Children in Need of Protection: An Analysis of Canadian School Board Child Abuse Policies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: International Perspectives on Student Health, Disability, and Inclusion

Abstract

A clear, well defined policy can enable educators to handle a crisis situation quickly and effectively. This article presents an analysis of every school board (N = 379) child protection policy in Canada and explored what training, resources, and supports school boards state they provide to guide educator’s involvement in the intervention process. The results showed that, while most boards had documentation, the amount of information provided by each school board varied greatly. An analysis of the documents revealed a lack of clear expectations around training and support to assist teachers in reporting child abuse. Policy recommendations are proposed based on the results of the online search.

Author

• Samantha Jo Shewchuk, Queen's University - Kingston