Mandated Reporting Flashcards

Under California Tarasoff law (Civil Code §43.92), a therapist's duty to warn is triggered by a patient's threat toward:

Answer: A reasonably identifiable third-party victim

The Tarasoff duty requires the victim to be 'reasonably identifiable' — vague threats against unnamed or unidentifiable persons do not trigger the duty.

A patient discloses that they were abused as a child but the abuse ended years ago and the perpetrator is now deceased. The therapist's reporting obligation is:

Answer: No current reporting obligation since the perpetrator is deceased and there is no ongoing risk

CANRA reporting is intended to protect children from ongoing or future harm; historical abuse with no current risk and a deceased perpetrator generally does not create a mandatory reporting obligation.

Regarding the duty to report under CANRA, a therapist's suspicion of child sexual abuse must be reported:

Answer: Regardless of whether the child has made a direct disclosure

CANRA does not require a direct disclosure or physical evidence; reasonable suspicion from any source — including behavioral observations — is sufficient.

When a mandated reporter suspects that a child is being abused by someone outside the family, who should receive the report?

Answer: Child Protective Services and/or law enforcement

CANRA reports go to Child Protective Services (CPS) or local law enforcement regardless of whether the suspected perpetrator is a family member or someone outside the family.

In California, which of the following situations requires a mandated report of child abuse?

Answer: A parent describes intentionally burning a child as discipline

Deliberate physical injury inflicted as 'discipline' meets the definition of willful cruelty and reportable physical abuse under CANRA.

A therapist is uncertain whether a situation constitutes reportable child abuse. Under CANRA, the therapist should:

Answer: Report if they have reasonable suspicion, as the threshold is low

The reasonable suspicion standard is intentionally low; when in doubt, therapists should report and allow child protective services to investigate.