NMC CBT NMC-CBT Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse notices a child has multiple bruises in various stages of healing on their back and buttocks. What is the MOST appropriate initial action?
- Document the findings and report to the safeguarding lead immediately (Correct answer)
- Ask the child directly if they are being abused
- Confront the parents about the injuries
- Wait to see if further injuries occur before reporting
Correct answer: Document the findings and report to the safeguarding lead immediately
Documenting and reporting to the safeguarding lead is the correct first step, as this triggers the appropriate safeguarding pathway without compromising the investigation.
Question 2: Which piece of UK legislation places a statutory duty on certain organisations to have 'due regard' to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism?
- Children Act 1989
- Care Act 2014
- Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (Prevent duty) (Correct answer)
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
Correct answer: Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (Prevent duty)
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 introduced the Prevent duty, requiring specified public authorities to have due regard to preventing radicalisation.
Question 3: An elderly patient in a care home tells you privately that a staff member takes money from her purse. This is an example of which category of adult abuse?
- Physical abuse
- Financial or material abuse (Correct answer)
- Discriminatory abuse
- Neglect and acts of omission
Correct answer: Financial or material abuse
Taking money from a vulnerable adult without consent constitutes financial or material abuse, one of the ten categories defined in the Care Act 2014 statutory guidance.
Question 4: Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, what is the correct standard of proof required to determine that an adult lacks capacity?
- Beyond reasonable doubt
- On the balance of probabilities (Correct answer)
- A reasonable clinical opinion is sufficient
- Unanimous agreement by the care team
Correct answer: On the balance of probabilities
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 uses the civil standard of 'balance of probabilities' when assessing whether an individual lacks capacity.
Question 5: A nurse suspects a colleague is grooming a vulnerable teenage patient. Which action is MOST appropriate?
- Speak to the colleague first to clarify the situation
- Raise concerns immediately with the line manager or safeguarding lead (Correct answer)
- Monitor the situation over several weeks before acting
- Inform the patient's parents without involving management
Correct answer: Raise concerns immediately with the line manager or safeguarding lead
Concerns about a colleague's behaviour must be escalated immediately to the safeguarding lead or line manager, as grooming is a form of child sexual exploitation.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'contextual safeguarding'?
- Safeguarding that focuses solely on the family home environment
- An approach that recognises abuse can occur in broader social contexts outside the family (Correct answer)
- A risk-scoring tool used in emergency departments
- A statutory framework replacing the Children Act 1989
Correct answer: An approach that recognises abuse can occur in broader social contexts outside the family
Contextual safeguarding extends the focus of child protection beyond the family to peer groups, schools, and communities where abuse may also occur.
Question 7: A parent refuses to allow a nurse to examine a child with suspected non-accidental injuries. What should the nurse do?
- Respect the parental decision and discharge the child
- Forcibly examine the child to gather evidence
- Contact the safeguarding team and, if necessary, the police to secure the child's safety (Correct answer)
- Arrange a follow-up appointment for the next day
Correct answer: Contact the safeguarding team and, if necessary, the police to secure the child's safety
When parental refusal places a child at immediate risk, the nurse must escalate to the safeguarding team and involve the police if necessary to protect the child.
NMC CBT NMC-CBT Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children 2
A nurse notices a child has multiple bruises in various stages of healing on their back and buttocks.
What is the MOST appropriate initial action?