Irish Vocational Education Association

Given the extent to which school staff are well placed to observe and monitor young people for signs of abuse (neglect, emotional, physical or sexual), the whole issue of child protection is of critical importance to everyone working in schools.

To enable schools to address child protection in a coherent and consistent fashion, in 2004, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) put in place Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools following extensive consultations with teachers unions, management bodies and parent organisations.

These guidelines, which take full account of the post-primary school context, provide school management and staff with clear direction and guidance regarding the recognition of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and the procedures that should be followed in dealing immediately and confidentially with such concerns. The Guidelines are underpinned by the over-riding consideration of protecting the well-being of the child at all times.

Among other things, the Guidelines address the following:

The need for boards of management / VECs to adopt the Guidelines as school policy on child protection.
The need for each board of management / VEC to designate a senior member of staff as the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) for the school – this person to have specific responsibility for child protection in the school and to act as a liaison person with outside agencies and as a resource person to any staff member or volunteer who has child protection concerns.
Responsibilities of school management, particularly in relation to ensuring that all staff/volunteers are, at all times, fully aware of the Child Protection Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools and of the name of the school’s Designated Liaison Person (DLP) and Deputy Designated Liaison Person (DDLP)
Responsibilities of school staff - in particular, in relation to how all child protection concerns should be dealt with and the absolute importance of confidentiality.
Duties/responsibilities of the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) and his/her deputy.
Statutory protection for school staff reporting child abuse concerns in accordance with the guidelines.
The whole matter of confidentiality in addressing child protection issues at two levels. On the one hand, staff members should never promise confidentiality to a young person making a disclosure; instead, they should explain, in a supportive manner, why and to whom they are required to report disclosures of abuse. On the other hand, however, details of protection concerns should only be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis; otherwise confidentiality should be maintained in order to protect the privacy of all concerned – most especially the privacy of the young person who is the focus of the concerns.
A school or its staff has no responsibility for investigating allegations of child abuse; this is a matter for either the HSE or the Gardai. The school’s responsibility is confined to recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse and to reporting concerns/allegations to the HSE or the Gardai.

All school staff, whether teaching or otherwise, should have ready access to and be familiar with the Child Protection Guidelines and Procedures for Post-Primary Schools and all child abuse concerns should be addressed in accordance with the guidelines. The guidelines and other relevant documents may be accessed as follows:

			Piper's Hill, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co Kildare, Ireland. Phone: +353 (0)45-901070 / (0)45-901698 Fax: +353 (0)45-901711
© IVEA 2012