Responding to Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care (RAN-EC)

1. Responding to Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care (RAN-EC) Welcome to the volunteers face-to-face course.

3. Welcome to our volunteers Thank you for volunteering You play an important role in the education and wellbeing of South Australian children and young people. Your volunteer work makes a real difference. This course will help you understand your child protection role as a volunteer in education and care.

4. Who this course is for • The course is specifically for volunteers with: • the Department for Education (South Australia) • Catholic Education South Australia • Association of Independent Schools of South Australia

5. Course aims • By the end of the course, you should understand: • how you can help keep children and young people safe • ways to recognise abuse and neglect • how to respond to suspicions of abuse and neglect • why it’s important to create positive, caring and respectful relationships with children and young people • appropriate boundaries in your role with children and young people.

6. Think about your wellbeing This course covers some sensitive issues. It can be challenging. Remember: If you discuss examples in this course, talk about individuals anonymously (children or adults). The topic of abuse and neglect can raise difficult emotions for many people –this is normal. You need to look after yourself.

7. Child protection – we all have a role to play

8. Playing our part Lesley Taylor from the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) talks about how we can all play a part in the protection of children.

9. The important role you play As a volunteer you might be the first person a child talks to about abuse – or you could observe that a child has been harmed. This is due to the nature of volunteering. The role is often in a more relaxed setting.

10. Provide a safe environment • Our education and care sites provide children and young people with a safe, respectful and engaging place. • We do this in South Australia when we: • make sure relevant screening checks are in place for staff and volunteers • train people to understand their mandated notification responsibilities (for example, this course) • keep a close connection with families and carers • follow guidelines, frameworks and policies that guide our work with children and young people.

11. The protective practices guidelines • One of the guidelines we use is ‘protective practices’. These guidelines: • provideadvice to adults about creating positive, caring and respectful relationships with children and young people • safeguard the emotional and physical wellbeing of children and young people by promoting a better understanding of appropriate professional boundaries.

12. Professional boundaries • All staff and volunteers are expected to maintain professional boundaries and be responsible and respectful when they volunteer with children. • Some of the key boundaries are covered here. • Communication boundaries • Personal disclosure • Physical contact • Place • Targeting individual children • Role and electronic equipment • Possessions • Digital/electronic

13. Communication boundaries • To maintain communication boundaries, you should not: • comment inappropriately on a young person’s appearance, including excessive flattering comments • vilify or humiliate • use sexual innuendo or jokes • facilitate or permit access to sexual or pornographic material • introduce secrets • correspond with a child in a personal nature via any medium that is unrelated to your role • communicate with a child on a personal device.

14. Personal disclosure • It’s important that you do not discuss: • your personal lifestyle • details or opinions of yourself, other staff or children unless it is directly relevant to the learning topic and with the individual’s consent.

15. Physical contact • To maintain physical boundaries, you should: • avoid unwarranted or unwanted touching of a child, including touching with objects, for example a ruler or pencil • never use corporal punishment, for example physical discipline or smacking • not initiate, permit or request inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact with a child (for example massaging, kissing and tickling games) or create situations which unnecessarily result in close physical contact with a child • not physically restrain a child - always seek support from staff.

16. Place You must not invite, allow or encourage a child to come to your home.

17. Place – other boundaries • In your role as a volunteer, you must not: • attend children’s homes or their social gatherings* • be alone with a child, if it is not an agreed part of your responsibilities • enter change rooms or toilets occupied by children when supervision is not required or appropriate • transport a child unaccompanied* • use toilet facilities or undressing facilities allocated to children. • Note: * without the site leader’s authority.

18. Targeting individual children • Do not: • tutor (outside of your role) • give personal gifts or special favours • single out the same child for special duties or responsibilities • offer overnight, weekend, or holiday care for a child as respite for parents • provide babysitting (outside of your role) • give money.

19. Role and electronic equipment • It’s important you do not: • adopt an ongoing welfare role that is beyond the scope of your position or that is the responsibility of another staff member or volunteer and that happens without the permission of senior staff • photograph, audio record or film children or young people via any medium –this is not appropriate unless authorised by the site leader and with the required parent consent • use personal equipment, instead of school equipment for approved activities, unless authorised by the site leader to do so.

20. Possessions • It’s important that you do not: • correspond or communicate, including online or by post, with children in a way that crosses professional boundaries • keep photos, video or audio recordings of children on your personal devices (for example, your mobile phone), or in your car or home, unless authorised by the site leader. • If you do have these types of possessions, share them with the site leader and talk about what to do.

21. Digital / electronic • We all need to make sure we do not: • use personal email, social media or online presence in an inappropriate way, even if it’s not to do with your role • allow children access to your personal presence online (for example social networking sites) • upload or publish still or moving images or audio recordings of children to any location, without parental and site leader’s consent • have any correspondence of a personal nature via social media, internet postings • film or record a child for the use of behaviour training / modification (without the site leader’s authority)

22. If you have concerns about an adult’s behaviour All staff and volunteers are expected to maintain professional boundaries and to behave responsibly and be respectful to children. If you come across anyone acting inappropriately you are expected to let the nominated site leader know. This needs to happen no matter what position or authority the person has at the site – teacher, principal, grounds person, canteen worker, student on a placement – anyone.

23. Concerns about a child’s behaviour with other children If you have concerns about a child who is acting inappropriately with another child, you need to let the nominated site leader know. They can help you decide if a mandatory notification needs to be made. We’ll go over mandatory notifications later in the course.

24. Recognising abuse and neglect

25. What is abuse and neglect? • Abuse and neglect are actions that cause harm to children. • The legal meaning of ‘harm’ is explained in the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. These meanings define when child protection can take action. • 17 (1) …a reference to harm will be taken to be a reference to physical harm or psychological harm … includes such harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect.

26. General definitions of abuse and neglect • In general, child abuse or neglect is categorised in 4 ways. • Physical abuse • Sexual abuse • Emotional abuse • Neglect

27. How do I know a child is doing okay? • When volunteering with children and young people, you would expect to see them: • happy • healthy • socialising normally with adults and peers • doing what is expected of them developmentally • attending regularly.

28. Signs that something is wrong If children are not generally and regularly showing the signs we just covered, it might mean something is wrong. It could be a minor or a major problem but the important point is that staff at the site are aware, so that action can be taken. When you discuss your concerns about individual children with the nominated site leader, you play an important role. You help make sure appropriate action is taken at the right time.

29. What does an offender look like? • Many children are harmed by people they know. No-one truly knows what an offender looks like. • They might be: • highly respected by their community or co-workers • in positions of authority or power • well-liked by children or parents.

30. What might make a child more vulnerable? • Sometimes the situation of parents/caregivers can make a child more vulnerable, these include: • significant alcohol or other substance abuse • mental health problems • intellectual disability • social isolation • being a victim of abuse, neglect or family violence • extreme poverty • housing and physical environment • severe trauma.

31. Children more at risk • Some children are particularly at risk of harm. For example: • age – too young to tell anyone, the younger a child is the more vulnerable they are • disability – particularly an intellectual disability • in care – often referred to as children under guardianship • emotionally deprived – already abused or neglected children • isolated and disadvantaged – for example refugees, new arrivals, non-English speakers, remote communities and international exchange students.

32. Recognising indicators of abuse and neglect • Here are some possible indicators of abuse and neglect. • These indicators have been identified over time by child protection experts. • Behavioural • Physical • Parent/carer behaviour

33. Behavioural • Possible behavioural indicators of children experiencing abuse, neglect or family violence • Some examples, that should be used as a guide only, are: • difficulty in understanding the feelings of others • trusting too much and allowing themselves to be exploited • low self-esteem • running away • suicidal thoughts • bullying and aggression, and • unusually fearful of having nappy changed.

34. Physical • Possible indicators of physical abuse • Some examples, that should be used as a guide only, are: • bruising, burns, scalds, lacerations, abrasions, fractures and broken bones • eating disorders • delay in physical development • unexplained failure to thrive • medical conditions related to poor hygiene • consistently dirty/unwashed, and • unattended physical conditions or illnesses.

35. Parent/carer behaviour • Possible parent/carer behaviours as indicators. • Some examples, that should be used as a guide only, are: • using corporal punishment • appearing unconcerned about the child’s condition/situation • belittling the child • delaying seeking medical help or advice • favouring other children in the family • family violence • isolating their child from social and peer activities, and • offering illogical accounts of injuries.

36. Responding to abuse and neglect

37. When a child shares personal information • Sometimes children use opportunities that arise in an education and care setting to share personal information. • Ifabuse or neglect is disclosed, or you suspect that a conversation will lead to this, it’s important to be aware of: • your own emotional reaction • the impact your verbal and non-verbal reaction can have on the child. • Listen respectfully, show you care and allow them time.

38. Your response matters If you suspect that abuse is being disclosed, it is not your role to investigate. This means you do not ask leading questions. You do not interview other people to check what you suspect or what you have been told. Respect the sensitivity and confidentiality of the information you have been told.

39. Using open questions • Using open questions is a gentle and respectful approach that protects the child’s emotions and prevents you from influencing what they want to say. • Open questions: • invite information and allow a child to say only what they want to say • keep the conversation open • are rarely answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

40. Using open questions and examples Here are some examples of leading and open questions.

41. How to respond • Do • believe the child • listen with care, and only ask open questions • respect the enormity of what is being shared with you • make sure privacy is respected • be patient, don’t rush them or yourself • write down what you’ve been told once you have left the child • speak with the nominated site leader to help decide the next actions • look after yourself

42. How to respond • Don’t • act scared or shocked • doubt the child (question the validity of their story) • threaten to harm or punish the perpetrator • promise that you will keep it a secret • promise that everything will be fine • investigate further by asking leading questions or interviewing others • leave the child alone or let them leave the site if you are worried about their immediate safety

43. What a child might be feeling • A child might experience a range of emotions when disclosing abuse or neglect. • Guilt • Shame • Confusion • Fear

44. What if the child asks you not to tell anyone else? You must not promise that you will keep it a secret. You have a legal and ethical responsibility to act. Remember, you’re not their counsellor – other people have that role.

45. What if I need help with the conversation? • If you think you can’t handle the conversation, it is best if you can manage your emotions for the sake of the child. • Try to stay calm and consider saying: • ‘Thank you for starting to tell me this –I think it’s going to really help us if I get someone to join us so we can hear what you want to say. Together we might know the best way to help. Is there a staff person who you would feel comfortable with joining us?’

46. Information sharing Sometimes our staff need to involve other professionals outside of the site when things are going wrong for a child or their family. The South Australian government uses the information sharing guidelines to do this. These guidelines help us to share the right information at the right time. Your role is to make sure the nominated site leader is well informed. Working together, we can help to protect a child at risk of harm. The site leader is responsible for following the guidelines.

47. Making a mandatory notification

48. Your legal obligation As a volunteer working with children you are mandated to report any suspicion on reasonable groundsof abuse and/or neglect formed in the course of your volunteering. This obligation is outlined in Section 30 and 31 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.

49. Mandated notifiers If you suspect on reasonable grounds a child is being abused or neglected you must make a mandatory notification. Talk with your nominated site leader. They will listen to your concerns and advise you about what to do next. If the nominated site leader isn’t available, you must seek out another leader at the site. As a volunteer, you’re supported by professionals at the site to meet your responsibilities as a mandated notifier.

50. What are reasonable grounds? There must be reasonable grounds for reporting abuse and neglect. If there are reasonable grounds, you must make a report. Here are a few examples of reasonable grounds.