Abandoning or endangering a child – which action places a child younger than 15 in imminent danger by act or omission?

• A. Leaving a child alone in a safe place
• B. Having custody but intentionally abandoning the child to return later
• C. Engaging in conduct that places a child younger than 15 in imminent danger by act or omission
• D. Providing adequate food and shelter for the child

Answer: (C)

Imminent danger means an immediate threat to a child’s health or safety that could happen right away. Abandoning or endangering a child is defined by actions or failures to act that put a child younger than 15 at that immediate risk. The scenario that states engaging in conduct that places a child younger than 15 in imminent danger by act or omission fits this precisely, because it directly describes creating an immediate threat, whether you act or fail to act.

Leaving a child alone in a safe place isn’t automatically describing an immediate threat in the moment, and having custody but intentionally abandoning the child to return later suggests neglect but not necessarily an imminent danger stated in the moment. Providing adequate food and shelter clearly does not create danger.