If a child is not referred within the mandated number of days, records are destroyed. How many days is this timeframe?

• A. 10
• B. 7
• C. 14
• D. 5

Answer: (A)

Ten days. The statute sets a strict ten-day deadline to refer a child to the appropriate authority; if no referral happens within that period, the intake records are destroyed to protect the child’s privacy and avoid retaining records with no subsequent action. Shorter windows (like five or seven days) or a longer window (like fourteen days) do not align with this requirement, which is why ten days is the correct timeframe.