Nursing and the Law: Examining Child Abuse, Ethics, and Legalities

This report examines the legal and professional issues faced by nurses in cases of child abuse, focusing on mandatory reporting, ethical principles, and legal obligations. It presents a case study of a 13-year-old girl, Christine, who discloses abuse to a nurse, highlighting the conflicts between beneficence, non-maleficence, confidentiality, and autonomy. The report discusses relevant laws, including the Child Protection Act and Nurses Act, and applies Kerridge's ethical decision-making model to navigate the complexities of such situations. It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the child's safety and well-being while adhering to legal and ethical standards in nursing practice. The report concludes that healthcare professionals must consider individual circumstances and utilize ethical frameworks to make informed decisions that ensure client safety and comply with nursing codes and models.

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Child Abuse: Legal and Professional Issues in Nursing
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Institution
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Nurses are highly faced with a challenge of ensuring that their patients prosper and
recover effectively. Ensuring the standards of care of the nurse and an organization’s while
giving support to clients can prompt pain for clients as well as the Nurse. By applying a
leadership style which is based on morals, I will keenly look into a portion of the legitimate;
moral/social parts of Childs manhandle together with obligatory revealing looked in nursing
(Tong, 2018, pg 34-40).
The problem
Abusing a child physically is described by physical injury as a result of hitting, kicking,
punching, biting or generally hurting a child. Conviction that injury was as a result of non-
unintentional means isn't a a matter of importance, to engage the likelihood of abuse is the most
needed, to make sure that the criteria for obligatory reporting is met (Ostermeyer, 2017, pg 304-
306). Mostly every child is aware that these cases go overboard in the event that they keep quiet
instead of reporting abuse cases due to fear of its consequences. Along these lines, the case of
child abuse may continue to exist for a considerable length of time and even years, especially if
the abuser is someone who stays with the child. When a child is being abused and also threatened
with words such as, "if you tell anyone I will beat you up" can likewise be upsetting for a
medical practitioner as those is a communal, moral and legal commitment reports cases such sort
to the new Child FIRST or Child Protection admission service (McKinney, et al, 2017, pg 50-56)

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Several segments of the offspring, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic.) state enrolled
attendants lawfully required to account for instances of mistreatment in a youngster if there is a
"conviction lying on sensible basis that a kid require assurance on a ground alluded to in Section
162(c) or 162(d), or framed throughout honing in their office, position or business. A nurse has
an obligation to all customers to go about as a patient promoter, while including the moral
standards of the Non Maleficence (to perform no damage), Beneficence, Justice (decency and
equity), and Autonomy (freedom, unrestrained choice, self-assurance and rights) (Roberts, 2017,
pg67-70)
Now and again, this might be against the desires of the customer and stance advance quandaries,
and clashes for the customer and nurse.
Actualities
Christine, who is a 13-year-old young lady, has been approved for observations
/examination of a condition she is having which includes abdominal pains which severe. Not
long after Christine's confirmation, while helping her to have a shower, the nurse is able notice
some wounding on her arms and back. Christine gives the nurse a reason as to why she is having
bruises is because her mom canes her often. She also states that the injuries on her limbs are the
consequence of an especially awful whipping her mother had provided her lately by use of coat
hunger made of wood. Christine additionally uncovers that a slight while preceding she had
taken a panadol overdose to influence and attempt her mom to leave whipping her' instead, her
mother is not shaken and all she does is laugh at her and tries to show her that she was stupid for
taking panadol and thereafter she sends her to her bedroom telling her to go and “sleep it off”.
Christine tries to beg with the nurse not to disclose this discussion by in conflict 'If my mother

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determines that I have told any other person she will hungry with me and that will be much more
terrible for me'. In consolation, the nurse promises her that she will never convey to any-one.
whilst Christine is established in her crib the enlisted nurses who were alarmed for Christine's
welfare notifies the nurse who is registered about the overdoses and beatings (Blais, 2015, pg 15-
20)
Ethical principles and their impact
Morals in nursing, concentrates their core focus on nurses who are good enough to
respect patients and honor their rights as humans. This is shown in a range of expert codes for
nurses. The crucial principles are:
 a demonstration of achieving something prodigious that has an benefit for others, for
instance, compassion, mind giving, consideration ,empathy, and understanding.
 Keeping away from all low mischief, wounds and enduring (James, 2014 pg 650-657).
 The application of balance, reasonableness, agreement, kindness while enveloping
present and appropriate rules and enactment (James, 2014 pg 655-657).
Responsibility to good Care: The lawful and good duty and commitment to provide human
facilities to the perfect of social assurance specialists and authoritative capacities, enveloping
enactment and rules (James, 2014, pg 666-678).
Viewing problem from another angle
In spite of the fact that cases introduce testing moral issues, Nursing Medical advances,
financial weight, and social requests make it unavoidable that much more troublesome moral
quandaries will be found later on.

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A blend of individual, family and financial stressors all play a role when it comes to child abuse.
Parental figures might experience the ill effects of issues that require treatment (Low confidence,
drug abuse, wretchedness, and character issue). With the fitting administrations and bolster
orientated to individuals in require, there is a potential for all gatherings required to get help
required and roll out the improvements important to protect youngsters.
Clashes in ethics
Clashes between the key moral standards, law and a nurse’s judgment on morals are the
main difficulties nurses face in their processes of decision making. recognize and
hazard/advantage examination of contention accomplishes a restorative result. Moral clash for
Christina's situation include Beneficence versus non-evil; detailing child protection as long as
abuse is concerned is planned to profit Christina, with the aim for her to acquire insurance and
support that she requires. In any case, this might likewise create extra durable and family anxiety
due to conceivable outcomes, for instance, consequences from her mother, or actuality
inaccessible from the family (Lines, et al 2017, pg 675-678)
Non-maleficence versus Secrecy: keeping up trust and confidence are archaic by the need to
maintain a strategic distance from hurt. Matters, for instance, protection, concerning the needs of
the kid and communication with both guardian and kid will also be in struggle (Urden, 2017, pg
65-90)
Self-rule versus Non-evil; assent and unrestrained choice is resolutely linked to capability to
settle on varieties for ones self. A 12-year might not justifiably settle on a cure plan and the
exhibition of forestalling upset is of most extreme implication regardless of the point that it is in

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contradiction of her wants. The charged abuser is the critical leader in Christina's life, this
postures Communication requirements disturbing the mother, medical linked, and Christina.
The law
This law in association to nursing provides a system to setting up nursing actions when it
comes to patients care, keeps responsibilities of the nurses clear from those of other medical
practitioners, sets up the limitations for independent nursing activities, and retains up a typical of
nursing exercise by creating medical caretaker's responsible beneath the law (Johnstone, 2015,
pg56-89)
Significant acts for Christine's condition incorporate however are not constrained to the Child
assurance Act, Nurses Act and Health Professions Registration Act. All health care acts are
concocted from the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights, these comprise:
Access: A dispensation to have been the capability to get to proper social insurance.
Notwithstanding any prejudicial issues, age, sex, or area (Halter, 2017, pg 56-67)
Correspondences: it is the privilege to get acquaintance on all choices, expenses and
administrations is an open and unmistakable way. The privileged have to build in decisions and
choices to take care. Talking about the nature of choices and treatment, duties and rights, and
constantly welcoming clients assent. Social insurances ought to think about the circumstances of
an individual while providing them with consideration.
Security: An opportunity to high quality and safe human services. Enter mechanism in welfare
are thoughtfulness regarding customer guaranteeing needs, clients have an entire comprehension

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of prescriptions they are to get and conforming to accessible security rules, structures, laws and
conventions (Campbell, 2017, pg45-47)
Social insurance suppliers should think about the circumstances of the individual while giving
consideration. Security: A freedom to protection as well as privacy of gave data. statistics is just
to be conveyed to appropriate wellbeing specialists while guarantee affectability to security
requirements (Griffith, 2017, pg 65-67)
Remark: An opportunity to comment on mind and have any doubts tended to. Medicinal
facilities dealers should consistently be mindful to the doubts of patients (Houston et al, 2018, pg
56-57)
Ethical decision
The model of Kerridges for moral basic leadership focuses on equity, in
acknowledgment that medicinal services decisions are obliged by imbalance in assets. The basic
leadership model might be connected in circumstances to choose the best strategy. The
accompanying advances are important to the Kerridges model to accomplish determination of
contention:
1. Clearly express and define the issue.
2. Identify the certainties, for example tune in to the patient, guardian, and wellbeing experts
Included.
3. Consider the moral standards and how their effect on the issue.
4. Consider how the issue would look from another's perspective

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5 Identify the moral clashes.
6. Consider the lawful angles.
7. Make the moral choice
In executing these errands the most critical treatment need is guaranteeing the wellbeing
and security of the child.
I concur with the move made by the nurse on Christine's case, and in the event that I were
in this circumstance I would have incorporated Kerridges basic leadership instrument and have
clarified my obligatory moral and lawful commitments to report instances of manhandling or
suspected mishandle, utilizing suitable correspondence or a 12-year-old young lady. Being to a
great degree careful to be exceptionally soothing, consoling and to accept every last bit of her
worries, while enrolling the assistance of fitting partnered human services experts, with the
manager of my unit included (Armuand, et al, 2018)
Conclusion
Every child abuse should be taken serious and its mandatory that it be reported and this
includes moral, responsibility and lawful commitments of human services laborers and
authoritative abilities that must envelop rules and enactment. Medicinal services specialists must
put the individual circumstances and client needs into consideration.
By use of Ethical thoughts plus essential management tools helps with right thinking and
efficient consideration of all perspectives as per underlying circumstances, distinguishing moral

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clashes and advance on moral choices that guarantees security of clients, as well as that submits
to codes as well as models when it comes to care in nursing.
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