A study of the level of protection provided by Queensland educators for children at risk of abuse and neglect

The issue of child abuse and neglect has a significant bearing on the role of the primary school educator. Owing to rapid societal change and the advent of new research in the field of maltreatment the role of teachers is subject to continual evolution. Research indicates that teachers often lack the training to skillfully identify the symptoms of child abuse and neglect, lack knowledge of relevant policies and underreport suspected cases. Currently in Queensland school personnel are not mandated to report suspicions of abuse or neglect and there is no coordinated training for these professionals addressing the issues. Without competent identification of the symptoms of child abuse and neglect the process of reporting is severely hindered. During 1996 Queensland school personnel reported 6% of the states 11,663 finalized cases. Compared to school personnel in the other states of Australia, Queensland school personnel were responsible for the lowest number of reports. This study investigated Queensland teachers' beliefs and knowledge about child abuse and neglect and examined reporting practices. A questionnaire was distributed to teachers in the Sunshine Coast Region with a return rate of forty percent (n=101). Findings indicate that the majority of the Queensland teachers, in the sample, believed they could not confidently identify the symptoms of the four types of abuse. They believed that child abuse and neglect was a major issue for school personnel while rating their level of information as little or moderate. Most had not received child abuse and neglect training at the tertiary or school level. Less than half the group had ever made a report of suspected child abuse and neglect. The perceived barriers to reporting included lack of evidence, lack of support from family services, lack of knowledge and fear of legal ramifications. The results of this study indicate that the level of protection provided by Queensland primary school teachers could be significantly increased through a number of incentives