abuse in Texas. https://www.nedbarnett.com/mandatory-reporting-of-child-sex-abuse-in-texas/
Textprotect. (2022). Mandatory Reporting Laws in Texas. https://www.texprotects.org/facts/reporting-laws/