The principal should regularly in-service the staff about their obligations to report child abuse and the board-approved methods to do so. Also, bring to their attention the expectations that the board has around their own behaviour, particularly as it relates to the professional advisories published by the Ontario College of Teachers. (www.oct.ca).
When an allegation of abuse by a teacher or other staff member is reported to the principal, the principal may believe, without further investigation, that s/he has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is in need of protection. The principal’s duty to report to CAS would then be triggered. In addition, board policy may also require that the police be called.
The principal does not inform the staff member of the allegation; rather, s/he should immediately contact the supervisory officer for direction. The board may direct that the individual be assigned home for the duration of the investigation.
If the principal does not believe that the allegation alone provides reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is in need of protection, s/he may proceed with an investigation. This investigation should be conducted after consultation with the supervisory officer and only for the initial purpose of determining whether the principal has a duty to report, at which point the investigation should then immediately be turned over to the CAS and, where appropriate, the police.
If the CAS wishes to interview any student at the school as part of its investigation, the principal ought to co-operate with this request; however, the principal or a school designate must ensure the parent/guardian of the student is present during all interviews unless the parent/guardian is the possible source of the harm.
- Follow board’s policies/procedures/protocols governing the reporting of child abuse.
- – Ensure that school procedures comply with board policies.
- – Educate staff about their responsibilities and expected behaviours regarding protecting students.
- Respect partnerships and protocols developed by the board for working with community agencies such as the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), probation officers, community resource centre social workers, the police, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, etc.
This is a critical aspect of your legal responsibilities; be sure that you thoroughly understand and carefully follow all board policies and procedures in this area.
Anytime a call is made to the CAS, all parties should be identified and the CAS intake person should be advised that a report is being made.
A failure to report a child in need of protection in accordance with board policy may result in disciplinary action at the board level.