NRS 311| Assessment Task: Child Protection Case Study

Running head: ASSESSMENT TASK TWO
NRS 311
ASSESSMENT TASK TWO: CHILD PROTECTION CASE STUDY
Due Date
Lecturer

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
Introduction
Child Protection is defined as the protection provision of children in relation to abuse,
violence, neglect and exploitation. As per Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Right of
the Child, it states that it is important to provide protection to a child both in and outside the
home. The Child protection systems are referred to as a set of government-run services that
have been specifically designed to address the issues related to protecting the child and young
adults who are underage and thus, encourage the aspects of family stability (Rhind & Blair,
2018). In the world, a massive number of cases are being reported and more unreported cases
of this problem occur that include child abuse, child labour, infanticide endangerment, child
maltreatment and others that affect the health and mental status of the child in a detrimental
manner. Thus, strict action needs to be taken against such cases in order to protect the
vulnerable group of people from further harm. The aim of the assignment is to conduct a
mandatory reporting of the case study provided and discuss the purpose of child protection
and the legal and ethical obligations of a registered nurse in relation to the case study.
Summary of MRG Answers
From the case study, it was found that the case is related to Fiona, a three-year-old girl
who had a burn three days ago due to the heater, which was treated by her mother. She had
cleaned it with tap water, applied paw-paw ointment, and dressed it with adhesive bandage.
Upon review of the wound by the medical officer, it was found that the dressing was unclean,
unchanged and it did not adhere to the skin. Even though the patient’s basic vital signs were
normal; due to fear, pain and infection, some of her vital stats were higher than normal. From
the mandatory reporter guide (MRG), the decision tree that was found to be appropriate in
this case was neglect and more specifically, neglect of medical care for non-medical

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
professionals (Reporter.childstory.nsw.gov.au, 2020). Upon a thorough analysis of the case, it
can be stated that upon a thorough investigation of the case, it can be concluded that the
mother of the child was unaware of basic first aid procedure. Moreover, the children require
more care and support because it was observed from the case that even though Fiona had
been crying since the morning, Susanna was unable to bring her to the hospital. She was able
to turned up in the hospital late in the afternoon with all her children after having walked the
distance from home to the hospital, with two of the children, Fiona and Jason, presenting with
bare feet. She stated that she had no option but to bring her children with her because there is
no one at home to take care of them. Susanna was found to not have met minimum hygiene
aspects, especially to a wounded area, which might worsen due to exposure to dirt and other
elements entering the wound. Further, Fiona had been made to walk to the hospital without
footwear and all the while with a painful foot injury. Thus, it can be seen that the lifestyle led
by Susanna may prove to be unhealthy and unhygienic for her children and as such may have
an adverse impact on their health and wellbeing.
Discussion of Child Protection
As per the study conducted by Gillingham (2016), the statutory child protection in
Australia is a responsibility of state and territory government. Various departments are
responsible for child protection including the offering of assistance to vulnerable children
who are suspected to be at risk of abuse, neglect or harm and for families that are unable to
provide adequate care and protection. As per the report, it was found that one in 33 children
in Australia had received child protection services in 2018-2019 (Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare, 2020). The aboriginal and Torres Strait children are found to be eight
times more likely to receive child protection services as compared to non-indigenous
children. It was found that 68% of children that had previously received child protection

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
services were repeated clients and the most common type of abuse was emotional abuse at
54%. The children that are in very remote areas are three times more likely to be abused or
neglected than the major cities and it has been reported that 13% of the children in the out-of-
houses setting have a permanent impact of such cases in their life (Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare, 2020). Another study states that one out of three children that were
subjected to substantiation belong to socioeconomic areas. As per the case study, it can be
stated that the family belong to low socioeconomic background, which makes it more likely
that the child is prone to neglect. One of the family members has a criminal history, the
mother, Susanna had been pregnant at a very early age and the mother-in-law was found to
work on a full-time basis; thus, neglect in such case is evident. As these facts indicate that,
there is a lack of general knowledge of the society and health services among the family in a
broader sense. As per the opinion of Kiraly (2019), the child protection related to public law
involves authorities to intervene in the family setting due to allegation of risk or harms to a
child. In Australia, the legislative acts that present in each state and territory govern the
services provided that include Children and Young People Act (2008), Children and Young
Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, Children Protection Act 1999, Care and Protection
of Children Act 2007 and others (Tonmyr et al., 2018). Since Australia is a signatory of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), many of the principles are
incorporated in the child protection legislation of the country. The most vital of the
Commonwealth (Cth) legislation that helps to guide the states and territories are the Family
Law Act 1975 and the Australia Human Rights Commission Act 1986. The principles that are
included in the child protection legislation, with regards to the given case study, are to
understand the best interest of the child, provide early intervention and ensure the
participation of the child or the young person in the process of decision. The foremost priority
in the case of Fiona was to treat the infection that may worsen with time due to neglect. Later,

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
when she had recovered, the authority from Child Protection may intervene in the situation
and adopt the best possible solution for not only Fiona but also for Jason and David after
interviewing them separately.
Discussion of the Obligations of the Registered Nurses
In addition to the Child Protection authorities, there is an obligation of the registered
nurse (RN) to intervene in an identified situation related to child neglect and to act
accordingly. Since they are the front-line professionals of the healthcare sector, they have the
responsibility of reporting cases related to child abuse and neglect. They have training related
to the identification of signs and symptoms of abuse and or neglect, and the obligation to
report to law enforcement authorities. On the contrary, if an RN is found to fail in reporting
such cases, serious legal implications can be taken against them on behalf of the board of
nursing and employers of the hospital. According to Mudrick and Smith (2017), the RNs
need to offer a calm and comforting environment as well as adopt a careful approach to the
patient in concern. In this case, the RN needs to offer preliminary care to Fiona and ensure
that the burn is treated appropriately and to avoid further complication. In addition, the
healthcare professional needs to adopt an approach that promotes trust from the patient as it
can be seen that she clings to her mother all the time. Grimheden et al. (2017) opined that that
in child neglect case, a head-to-toe physical examination is being conducted, any abuse is
being reported and investigation through any of the family member can be done who can
testify the facts reported by the child. Thus, in this particular case, the same procedure can be
followed. After the documentation of findings, it is important to notify the matter to the law
enforcement department in the care areas (Lauritzen & Reedtz, 2016). In this particular case,
it is clear that the incapability of Susanna was due to lack of information and knowledge and
further the lack of adequate support to help her fulfil basic requirements for her children.

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
Therefore, it can be recommended that instead of reporting to law enforcement, an officer
from the child protection agency of the area can be assigned in addressing the issue in the
case. Based on the state of occurrence, the steps are taken in reporting the issue to the
concerned authority. In addition, based on the abuse that has taken place, the nurses need to
call the Adult Protection Services or Child Protection Services and complete a written report
(Registerednursing.org, 2020). Even though the law does not state, however, the RN is
required to offer a counselling service to the victim. As per the opinion of Girardet et al.
(2018), there are many victims that fall in a cycle of abuse and thus, it becomes difficult for
them to escape. In such cases, the counselling has been found to be useful in coping with
trauma and breaking the cycle (Lee & Kim, 2018). The nurses need to be familiar with the
mandated reporter laws of the states and based on the reports, the graveness of the issue is
evaluated and actions are undertaken as required. In this case, Fiona was injured however the
severity of her injury was neglected by her mother for three days, and finally, she brings her
to the hospital where the RN identifies and fill up the mandatory report guide- Decision
Report that states a clear case of neglect from the non-medical professional that was her
mother.
Conclusion
It can be concluded by stating that Child Protection is one of the important services in
Australia as it helps in protecting and safeguarding the rights of children and young people
that are unaware of their rights or unable to stand up for their rights in society. The case
reviewed concerns a child was being neglected from basic healthcare services, and in the
association, it was found the socioeconomic background of the family was below standard.
The mother or the carer of the family did not have an understanding of basic first aid.
Therefore, the case was reported in the form of Mandatory reporter guide- Decision Report

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
that clearly stated the facts found in the case and thus, highlights the need of taking
appropriate actions by the Child Protection Agency in Australia.

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Child protection Overview - Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-welfare-services/child-protection/
overview
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Child protection - Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare. (Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/child-protection
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). Child protection Australia 2018–19, Table
of contents - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare. Retrieved 8 April 2020, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-
protection/child-protection-australia-2018-19/contents/table-of-contents
Gillingham, P. (2016). Social work and child protection in Australia: whose job is it
anyway?. Practice, 28(2), 83-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2015.1074670
Girardet, R., Bolton, K., Hashmi, S., Sedlock, E., Khatri, R., Lahoti, N., & Lukefahr, J.
(2018). Child protective services utilization of child abuse pediatricians: A mixed
methods study. Child abuse & neglect, 76, 381-387.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.11.019
Grimheden, S., Lindqvist, G., Bylund-Grenklo, T., & Sandgren, A. (2017). An obligation to
care for seriously ill children in their homes: A qualitative study of community
nurses’ perceptions. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research, 37(4), 201-208.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2057158517701664

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
Kiraly, M. (2019). Support for children in Kinship Care from the Commonwealth, States and
Territories of Australia-a national policy survey. Developing Practice: The Child,
Youth and Family Work Journal, (52), 9.
https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=852221910787218;res=IELHE
A
Lauritzen, C., & Reedtz, C. (2016). Adult mental health services and the collaboration with
child protection services. J Hosp Adm, 5(5), 72.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Adult-mental-health-services-and-the-
collaboration-Lauritzen-Reedtz/d58048b02883659fec76693d83c619bc609b440d
Lee, I. S., & Kim, K. J. (2018). Factors that influence mandatory child abuse reporting
attitudes of pediatric nurses in Korea. Journal of forensic nursing, 14(1), 31-41.
http://doi.org/10.1097/JFN.0000000000000186
Mudrick, N. R., & Smith, C. J. (2017). Mandatory reporting for child protection in health
settings and the rights of parents with disabilities. Disability and health
journal, 10(2), 165-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.12.012
Registerednursing.org. (2020). What Should a Nurse Do If They Suspect a Patient Is a Victim
of Abuse?. Retrieved 8 April 2020, from https://www.registerednursing.org/what-
should-nurse-do-suspect-patient-victim-abuse/
Reporter.childstory.nsw.gov.au. (2020). Reporter. Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://reporter.childstory.nsw.gov.au/s/neglect
Rhind, D., & Blair, R. (2018). 11 Safeguarding, child protection, and abuse. Professional
Advances in Sports Coaching: Research and Practice.
https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9gB-

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT318&dq=child+protection&ots=kvX52HzdMp&sig=U
-XRaBGuJnHXiEl-aF-j_ZoSLXY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=child
%20protection&f=false
Tonmyr, L., Mathews, B., Shields, M. E., Hovdestad, W. E., & Afifi, T. O. (2018). Does
mandatory reporting legislation increase contact with child protection?–a legal
doctrinal review and an analytical examination. BMC public health, 18(1), 1021.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5864-0

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study
Appendix 1: MRG Results

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Assessment Task Two: Child Protection Case Study