Tamariki School

Tamariki School Abuse Recognition and Reporting Procedures

Tamariki School Abuse Recognition and Reporting Procedures

 
Tamariki School is committed to the care and protection of its students.
 
Staff
Staff must be receptive and sensitive to students so that students feel listened to and believed. Staff members are trained to consider overall wellbeing and risk of harm to the child, which includes recognising the definitions and symptoms of neglect, and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children. It is normal for staff to feel uncertain. The important thing is that they can recognise when something is wrong, especially if they notice a pattern, or several signs that make them concerned. Staff should feel empowered to act on suspected abuse and neglect, even when the patterns of symptoms are subtle, while avoiding adhering to stereotypes and making assumptions.
 
Staff will be familiarised with child protection policies and procedures, and abuse recognition and reporting procedures as part of the school’s Professional Development.
 
If the concern involves a staff member and child, see also Complaints and Protected Disclosure.
 
Students
Students should know what to do and who to talk to if they are being harmed, feel uncomfortable, or want to disclose abuse.
 
The Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989, defines child abuse as the harming (whether physically, emotionally or sexually), ill-treatment, abuse, neglect or deprivation of any child or young person.
 
Unless the information was disclosed or supplied in bad faith, the person making the disclosure cannot be prosecuted.
 
Acting on concerns
If a concern about a child doesn't amount to a suspicion of abuse or neglect, the school may choose to involve, and work with, community social service providers to identify and address the needs of the child.
 
If a concern does amount to a suspicion of abuse or neglect see below.
 
Responding to a child
If you believe a student is being abused, act immediately to ensure their safety.Inform the principal and agree on an appropriate course of action, in a timely manner.Listen to the student and reassure them, but do not make any promises or commitments that cannot be kept.
 
Ensure that any information or disclosures made by the student are written down.
Ask open-ended questions. Do not formally interview the student. Only obtain necessary and relevant facts. Record word-for-word what the student says. Include the date, time, and who was present, in any written notes.
 
Ensure the student is supported and that there is a responsible adult at the school who is available to the student throughout the investigation, and afterwards.
 
Reporting concerns
As above, inform the principal and agree on an appropriate course of action, in a timely manner.
Any person can make a direct referral to the Police, or the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki, if they believe a child is being abused.
 
Make a referral to the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki:
for an urgent referral, call the Contact Centre 0508 EDASSIST (0508 332 774), or the Police.
 
for a non-urgent referral, follow the process on the Children's Teams section of the website.
 
After making the referral, get support for yourself from appropriate persons, if needed.
 
Deciding when and who will inform the parent(s) and/or caregiver should be determined by the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki and police, in consultation with the school.
 
Advise the board.
 
Storing information
Securely store records documenting concerns, conversations, advice received, actions taken (including rationale), and any warnings issued. Keep this concern with any other concerns as records help identify patterns.
 
Refer to the http://www.nzsta.org.nz/media/1259/reporting-of-suspect.pdf
Legislation
Vulnerable Children Act 2014
 
Resources
Child Matters
Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki – Contact Us
New Zealand Police – Keeping Ourselves Safe
 
This page was last modified on: 10 Nov 2017 19:47:11