Rationale:
All children have a right to feel safe and to be safe. As teachers, we have a legal and moral responsibility to respond to serious incidences involving abuse and neglect of the children with whom we have contact, and to report instances that we believe involve physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect.
Aim:
To ensure that childrens’ rights to be safe are maintained and each child is protected against physical and sexual abuse, and neglect.
Implementation:
All members of the Teaching Service are mandated by law to report signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, and neglect.
New staff will be informed of mandatory reporting responsibilities and procedures as part of their induction procedure.
Staff will be reminded of mandatory responsibilities annually.
All concerns must be reported immediately to the Principal, or in his/her absence, the Assistant Principal.
The Principal will keep a record of all discussions about a student with whom there is a concern.
If a belief has been formed by a staff member that sexual or physical abuse has taken place a “Mandatory Reporting Information Sheet available from the Principal must be completed and filed in the Principal’s office.
The teacher and/or the Principal class officer will contact the Department of Human Services by telephone as soon as possible to make an official notification on:
1300 555 526 or after school hours crisis line 131278
Members of the Department of Human Services, or associated support or intervention services that visit the school following a notification, will interview staff and children only in the presence of a Principal class member or his/her nominee.
All Mandatory Reporting Information Sheets” remain filed in the Principal’s office.
All reports, information sheets and subsequent discussions and information are to be recorded and remain strictly confidential.
All incidents to be monitored, and any subsequent signs or indications of abuse are also to be reported.
While only mandated by law to report incidents of physical and sexual abuse, and neglect; teachers are also encouraged to report incidents of emotional abuse or neglect.
Evaluation:
This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.
This policy was last ratified by School Council in.... October 2008
