The World of Teachers: Child Protection - Term Paper Example

Introduction The Australian government has been keen on protecting the rights of children, which led to the development of the National Safe SchoolsFramework (NSSF), which is geared towards ensuring that all schools in the country are capable of offering children appropriate protection. This approach is significant in sensitizing schools and the communities where the students come from, regarding effective ways of dealing with problems associated with child molestation, aggravation, cruelty and neglect. The NSSF focuses on promoting a shared vision that aims at enhancing the safety of children (Rigby 2005). The behavior of students is largely influenced by the community from which they come from. It is important to understand the connection between the students and their cultural background, which is among the factors that influence student behavior. To accomplish this understanding, communities need to be involved in developing strategies regarding child protection, which are important in promoting diversity in schools as well as a supportive environment for learning. Schools have been brought into the child protection landscape. This essay is a critique of the factors that have contributed to this development. It presents the school as an institution where children spend most of their life time. Teachers are described as the most appropriate professionals to identify the needs of children since they have the necessary skills that enable them to associate effectively with students. Schools have also been highlighted as significant institutions through which the government can channel resources for child protection. The essay also describes the key elements of good practice whereby guidelines for protection of children are viewed to be significant. Professional training of teachers regarding child protection has been highlighted as a significant element amongst others. The value of a whole school approach has also been discussed. Child Protection in Schools The fact that students spend less time with their parents than they do in schools justifies the integration of child protection in learning institutions. The teachers have regular contact with students and therefore they are in a position to learn the needs of students than parents can. This is one of the factors that generated the interest of incorporating child protection in schools (Chris 2007). There is also a possibility of child abuse in school by people who are directly involved in the student’s life, such as other students, teachers as well as subordinate staff. Incorporating child protection in school has been significant in restraining such kind of abuse due to the presence of guidelines regarding handling of children. With the increasing cases of child molestation, schools are playing a significant role in ensuring child safety. They are significant in ensuring that children are presented with a safe learning environment in order to enhance performance. This is one factor that has made it necessary to involve the schools in child protection. When students are attended to as a group in school, it is usually easy for the teachers to monitor their behavior and understand their needs, to offer an all inclusive solution, since most of them behave in a similar way. Understanding the special needs for individuals is easy since there is an opportunity for comparing students’ behaviors. Situations are rare where large groups of children can be attended to in regard to protection the way teachers do. Incorporating child protection in schools is therefore an important move in the enhancement of the well being of children (Clark 1997). The professional training of teachers in regard to dealing with the needs of students is significant in providing child protection in schools. This makes schools appropriate for child protection, and the government can be assured that children are protected from abuse. Schools are also strong institutions through which the government can channel resources effectively for child protection. Elements of Good Practice In order for child protection to be achieved, it is important to ensure that certain elements of good practice are present. For example, policy development in regard to child protection as well as programs and actions to undertake to accomplish the objectives of child protection are significant in accomplishing the overall goal of maintaining the students’ well being. It is important for school authorities to ensure that clear guidelines are put in place indicating the actions that should be undertaken concerning cases where there is alleged molestation of children. All sorts of child abuse are supposed to be addressed, including those that originate from teachers. These guidelines should be understood by all teachers and should be available for reference purposes. The measures to be undertaken in order to prevent occurrence of such problems as well as ensuring that they do not recur should be clear to everyone (Hobart et al 2005). These procedures and actions should be consistent with the policies of NSSF regarding the maintenance of the well being of children. To accomplish the management of child abuse and unfair treatment, it is important to have in place one person to oversee the implementation of procedures for child protection in the school. This should possibly be a senior member of staff who is capable of coordinating such activities. The person should be capable of establishing links with important stakeholders and agencies that can make significant contribution to the implementation of activities concerning child protection. He should also be responsible for organizing staff training in order to equip them with essential knowledge in regard to child protection. This is important in ensuring that all aspects of child abuse are put in to consideration. The existence of such a position in schools presents the students with a particular office where they can report cases of abuse (Clark 1997). The appointment of members of staff to coordinate child protection activities should be done carefully in order to ensure that they are qualified to deal with such responsibilities. They need to be given the necessary support that will help them to maintain competence while working as agents of change. The change process needs to be facilitated by the cooperation of parents to ensure that it is sustainable. This can be accomplished in schools, which provide an opportunity for parents, teachers and other stakeholders to exchange ideas regarding child protection (McMillan and Schumacher 2009). The ideals, philosophy, customs, organization and student wellbeing are important for good practice to be accomplished. The school’s organizational culture is important since it determines the ability of the educators to protect the children. A culture that is not well formed may not present a favorable learning environment. School administrators need to understand the need for professional development amongst teachers. This is important in the accomplishment of child protection. More over, it is important for community stakeholders to be trained on skills to handle issues regarding child protection, which may help in maintenance of a useful collaboration of informed community members and teachers that facilitates an effective change process which is significant in child protection (David 2005). Parents are important in all developments concerning the well being of their children (Hobart et al 2005; Clark 1997). It is therefore important to ensure that they are aware of the measures being undertaken in schools for child protection. The school is obligated to inform parents concerning the policies it has for child protection. Students also need to be involved in developing strategies regarding protection of their rights. They also need to be supported so that they can gain the courage to express their views regarding It is also important for schools to make reference to the government’s policies in order to ensure that their child protection policies are consistent with those of the government. Records need to be kept in order to keep track of the occurrence and nature of child molestation. This can help in determining the causes; hence the development of preventive measures can be accomplished. Records indicate the intensity of abuse and the manner in which the problem was solved (Lindon 2003). Child protection agencies, the government as well as the person in charge of child protection in the school can use the records to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures and actions stipulated for dealing with child molesters. There are cases whereby child abuse has been noted to be of high intensity such that the child in some instances may become traumatized and may require counseling. It is therefore good practice for the school authorities to ensure that apart from the person in charge of child protection, there is also a qualified person who is capable of offering guidance and counseling to the children who have encountered severe abuse. The school should also ensure that some members of staff attend conferences concerned with child protection (Lindon 2003). This is important in order for them to acquire knowledge that can be shared among the teaching fraternity. There usually arise changes in child protection depending on the changing social environment. Good practices for child protection therefore should allow flexibility in regard to the child protection policies. This allows constant reviews on the policies in order to ensure that they cover as many aspects of child protection as possible. Training on staff protection should be provided for both the teachers as well as the subordinate staff. They should be updated every time when there happens to be a change in the child protection policies. This is significant in ensuring that any new developments are understood by every person involved in child protection. According to David (2005), training for the teachers and subordinates should be conducted after 3 years while the people in charge of child protection should be trained within a shorter period, probably after 2 years. The social environment of schools largely affects the success of child protection. It is therefore important to ensure that the organizational culture presents a favorable environment for the children as well as the activities that are aimed at protection of children. The school authorities should promote values, philosophies and structures that enhance children’s well being. Values such as those concerned with gender balance, respect for all and others that uphold moral behaviors should be adopted. Students should be supported in order t improve their well being. Schools should also establish close relationships with parents in regard to child protection. They can help in providing essential information concerning their children, which according to Chris (2007) is significant in helping the teacher to understand them; hence they can be able to offer essential support. Value of a Whole School Approach The whole school approach is likely to be more effective than dealing with individual issue intervention. This is a strategy that incorporates all those who belong to the school community. Learners, teachers, guardians, and the people living around the school are involved when the whole school approach is applied. They are part of the social environment that is an important source of learning for the students on top of the official curriculum for schools. They influence the day to day experience of students in schools. Students are involved due to the fact that each individual student in a way affects the life of another. The whole school approach is important in ensuring that students are observed and advised while maintenance of their well being is delegated to mature people who are experienced enough to offer sound advice (Fane 1985). This generates knowledge amongst the students and also makes it possible for them to be in charge of their own lives as well as offer essential assistance to fellow students. Guardians and community members are significant partners in child protection. The whole school approach is important in promotion of a shared vision amongst all participants in the process, which is significant in offering essential knowledge and sustainable child protection. Clark (1997) observes that it generates a feeling of possession amongst all the stakeholders in child protection. The use of a single approach may not be effective in dealing with all the risks that children may be exposed to. To ensure that the school environment is accommodating, an organized whole school approach is significant in combining the most appropriate policies and approaches and practices for addressing issues of child abuse in a comprehensive way. The implications of the government’s policy are that teachers are extensively involved in regarding child protection. Schools have according to Chris (2007) been identified as places with a high possibility of child abuse. On the other hand, they are also regarded as potential areas where child protection can be accomplished. The incorporation of child protection as part of the teachers’ duties was a major step towards achieving collective child protection procedures. Their position in regard to their regular contact with students increases their potential for the identification, disclosure and establishing remedial measures for child molestation. They are also in charge of offering essential knowledge to the students in regard to defensive actions in regard to child abuse. They have a legal obligation in ensuring the well being of children. Schools are required through legislation to set up policies for child protection, which should be consistent with government policies. This means that the government offers guidelines for the development of a child protection framework in schools. The schools are required to assert the right to safety for all the members of the school population. They are supposed to uphold care, values, collaboration as well as diverse social settings while carrying out the child protection programs. The policies enhance learning through promotion of a favorable environment whereby students feel secure (David 2005; Fane 1985). Community members assist the teachers in child protection through the whole school approach thereby making it possible for them to concentrate on teaching, which is important in improving the performance of students Conclusion Schools are at the core of child protection especially due to the fact that children spend most of their time in schools than they spend with parents. The elements of good practice are important in enhancing the accomplishment of child protection goals. The whole school approach is an integrated strategy that is significant in enhancing collaboration amongst teachers, parents, students as well as community members. It is likely to be more successful than a single based intervention whereby only one group is targeted depending on the nature of child abuse. The policies concerned with child protection have several positive implications on teaching. When students feel secure at school, they are capable of performing better than under circumstances whereby they do not feel protected. Bibliography 1. Chris B. (2007). Child Protection; an Introduction, Sage Publications. 2. Clark, T. E. (1997). Designing and Implementing an Integrated Curriculum: A Student-Centered Approach, Holistic Education Press. 3. David H. (2005). Child Abuse and Neglect: Attachment Development & Intervention, Palgrave Macmillan. 4. Fane, G. (1985), Education Policy in Australia, Economic Planning and Advisory Council, Canberra, EPAC Discussion Paper 85/08. 5. Fare, R., Grosskopf, S. & Weber, W. (1989), Measuring school district performance, Public Finance Quarterly vol. 17, pp.409-28. 6. Hanushek, E. A. (1981), Throwing money at schools, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management vol. 1, pp.19-41. 7. Hobart C., Frankel J. and Walker M. (2005). Good Practice in Child Protection 2nd Edition, Nelson Thornes. 8. Lindon J. (2003). Child Protection, Hodder Arnold. 9. McMillan J. and Schumacher S. (2009). Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, Pearson Education. 10. Rigby K. (2005). Bullying in schools and the National Safe Schools Framework. Teacher: The National Education Magazine, Vol. 6(1) pp 20–22 Read More