Dane: Does that include abuse that could have taken place outside of school hours and not on the school grounds? It`s reassuring to know that you`re not the only one who cares about your child`s well-being. If you suspect that something is happening to your child or one of his friends, you can certainly talk to his teacher about the situation. This can be helpful in getting a second opinion and learning what the teacher has observed. Just because your child`s teacher is a hired journalist and you aren`t doesn`t mean you can`t report child abuse. You know your child better and should always follow your instincts as a parent. If you even suspect something is wrong, don`t wait for a teacher or someone else to notice it too – do what you need to do to protect your child. School staff must report any suspected cases of child abuse involving a school staff member, contractor or volunteer to Victoria Police (call 000 or your local police station). School staff must also report internally: school staff have a number of legal obligations regarding the protection of children and young people from abuse. Child abuse and neglect occur far too often, and it is not reported far too often. Understanding who the journalists hired are and what their responsibilities are can help reduce under-reporting of child abuse. Willa: Well, as employees and contractors, our obligations to protect the children in our care from abuse are very high and they are set out in various pieces of legislation, including: If your report is classified as a protection intervention report and/or a therapeutic treatment report, it will be investigated by Child Protection. An investigation determines whether a child is in need of protection within the meaning of the law. An exam includes interviews with the child and parents.
A mandatory registrant who fails to comply with his or her reporting obligations may commit a criminal offence. If the court finds that the child is vulnerable and that an order is necessary to promote the child`s safety and development, it issues a protection order. When reporting to authorities, always call 911 if it is an emergency and a child is in imminent danger. For other less urgent situations, different States have different procedures. If you never know what to do, you can call the National Child Abuse Helpline at 1-800-422-4453 or read this document to find numbers you can call by state. Simply put, we would be breaching our duty of care if we had not acted as a reasonable or diligent professional would have acted in the same situation. Willa: Well, if we suspected that a child is being abused, reasonable measures would probably include the following: The regulation sets out the steps that schools must take to meet seven new child safety standards introduced in Victoria. The entire Protect program is designed to help schools meet these commitments.
Childhelp also provides comprehensive definitions and explanations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. According to these definitions, there are many acts or omissions that can be considered child abuse. Even if you`re not sure if what you`re experiencing is child abuse or not, it`s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting a child. If you make a mistake and take more care of the problem, no harm will be done. However, if you are right and decide not to investigate the problem, you could inadvertently expose a child to even more abuse. Superintendents and workplace managers can also access the Child Welfare Unit (staff only) for help and advice on meeting their mandatory child protection obligations. The Child Welfare Unit is located in the Ministry`s State Office and is staffed Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Failure to disclose the information may be a criminal offence unless you have a “reasonable excuse” or “exception” to it. The easiest way to comply with these obligations is to remember to follow the four critical actions whenever you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child has been abused or is at risk of being abused. Some states have laws that require the report to be prepared immediately. For a teacher, this means not waiting for the end of the school day or the next free time. It might even mean finding someone who covers a course and drops out to create the report. There are cases when immediate action needs to be taken while the child is still in school and before returning home for the day. The sooner a report is created, the sooner a child can be removed from a dangerous situation. For more information on government and non-government agencies working together to provide child protection and protection services, see the Inter-Agency Guidelines for Child Welfare and Child Protection and Child Protection.