The experiences and perceptions o f the Designated Liaison Person for Child Protection in Irish Primary Schools

The aim o f this research was to explore the ‘lived experience’ o f Designated Liaison Person (DLP’s) for Child Protection in Primary Schools in Ireland, and the purpose of the research was to use the learning from the investigation to ensure that vulnerable children will be protected more adequately. Following a review of the literature on child protection and the role o f teachers and schools in the area, a survey questionnaire was distributed to thirty two DLP’s in primary schools. From the questionnaires returned, sixteen DLP’s were selected for interview; eight from schools designated as disadvantaged, and eight from non DEIS schools. The decision to choose eight DLP’s from DEIS schools was taken in order to embody the richness o f the lived experiences o f DLP’s. The other DLP’s were selected to represent a variety of size and type of school and overall the DLP’s had varying years of experience in the role. While several qualitative approaches were considered for this study, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was deemed the most appropriate for this investigation. The qualitative analysis produced a master list of themes, and superordinate and subordinate themes emerged, referring to major and minor themes. The superordinate themes were: ‘The DLP Role’, ‘Experience of Dealing with Outside Agencies in relation to Child Protection Issues’, ‘The School Story’, ‘Children Telling’ and ‘Guidelines and Training’. This study highlighted the role of the DLP as multifaceted and complex and open to interpretation in various circumstances. The greatest challenge faced by DLP’s in this research was knowing when they have enough evidence and information to report an incident to the HSE. The tension exists for schools between supporting parents and reporting parents. Many educational implication for child protection work have been highlighted through this study and ultimately this work has uncovered the role of schools in child protection work in Ireland, which has been relatively unexplored to date