Explore your own Perceptions
It's important when tackling child protection concerns to understand your own attitudes and beliefs and the impact this may have on the way you relate to others, your reactions and decision making.
It is also important to realise that similarly others may have different beliefs to you which may impact the way they relate to others, their reactions and decision making.
In the next few scenarios we would like you consider the statements provided. We want you to think about:
Your gut feelings and beliefs about the statementIs the statement is acceptable or unacceptable?
How others may feel about these statements.
- Children in a secondary school are regularly caned. The headteacher tells you that he thinks corporal punishment is an important part of discipline in a school.
- The aunt of a 10-year-old girl makes her sell flowers to tourists in the bar areas of a resort town alone from early evening to midnight each night. She is doing this to help her family to earn money.
- Disabled children are given up by parents at birth when very young to be a cared for by state institutions. It is not expected that families should have to carry the burden of caring for these children.
- A child is noted by their teacher to always look dirty and be in threadbare clothes when attending school. They are very rarely wearing shoes and often complain of being hungry to the teacher.
- It is acceptable for a girl of 14 to be married if the male partner is working and able to provide for her.
What is the Right Answer?
The difficulty is there is no right answer to any of these scenarios. Child Safeguarding is not clear cut and this is even more difficult when you are in an unfamiliar country.
This is why it is really important if you have any concerns or worries about child safeguarding on project to contact the SKIP board of trustees, even if you’re unsure.