To recognise appropriate contact with clients under the age of 18 IIFP requires that all personnel in IIFP are mandated notifiers. Mandated notifiers include anyone who works with or cares for children in a paid or voluntary capacity by providing children with health, welfare, education, child care or residential services. Such people are legally obliged to notify the Department of Family & Youth Services (FAMILIES SA) if, in the course of their paid or voluntary work, they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child has been or is being abused or neglected. Although mandated notifiers have a legal responsibility to notify, everyone has a moral responsibility to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
All IIFP personnel (ie all teachers and all education support officers and volunteers), involved in or associated with the delivery of educational, health, welfare, child care or residential care services should participate in a training course for mandated notifiers of suspected child abuse.
The Children’s Protection Act (SA) 1993 and its Regulations are the relevant legislative documents relating to the issue of child abuse.
IIFP is required to observe the agreed practices laid out in ‘Child Protection: Interagency Guidelines’ (1997)
When any IIFP officer and other contracted personnel, including volunteers, have suspicions of child abuse, these procedures are to help them carry out their obligations under the Act.
IIFP Team members are required to regularly provide a police check which contributes to their criminal history records. Current regulation, commencing in the first quarter of 2015, requires their status to be confirmed by undertaking a Child Protection Screening assessment. This process should be complete by the 30th of June 2015. (depending on speed of processing by the authorities)
Under Section 11 (1) & (2) of the Children’s Protection Act 1993 principals, teachers and other school personnel (including volunteers) are obliged by law to notify FAMILIES SA if they suspect on reasonable ground that a child (ie. person under eighteen years of age) has been or is being abused or neglected. IIFP has adopted this principle when any officer has contact with any individual under 18 years of age.
The term ‘abuse’ refers to sexual, physical, emotional psychological abuse and neglect.
The following definitions are used by FAMILIES SA in determining whether child abuse has occurred.
Physical abuse: Any non accidental act inflicted upon a child which results in physical injury to the child.
Sexual abuse: Any sexual behaviour imposed on a child.
Emotional abuse: A chronic attitude or behaviour directed at a child, or, a creation of an emotional environment, which is detrimental to or impairs the child’s psychological and/or physical development.
Neglect: Neglect refers to any serious omission or commission by a person that jeopardises or impairs the child’s psychological, intellectual or physical development.
It is important to remember that it is not the role of IIFP personnel to prove that abuse occurred. It is the role of FAMILIES SA to determine whether abuse occurred.
The Law requires school personnel to report reasonable suspicions of abuse. School personnel have reasonable grounds to suspect abuse and to contact FAMILIES SA when:
If in doubt IIFP personnel are advised to consult the FAMILIES SA Central Intake Team – Child Abuse Report Line (Ph 131478) .
Notifying suspected abuse can be the first step in helping both the abused child and the adult causing the abuse.
There is no civil or criminal liability for notifying in good faith a suspicion of abuse.
There is a penalty of $2,000 (max fine) for failure to report (section 11 (1) (b)).
This policy was last reviewed as in March 2015. contact IIFP administration for assistance.
This policy has been approved by Independent Institute (IIFP).