Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (M. A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Child sexual abuse is a social and health issue that occurs across cultures globally. The central concern to it is disclosure. Children and their caregivers do not easily disclose or report child sexual abuse due to a variety of influences. This study was qualitative in nature and its aim was to explore the influence of socio-cultural practices amongst the Venda speaking people towards the disclosure of child sexual abuse. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants who possess intensive knowledge of Venda culture. Data was collected from fifteen (15) participants through the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews which were guided by an interview schedule with open ended questions. This study has used both ecological and socio-cultural theories to zoom into the nature of child sexual abuse and socio-cultural practices which have an influence in disclosing this social and health phenomenon in Venda. The findings show that Venda speaking caregivers have contradictory knowledge with regard to what constitutes child sexual abuse. Traditionally, caregivers are assigned the duty of taking care of children, therefore, it becomes difficult to draw a line between abuse and traditional duty. Forceful sexual intercourse, pornography and sexual grooming, and sexual violence were acknowledged as child sexual abuse. The findings of this study have shown that disclosure of child sexual is dependent on the social and cultural contexts within which people live. It was found that disclosure hardly occurs because of fear of bringing shame into the family name and its dignity. The findings also show that socialisation of children inevitably brings social gender-role expectations that make it difficult for male children to disclose their sexual abuse experiences for fear of being perceived to be more feminine than masculine. Children learn from initiation schools to be strong and brave. This makes it difficult for disclosure of child sexual abuse to take place. Cultural norms of secrecy inhabits disclosure to take place amongst the Venda speaking people because of fear of being reprimanded. The findings have shown that disclosure hardly takes place because of lack of child-parent open discussion about sex related matters. Child-perpetrator relationship was found to determine viii disclosure. It is difficult to disclose intra-familial child sexual abuse for fear of dividing the family. The study also revealed that because of the patriarchal system, the majority of women do not disclose child sexual abuse because they are afraid of losing financial support as they mostly depend on their husbands financially. It is therefore recommended that awareness campaigns be continuously conducted with the aim of capacitating the Venda speaking people with in-depth knowledge with regard to child sexual abuse and its disclosure. Caregivers should work to improve relationships with their children. Schools should improve programmes that educate children about sexual matters. Different stakeholders should work together to bring about the environment that enables women to participate in the economic sector so that they can be financially dependent. This is because it was found that disclosure of child sexual abuse can be inhibited due to their financial dependency to their husbands. Community dialogues could also be helpful in shifting the mindset associated with gender roles and social expectations.

Over the past several years, increasing public emphasis on preventing child maltreatment has resulted in substantial changes to Florida's child abuse and neglect central registry. Many of these recent changes, aimed at preventing child maltreatment, have resulted in over one million false, unsubstantiated, and inconclusive reports of child abuse and neglect within the last decade. While the information held in reports may be useful for identifying and preventing potential child abuse or neglect, due process concerns have been raised with regards to the process of placing a person's name in a report without providing a hearing for challenging or removing inaccurate information. Focusing on Florida law, this research concentrates on: 1) the child maltreatment reporting process, 2) the procedures for maintaining reports, and 3) the accessibility of these reports in order to determine whether due process constitutional rights are protected under Florida's child abuse and neglect reporting laws. The intent of this thesis is to analyze the occurrence of unsubstantiated cases of child maltreatment, incidences of false reporting, and legal remedies available for those wrongfully accused of abusing or neglecting a child. Through the analysis of case law, federal and state statutes, available statistics, child abuse resources, and personal interviews with members of the Florida Legislature, evidence shows that due process constitutional rights are not protected under Florida's child abuse and neglect reporting laws. By raising awareness of the areas of child protection that require legal re-evaluation, this thesis aims to discover the balance between protecting children from harm and protecting adults from the severe ramifications resulting from false and improper allegations of child abuse and neglect.

No description available.

Sexual abuse of children occurs at a very high rate and most of the victims are young children who have never been taught about the possibility of being abused. Victims of abuse are not equipped with appropriate knowledge and vocabulary to enable them to explain properly when they experience abuse. Acquisition of a vocabulary and understanding of the concepts of sexuality would assist children in recognizing, resisting and reporting sexual abuse. The young age at which abuse occurs makes the study at primary school level important and relevant. There is little literature on how child sexual abuse can be identified, addressed and handled by schools or what unique role the school should play in the management of child sexual abuse cases. Educators are in a position to identify sexually abused children because of their close and ongoing contact with school-going children. Therefore, young children place a great deal of trust in their teachers and look to them for protection when they feel unsafe. Teachers are trained to observe changes in the appearance and progress of individual children. Therefore, they can also assist in uncovering and reacting appropriately to disclosures of abuse. The study was conducted in poor, disadvantaged, rural primary schools in a part of the North West Province. There is a limited access to social work services in rural areas and therefore, educators are considered to be appropriate people to educate children about sexual abuse issues because children spend most of their time at school. There is a relationship between educators, parents and children which creates a proper channel of communicating information about sexual abuse of children. That is, educators are in a position not only to educate but also to reinforce what children have learnt at home. Educators' role have been limited in the identification and dealing with sexual abuse cases and therefore, there is a need to empower them with appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to handle sexual abuse cases at school level successfully. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Sexual abuse of children occurs at a very high rate and most of the victims are young children who have never been taught about the possibility of being abused. Victims of abuse are not equipped with appropriate knowledge and vocabulary to enable them to explain properly when they experience abuse. Acquisition of a vocabulary and understanding of the concepts of sexuality would assist children in recognizing, resisting and reporting sexual abuse. The young age at which abuse occurs makes the study at primary school level important and relevant. There is little literature on how child sexual abuse can be identified, addressed and handled by schools or what unique role the school should play in the management of child sexual abuse cases. Educators are in a position to identify sexually abused children because of their close and ongoing contact with school-going children. Therefore, young children place a great deal of trust in their teachers and look to them for protection when they feel unsafe. Teachers are trained to observe changes in the appearance and progress of individual children. Therefore, they can also assist in uncovering and reacting appropriately to disclosures of abuse. The study was conducted in poor, disadvantaged, rural primary schools in a part of the North West Province. There is a limited access to social work services in rural areas and therefore, educators are considered to be appropriate people to educate children about sexual abuse issues because children spend most of their time at school. There is a relationship between educators, parents and children which creates a proper channel of communicating information about sexual abuse of children. That is, educators are in a position not only to educate but also to reinforce what children have learnt at home. Educators' role have been limited in the identification and dealing with sexual abuse cases and therefore, there is a need to empower them with appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to handle sexual abuse cases at school level successfully. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)