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When to Report?
What should prompt a doctor to report suspected child abuse or neglect
to CAS? Under Section 72 (1) of the Child and Family Services Act, if you have
reasonable grounds to suspect any of the following:
he child has suffered physical harm, or is
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at risk of that harm, from or caused by the
person having charge of the child due to 1)
failure to adequately care/provide for, supervise or protect the child; or 2) a pattern of
neglect in caring/providing for, supervising
or protecting the child.
he child suffers from a mental, emotional or
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developmental condition that, if not remedied, could seriously impair the child’s development and the child’s parent, or the person
having charge, doesn’t provide, refuses or is
unavailable/unable to consent to, treatment
to remedy or alleviate the condition.
he child has been sexually molested or sexuT
ally exploited, or is at risk of that, by: 1) the
person having charge of the child; or 2) by
another person, where the person having
charge of the child knows, or should know, of
the possibility of sexual molestation/exploitation and fails to protect the child.
he child has been abandoned, the child’s
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parent has died or is unavailable to exercise
custodial rights over the child and hasn’t
made adequate provision for the child’s care
and custody or the child is in a residential
placement, and the parent refuses or is unable/unwilling to resume the child’s care and
custody.
he child requires medical treatment to cure,
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prevent or alleviate physical harm or suffering, and the child’s parent (or the person
having charge of the child) does not provide,
refuses or is unavailable/unable to consent
to, the treatment.
he child has suffered emotional harm or
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is at risk of that harm – demonstrated by
serious anxiety, depression, withdrawal,
self-destructive or aggressive behaviour, or
delayed development – and there are reasonable grounds to believe such results from the
actions, failure to act or pattern of neglect
by the child’s parent or the person having
charge of the child. This applies as well if the
child’s parent, or the person having charge
of the child, doesn’t provide, refuses or is
unavailable/unable to consent to, services or
treatment to remedy or alleviate the harm.
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Dialogue Issue 3, 2015
he child is less than 12 and has killed or
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seriously injured someone, or caused serious
damage to someone’s property, and services
or treatment are necessary to prevent a recurrence and the child’s parent, or the person
having charge, doesn’t provide, refuses or
is unavailable/unable to consent to, those
services or treatment.
he child is less than 12 and has on more than
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one occasion injured someone, or caused loss
or damage to someone’s property, with the
encouragement of the person having charge
or because of that person’s failure/inability to
supervise the child adequately.