Reference no: EM133458778

Julia was in her first year as director of a child care center she was feeling overwhelmed by staffing issues, parent concerns, and curriculum implementation. Reva, a teacher in the four-year old program, came to express a concern about a child. She suspected Dylan was being neglected by his parents. Dylan was rarely bathed and often came to the center in soiled clothes. Additionally, he had bruises on the inner side of his arms and on his upper thighs. Julia asked Reva to document the information and "keep and eye out" for further incidents. Reva left the director's office unsatisfied. As a mandated reporter, she thought that she should report this information to Child Protective Services (CPS). She kept notes as she was asked and continued to keep watchful eye on Dylan.

Two weeks later, Dylan arrived at the center with a large bruise on his face. Reva asked him what had happened. His response was, "My dad got mad at me and pushed me. I fell down on the stairs, but he said sorry, then I went to bed."

Reva related this to Julia and they telephoned CPS to report the incident. The agency contacted Dylan's family. They vehemently denied any wrongdoing and were angered about the report. The family withdrew from the center immediately and do not even honor the two-week notice required in their contact.

1. How would you have handled this situation if you were the director? The teacher?

2. When do you think that this family should have been reported? Could this situation have been handled differently? Hoe?

3. Do you have a child abuse policy noted in your parent handbook? Why or why not?