Child Protection: A Comprehensive Approach

I recently returned from the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) conference in South Africa where student safety and child protection were a main focus, especially in light of several recent high profile child abuse cases. When we at Middle States evaluate schools for accreditation, our areas of focus include school safety and the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of students. With that in mind, I want to share with you this article by Clearpath EPM, that shares best practices for how to protect students from harm.  –Kelly Christian, Director of Operations

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A fundamental responsibility of all schools is to safeguard its students. Doing this successfully requires a firm commitment from school leaders and all other school stakeholders. Without commitment, safety, security, and emergency preparedness will be viewed by many as inconvenient and disruptive. In addition to the commitment to protecting students, schools must come to grips with the realistic threats and hazards they face. Each school environment is unique; so knowing and understanding specific threats and hazards is the first step to a comprehensive student protection program.

One threat that all schools face, regardless of location, size of student population, or even level of commitment to student protection, is that of the sexual predator.

Understanding the predator’s modus operandi is central to building an effective Child Protection Program. Child Protection is the term often cited for school protection strategies designed to defend or mitigate against the threat of the sexual predator. This is not a pleasant topic, but it’s critical to gain insight into how predators view schools as environments rife with accessibility.

Social scientists tell us there are two different types of child offenders, typically categorized as situational or preferential. The situational predator is often one who can be impulsive, seeks targets of opportunity, and because they can be sexually indiscriminate, may go after boys or girls. Some examples of a situational predator operating in a school environment could be the “stranger lurking” outside of the campus or a temporary contractor working on campus, both waiting for the opportunity to approach an unaccompanied student.

The preferential offender, on the other hand, is often a master manipulator and may lay in wait for a particularly vulnerable child who can be groomed (either in person or online) and manipulated prior to engaging in abuse. This predator is typically more intelligent and compulsive. In a school environment this could be a teacher, an administrator, a chaperone on an off-campus trip, or even a parent.

Once schools accept the fact that they all face the potential threat from predators, and understand this threat can be digital or physical, then they can develop comprehensive solutions to prevent or mitigate the threat. Since neither the situational or preferential child sex offender is easy to spot or identify, any comprehensive Child Protection Program must begin with vigilance.

Continuous vigilance remains key to any school’s comprehensive Child Protection Program. Other suggested components include:

Even though schools may have a proactive Child Protection Program they should also be prepared to handle allegations of abuse should they arise. Establishing and maintaining policies and procedures for reporting suspicions and anomalies regarding inappropriate or unsuitable behavior will also be required. These include a prompt response, investigation and the archived documentation of incidents and reports. Initiating and maintaining a relationship with the responsible local authorities before an incident is also critically important. In order to be prepared, these policies and procedures must be widely known and well-rehearsed by responsible staff and administrators before an incident occurs. For those in countries without law enforcement trained in these kinds of investigations, schools should consider having on retainer an expert or team with a strong law enforcement background who could be contacted at short notice, liaise with local law enforcement, and attempt a fair and impartial inquiry.

The above suggestions are just part of what is needed for a Child Protection Program – each alone is insufficient. The best defense is to embrace an integrated and comprehensive preparedness, safety, and security program.

Keeping students safe and secure – from a multitude of threats and hazards – is not an easy endeavor but should remain a top school priority so that educating children remains the focus of schools instead of tragedies, litigation, and criminal probes.

Francey Hakes — Bruce Mills — Patricia Handly
www.clearpathepm.com

Authors’ note: The Clearpath EPM Team will continue to periodically publish articles that address various comprehensive student protection solutions.

Clearpath EPM provides advice, training and products to enhance student protection worldwide.