The reading:  Challenges of Measuring Well-being in Schools, addresses questions as they relate to students’  “physical, emotional, psychological, and socio-cultural wellbeing.  The notion of health is thus multifaceted in the educational context and consistently linked by policymakers with questions of academic achievement.”  Taking this into consideration one facet of health and safety that unfortunately is part of the educational environment and society in general is child abuse.  Child abuse is part of our society that many of us have to deal with.

According to the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Society “it takes a village to raise a child”.  This could not be more true when considering the protection and safety of the most vulnerable members of our society, children. Who is responsible for child protection?   Under the Child Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) every person who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection must promptly report the suspicion and information upon which it is based to a Children's Aid Society.”  This would include people that work with children directly such as teachers, health care workers, child care centers/operators, lawyers, police and the public in general.  The CYFSA Act protects children up to the age of 18 (2018), however it is not mandatory to report protection for youths from 17-18 years of age.

There is a process for dealing with child abuse. According to the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Society, there is a standardized process that is used for reporting.  To begin with, if one isn’t certain that a child needs protection, there is still an obligation to report. Under “reasonable grounds” the information provided by the average person using normal, “honest”  judgment is enough for a report to be made. When you call in to report possible abuse, you will be asked a series of questions.  Once a report is made, it is up to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS)  to gather all the information provided and  assess the severity of the case on an individual basis. The CAS worker decides on how to proceed in providing protection as needed.

In summary, it is up to everyone in society for the protection of children.Professionals who work with children have  even more responsibility for the safety and protection of children. Ultimately the CYFSA Act stresses that it is “not a privacy violation when it concerns the safety of a child”.  In essence, if you are in doubt make the call, the onus of child protection is on all of us.

Links:

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/17c14 CYFSA 2017 Act

https://www.oacas.org/childrens-aid-child-protection/duty-to-report/

https://www.hamiltoncas.com/protecting-children/what-happens-when-a-report-is-made/