Skip to main content Navigation Return to Content

Resources & Information

Nov 3 2014

New position statement addresses obligation to report child abuse and neglect

 Categories:  Position Statements Comments:   comments  Print Friendly Version  |   Share this item
The Board adopted a new position statement (published below) on recognizing and reporting suspected child maltreatment at its September meeting.

Also at the September meeting, the Board reviewed and approved the following position statement with no changes:
• Advertising and publicity

The complete set of Position Statements of the Board are available in here.

CHILD MALTREATMENT
It is the position of the North Carolina Medical Board that child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) presents a significant risk to the health and well-being of North Carolinians. The
Board’s licensees have a legal responsibility to report as soon as practicable “cases involving recurrent illness or serious physical injury to any child under the age of 18 years where the illness or injury appears, in the physician’s professional judgment, to be the result of non-accidental trauma.” N.C.G.S. § 90-21.20(c1).* This legal and ethical obligation requires a licensee to recognize the signs, symptoms, and etiology of child maltreatment.

Licensees are also encouraged to learn how to refer children for expert medical evaluations of possible maltreatment.**
*This obligation specific to physicians is in addition to the legal requirement that any person or institution in North Carolina “who has cause to suspect that any juvenile is abused, neglected, or dependent, as defined by G.S. 7B-101, or has died as the result of maltreatment, shall report the case of that juvenile to the director of the department of social services in the county where the juvenile resides or is found.” N.C.G.S. § 7B-301(a).

**Web-based training on “Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment” is available at www.preventchildabusenc.org/online-trainings.

 No Comments on this article

 Post a comment on this article
Please do not include links to external websites in your comment. Please limit comments to no more than 300 words. The NCMB reserves the right to edit comments to meet the length limit. Abusive or profane remarks and personal attacks will not be published. The editor will make every effort to review and post comments in a timely fashion.