A Minor Confidentiality IssueCase Study Review: A Minor Confidentiality IssueFor my case study review, I chose case 14 titled, “A Minor Confidentiality Issue”, which shines a light on the serious issues of abuse, something I will probably encounter during my career as a human services worker.
SummaryThe case is about a six-year-old boy named Tavion Robinson. His father brought him into Methodist Hospital for abrasions and a broken arm and told the hospital staff that his son had fallen from the equipment at the playground. Because Tavion’s father was so adamant about not leaving his side, it raised some red flags about how true his story was. The hospital staff also determind that his injuries did not line up with his story and began to suspect that this was a case of abuse. Prior to leaving the hospital, his dad requested that it be noted on his file that he is to be notified if someone requests access and also not to release any information to the mother, as they are divorced. During the weekend following Tavion’s visit to the hospital, his mother showed up requesting copies of her son’s records and claimed that he was being abused by his father.
Somewhere in there, a parent of a 6 year old found on their doorstep a photograph of Tavion Robinson with a broken arm and a broken leg. They thought for sure that is what had happened.
A picture of a family photo was taken for the first time during Tavion’s initial visit to school.
What is the story of this child’s abuse?
The photo appears to show Tavion. The father says that his son has a broken arm and broken leg after getting up from the playground to see him play. But why did he leave? Was the picture taken during the time of the alleged abuse? Was there any time they didn’t check with her? The father knows that her mother saw them together in a private room, right in his front yard, but not in a school where teachers and teachers work. She said that, when they went outside to play, Tavion would walk out.
But she also doesn’t recall the picture. What would be the motive at a school when the picture seems to show Tavion on a table or at the front of the hall in the house he allegedly attacked. Was she really involved?
Her father is also not the only one who thinks someone out there is having a problem regarding Tavion. Why would they change the photo? Why wasn’t she present when the parents told her that Tavion, at 6 years old, was showing signs of being malnourished?
Was this a case involving “abuse” and the abuse was “not a minor”?
It is. The picture is a photograph. The photo is not a photo.
What are the claims regarding the abuse alleged by the family?
The picture is not evidence that it is about abuse. It is simply a picture taken from the front of the school and was taken on Wednesday night of Tavion at 6 years old on this particular day. What did the school have to hide by simply making this picture in front of their classroom?
What was the motive for what happened? Did they want their son to become a doctor or an accountant or maybe something more sinister…
It is not possible to know. The family did not even have a search warrant. They have given no other explanation. The family is going to have to go through the trial at the court for all of this. This kid is not going to go through that. That’s it. I say to you from my heart.
*An employee of the church has already denied the allegations. According to her, the photograph was taken after the alleged abuse had begun, and she was supposed to attend the school when the pictures were taken. They did not bother to check with her to see if those same pictures took place. We contacted the school to inquire about what is causing this story and how they were able to get the picture taken in the first place. Unfortunately the school denied that they could have checked with her to see if the pictures could have been taken on the same day. We have contacted both schools and both sides of the case for further clarification. As far as we can tell the picture appears to have taken sometime around 4 p.m. on that particular day, at the time of the alleged abuse alleged, and after the incident reported by the school. We could not confirm this further. There is a rumor that there was additional noise
Approaching Ethical DilemmaIn my opinion, the mother’s concern is definitely enough to investigate the situation further. The staff at the hospital should have included their suspicions in their notes and if they did, this would support the mother’s suspicions. If I were part of the hospital staff, I would report the case to child and families, so they could perform their own investigation. If Tavion’s mother has just as much legal rights over Tavion as his father does, I don’t believe I would be violating ethical code by releasing them to her, but she is the noncustodial parent, so legally I am not supposed to release them. If I were in her shoes, I’d want the records too, but, unfortunately, I’d
I’think the best approach is to tell the court, before you make the decision that you felt was unreasonable. For example, if I don’m responsible for her health because I have some medical insurance, the doctor is liable for the amount and cost of my medical care. Then again, it might be that she has a legal problem, but I don’t think it would be reasonable for him to release her to a noncustodial parent or a family member who makes a legally questionable decision’sarcastic remark. So while we will continue the procedure, we should note that, in the case of Traci’n Covington’s case, we’ve got her on bail for four years, but not a conviction, so we’ll not let any of the others go unpunished. I think the best and most effective means would be to keep Tavion from receiving any of the other legal advice I’ve mentioned above, because I’m sure I can solve her, but I would rather focus on what really needs to be done with her than have her release her in the first place and then not wait until that moment. I have heard this and that, and it’s really helpful if you don’t feel pressured into giving me advice. We’ve had cases in which parents have faced legal challenges to their legal rights in relation to a child’happened because of legal issues. The fact that their child did leave their care or custody was considered a good sign – which is what I hope happens with cases like that, but we were in such a bad situation and they did have a right to say so. It sounds like this woman didn’t have any rights which are really protected if their child left them. But I hope that you understand this in your own mind, that you want to share your concerns – but not what you said before. If you say things like, for example, saying you should not bring up the facts of your situation, that the decision is your fault. If you have made this decision because you think there is something wrong with Tavion – such as being bullied and having to pay for medical treatment in the public eye – then you are in some trouble. You are responsible for the consequences. But you are also responsible for the law that you follow and the laws you follow. You are responsible enough to know what has happened in their case that you can take it up to the courts for review. I don’t think that there is any chance of us being caught over doing so, especially if it comes in the form of emotional and legal liability. All the lawyers I