‘Teachers Matter’: The Impact of Mandatory Reporting on Teacher Education in Ireland

Abstract

The role of teachers in safeguarding the welfare of children is long acknowledged. However, recent research in Ireland found that the training provided to teachers on child protection issues was lacking (Buckley and McGarry, ). The frequent interactions that teachers have with children and their expertise in terms of typical child development place them in an ideal position for identifying possible signs of abuse. Yet despite this advantage, research indicates that schools fail to report a substantial proportion of suspected child abuse cases (Kenny, ). The oft‐cited reasons for this may be conceptualised as: explicit reasons, such as a lack of knowledge about child abuse issues; and implicit reasons, such as the individual teacher's belief system about abuse. The current paper discusses implicit as well as explicit obstacles to teachers’ ‘engagement’ with, and consequent barriers to their responding to, child protection issues. The current changes in initial teacher education and the introduction of mandatory reporting for professionals in Ireland, offer an opportune time to raise this issue and highlight the need for holistic education in child protection for teachers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Teachers need comprehensive education on child protection issues in order to fulfil their role as mandated reporters. Both implicit and explicit barriers impede teacher's reporting of abuse and neglect. Education must go beyond policies and procedures and be holistic in addressing an implicit belief system in relation to child protection. Education must also aim to reduce interagency conflict, oft cited as a deterrent to reporting, perhaps through increased contact between child protection and education professionals.

Child Protection for Educators and Principals: A Moral and Legal Obligation

“…According to Warner and Hansen "notifying is considered a 'critical antecedent' to addressing the harm and injustices caused by child abuse and neglect. (1994, p.11) Book Chapter -India Bryce Research in the field (Taylor 1997;Taylor & Hodgkins, 2001;Kenny, 2004, Walsh & Farrell, 2008Baginsky, 2003;Bourke & Maunsell, 2015) has long argued for the inclusion of child protection 'training' in teacher education due the escalating prevalence of child abuse and neglect in Australia and globally. With the rise of statistics, comes an equally widespread intensification of responsibilities of educators, due to their placement at the forefront of detection of and response to children identified as 'at risk' or vulnerable to abuse and neglect.…”

“…Walsh et al (2011) have identified several universities across Australia who have integrated child protection content into their courses within teacher education programs with some offering elective courses devoted to child abuse and neglect. Ireland has followed suit, with Bachelor of Education programs being lengthened and restructured to accommodate the evidence supporting the inclusion of child protection content in preservice teacher education (Bourke & Maunsell, 2015). Baginsky (2003) warns training must occur again when teachers are practicing in their field as the pressures experiences by newly qualified educators may cause their learnings to fade or be forgotten.…”

“…Buckley and McGarry (2011) provided a similar perspective, highlighting the need for more comprehensive child protection training for teachers in Ireland as a response the minimal offering provided in teacher education courses. Bourke and Maunsell (2015) argue teacher education must target the obstacles to meeting mandatory reporting obligations, including lack of knowledge of maltreatment as well as the insufficient understanding of reporting procedures and policies.…”

Cultures of Care in Primary Schools in Ireland that Support Child Protection Work

“…Mandated persons are recognised in the legislation as persons who work with children and young people and are required to report child abuse, above a defined threshold, which comes to their attention in the course of their professional or employment duties (Children First Act 2015, Government of Ireland, Irish Statute Book; Office of the Attorney General). Bourke and Maunsell () consider that teachers and schools may be regarded as the ‘arms’ and ‘eyes’ of the government, ensuring that children's rights are upheld, and that mandated reporting may be seen as important in implementing teacher and school responsibilities. Revised Children First guidelines (Department of Children and Youth Affairs, ) and the Department of Education and Skill's procedures in child protection (Department of Education and Skills, ) were published in 2017, taking account of the changes required, as a result of the publication of the 2015 Act.…”

Children and Families and the Care System

“…All the papers above highlight some of the interesting challenges of working with children and carers in the care system. Our final paper in this issue of Child Abuse Review by Bourke and Maunsell () takes a different topic and examines the impact of mandatory reporting for teacher education in Ireland. As well as exploring mandatory reporting and the teacher role in child protection, the paper also discusses some of the implicit and explicit barriers to reporting, such as lack of staff knowledge about child abuse and neglect and implicit barriers such as an individual teacher's belief system, for example, ‘teachers’ judgments about the harm of reporting outweighing the benefits’ (p. 318).…”