NABMSE
Child Protection Issues and Concerns
Patricia Shanahan, National Co-ordinator, CAPP
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Categories of Abuse
Neglect
Emotional
• Circumstantial
• Wilful
• Significant
Harm
• Relationship
• Domestic
Violence
Physical
Sexual
Bullying and Peer Abuse
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
• Non-Accidental
Injury
• Failure to Protect
• Non-contact
• Contact
Why children become victims /
don’t tell
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Lack of knowledge about normal behaviour
Don’t know they have a right to refuse
Don’t know how to respond
No sense of being in control
Can be easily tricked, bribed or threatened
Language / Communication
Guilt / Fear
Try to tell
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Remember, child abuse…….
• … can occur in any type of family
• … occurs outside families but usually
perpetrated by an adult well known to child
• … perpetrated by adults in trusted positions
• … most frequently occurring and reported
form is neglect
Children with special needs are more
vulnerable to abuse
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Children with Special Educational Needs
•The usual risk factors for child abuse such as
dependence, vulnerability and family stress are
intensified.
•3 / 7 times more likely to become victims of sexual abuse
•Underreporting is a major concern due to communication
issues, fears and negative myths about disabilities.
•‘Abuse prevention for adolescents with learning difficulties is
made more complex by the need to ensure that these young
people are enabled to develop an awareness of their own
sexuality’ CAWT programme
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Once in August Long Ago
‘He has cauliflower ears now from a beating he
was given by someone who was never formally
identified for us. I photographed the weals
(dark smudged blue, and red and yellow) that
ran in shocking diagonals across his back. I
found them by accident on a Sunday morning
when I was undressing him at home to give him
a bath.
I couldn’t help weeping.
…I became consumed with rage, ………I wanted
to hold Liam, cuddle him, comfort him, this
man-child standing there in the bath mute and
uncomprehending.’
Liam Nolan
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
What are the messages?
Child has little or no sense of their rights
Don’t understand that its wrong
No Voice – Can’t/ Don’t express feelings
Responsibility to report
Fear of Parents / Carers
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Special Needs
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Poor communication skills
Greater Dependency
Limited sense of danger
Need for intimate care
Need for attention, friendship or
affection
• Poor self-confidence and limited assertiveness
• Fear of not being believed
• Limited understanding of sexuality or sexual
behaviour
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
The School and Child Protection
‘Management arrangements within primary and post-
primary schools should provide for the following:
(i)
the planning, development and implementation of an
effective child protection programme;
(ii) continuous monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness
of such provision;
(iii) The effective implementation of agreed reporting
procedures;
(iv) the planning and implementation of appropriate staff
development and training programmes.”
Children First, Chapter 6, p 51
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
9
School Policy on Child Protection
•Prevention
•Procedures
•Practice
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Prevention – Personal Safety Education
Children need personal
safety skills to help them to
respond safely to a
dangerous, upsetting or
abusive situation before it
becomes serious
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Prevention – Personal Safety Education
Effective Education: School and Home Involvement
School:- Social, Personal and Health Education / Life Skills
Research on teaching Stay Safe to Children with Learning
Disability
Parent Information / Education
Resources in Use
- Stay Safe – Mainstream and Special Ed. Programme
- CAWT - Protecting Children with Disabilities
from Abuse
- CAWT – ‘Stay Safe’ and ‘Relationships’ toolkits to assist
adults with learning disability
- Classwork needs to be supplemented by learning support and
resource teachers, e.g. oral language, vocabulary development
and communication work
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Aims of Child Abuse Prevention
• Prevent child abuse
• Facilitate early disclosure
• Promote positive self- esteem
• Teach adults about signs and
symptoms of abuse
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Children need to learn:
•to anticipate potentially dangerous situations and
make sensible choices
•to recognise inappropriate behaviour in relation to
private body parts and to know how to get help
•it is never their fault when they are ‘touched
inappropriately
•The importance of telling even when touch involves an
adult they know
•Inappropriate touch should never be kept secret
•How to tell, particularly in difficult situations
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Reality is that many children with special needs
cannot learn / internalise the self-protective
skills
Care Role puts staff in special position in
relation to the student – greater responsibility
Child Protection is everyone’s business
Developing good practice – protection of child
and staff member
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
BEST PRACTICE in child protection
is about schools identifying areas of
practice that need to be addressed
to ensure that children and staff are
protected.
IT IS IMPORTANT that school staff be given an
opportunity to identify and agree practices to be
adopted. All practices should be brought before the
BOM for ratification.
Where necessary, a written protocol outlining agreed
practices (e.g toileting, changing for games/swimming
etc.) should be included in the school’s Child
Protection Policy document.
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Best Practice in Child Protection
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Recruitment and selection of staff
Physical contact - use of control and physical restraint.
Intimate Care and Toileting
Changing for Games / PE and Swimming
Supervision of Pupils
Visitors/guest speakers
One–to-one teaching:
Collection of pupils
Boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate
behaviour in adults
Concerns with regard to the behaviour of a staff
member
Never do for a child anything of a personal nature that the child
can do for themselves
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Best Practice in Child Protection
School personnel should never engage in or allow:• Physical punishment of any kind
• Sexually provocative games or sexually suggestive
comments about or to a child
• The use of inappropriate language or behaviour
• Allegations made by a child go unreported to the
DLP
• The use of inappropriate media products and
activities – CDS, DVDs, computer software,
sexually explicit or pornographic material etc
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Procedures - Child Protection
Guidelines
The guidelines apply to
everyone working with
children, whether in a
voluntary or paid
capacity
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Legal Framework
• Child Care Act, 1991
• UN Convention on the rights of the Child, 1992
• Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act, 1998
• Qualified Privilege
• Freedom of Information Acts, 1997 & 2003
• The Data Protection Acts, 1998 & 2003
• Non- Fatal Offences against the Person Act, 1997
• The Education Act, 1998
• Education (Welfare) Act, 2000
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Responsibilities Vs Legalities
‘There is a moral obligation on any
organisation involved with children to
provide them with the highest possible
standard of care in order to promote their
well-being and safeguard them from harm.’
‘Organisations may also be legally
responsible for their failure to provide
adequate care and safeguards for the
children in their care.’
(Children First)
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Key Issues for Boards of Management
• Staff are well placed to identify abuse and offer
support
• The school is an agent of referral and not of
investigation.
• Appointment of a Designated Liaison Person (DLP)
and a Deputy DLP
• Confidentiality - ‘Need to Know’
Confidentiality must be maintained and information relating to individual
pupils/families shared with staff and BOM on a strictly need to know basis.
• Record Keeping
Maintaining Records – Individual and Official
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Key Issues for Boards of Management
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Reporting Concerns / Disclosures
All staff, both teaching and support should be are aware of:- Signs and symptoms of abuse
Slide 23
- Know the correct procedure for reporting concerns or allegations
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Dealing with a decision not to make a report
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Allegations against Staff - Key Considerations
Two procedures to be followed
Role of DLP
Role of Chairperson
Special Board Meeting
Investigations
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Provision of Training / Disseminating Information
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Support of Staff
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Slide 25
Procedures for the Reporting
of Child Abuse
•Reasonable Cause for Concern
Staff Member
•Direct Disclosure
Designated Liaison Person
i)
HSE
Advice – child not identified
ii) Refer on
Parent / Guardian
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Chairperson
Health Board Response to Referrals
A school that has made a referral is entitled to know
how the case is progressing or the outcome of the case.
Substitute cover is provided by the DES for a teacher
requested to attend a Child Protection Conference
A recent review of child and family services for the
year 2005 found the HSE are not able to respond
adequately to hundreds of cases of children at risk of
abuse or neglect due to staff shortages and underresourcing of social work teams
•
Slide 22
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Key Points
Prevention:
Full Implementation of the Stay Safe Programme
Informing / Involving Parents
Procedures:
Adoption of the DES Guidelines
Designate a DLP and Deputy DLP
Address Record Keeping
Practices:
Staff Identify and Agree Best Practice
BOM ratify and sanction
Training of Staff and Dissemination of Information
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Enabling Children to
Be Safe and to Stay Safe
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Child Abuse Prevention Programme
Bridge House,
Cherry Orchard Hospital,
Dublin 10
Tel: 01 6206347
National Co-ordinator: Patricia Shanahan
087-2998575
©Child Abuse Prevention Programme