Mandated Reporting: Abuse and Harm
to Self and Others
The protection of client
confidentiality is a general ethical mandate in counseling, and this protection
is particularly important when working with clients from vulnerable
populations. Conversely, the failure to report in a mandated reporting
situation can be laden with ethical and legal implications.
All 50 states have passed some
form of mandatory reporting laws for cases of abuse and neglect. All states
require certain professions and institutions, including all health-care
providers and facilities, all mental-health care providers, teachers and other
school personnel, social workers, day-care providers, and law enforcement
personnel, to report suspected child abuse.
Failure to report suspected child
or elder abuse can result in criminal and/or civil liability. There are
consequences for false reporting and, therefore, counselors should be mindful
of false reporting laws, as well as immunity statutes and case law. People who
report in “good faith” are generally immune from criminal and civil
liability.
Give a brief description of two
mandatory reporting issues from this examples (e.g., child abuse, elder abuse,
abuse of the mentally ill, harm to self and/or others, end-of-life decisions,
HIV positive/AIDS and unprotected sexual activity). Then analyze the
implications of failing to report in these examples. Finally, research if there
is a statuary requirement to report either or both of your examples in the
state of .Explain how and why you would address these issues.
