Writing Homework Help

Read the following materials before answering the questions below.

• Delaware Mandatory Reporting Law (Links to an external site.)
• Review the crimes of child abuse in the Delaware Code (Links to an external site.) 1103 Child abuse in the third degree; class A misdemeanor, § 1103A Child abuse in the second degree; class G felony, § 1103B Child abuse in the first degree; class B felony
• Definitions relating to state of mind (Links to an external site.) at Section 231 “Recklessly, intentionally, negligently”
• Chapter 4. Defenses to Criminal Liability (Links to an external site.): Scroll down to 11 Del. C. Section 468 and read “Justification — Use of force by persons with special responsibility for care, discipline or safety of others”

You are a social worker. On your way home from work, you stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner. While shopping you observe a young mother berating her 2 year old for opening a box of cookies and she slaps him across the face. The sobbing child has a red partial outline of a hand on his cheek.

• Is this abuse? Why or why not and what law governs? Based on the assigned readings, what, if anything, are you mandated to do and how would you do it?
• What are the possible civil and criminal consequences that the mother may face?