ABSTRACT
Accountability means that ‘nurses answer to the people in their care, the nursing regulatory authority, their employers and the public. Ability means that nurses are competent to carry out their role, and is dependent upon them having sufficient knowledge and skills to fulfil the requirements of that role or practice. Responsibility means an activity a person undertakes or is given to undertake and for which they are answerable. Child abuse and neglect include ‘all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power’. Domestic violence is a major societal issue in Australia, as it is in many countries globally. In this chapter, the author looked at legal issues that may affect nurses, their practice and clinical decision-making.
