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You can use these scenario cards to help staff members prepare to report child abuse and neglect. Read a scenario with staff members and take the time to identify the signs that might be indicative of child abuse or neglect. Talk with staff members about exactly what they might do to report their suspicions of abuse or neglect. 

1. Violet, age 11, is having a hard time walking. When she sits down, she acts like it hurts. You ask her what is wrong. She just looks down and says, “Nothing.” A few days later, she is playing soccer with the other children. She rolls up her pant legs and stretches on the ground when she gets warm. You notice dark purple bruises on her inner thighs. She seems to remember the bruises are there and rolls the pant legs back down below her knees.
2. Bryce has been out of the program for a few days. His parents had called in to report him sick. On his first day back, though, you notice fading bruises on various parts of his body.
3. Cecelia’s mom drops her off and says, “You better stop being evil today. I swear you are no good, and I wish I did not even have to pick you back up.”
4. Alecia, age 6 months, has had a severe cough for at least two weeks. It has gotten so bad that her whole body seems to seize up when she coughs. She wheezes and seems exhausted. You are very concerned about her health and have expressed your concerns to her mom. Mom just keeps saying, “It’s getting better. The doctor will just tell me it’s a cold and there’s nothing they can do. It’s a waste of time.”,
5. Corrinne, age 8, always keeps to herself. She rarely smiles or talks to the other children. She seems to prefer to sit off by herself. She often complains of stomach aches and headaches. When her parents pick her up in the evenings, they seem cold towards each other. She seems to shrink away when her dad touches her shoulder.
6. It is 6:30pm. Keila’s mom has not yet arrived to pick her up, and Keila is not registered for any sort of evening care. You have tried calling all the numbers you have for Keila’s authorized pick-ups, but no one answers. This is the third time this has happened this month. You cannot reach anyone, and the program is supposed to be closed for the evening.
7. Emile’s mother has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, but she has been clean since she became pregnant with Emile’s oldest sister. Lately, she has seemed different when she picked Emile up: she is distant, has a hard time making eye contact, slurs her words, and seems rough with Emile. You have seen enough of a pattern now to suspect that she is using again. She has several children across the child and youth programs, and the youngest is only an infant. Emile says he takes care of the baby a lot.