Young people often find it easier to talk to teachers and school staff than to other adults in their lives. This gives schools a big role in recognizing, reporting and responding to abuse. Knowing what to look for and having the confidence to act when you suspect abuse are key.
Luna's new "Recognizing, Reporting, and Responding to Abuse in Schools" video and accompanying facilitator’s guide will help school staff navigate suspicions of abuse and how to move forward.
To report suspected child abuse, please call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-387-5437 (KIDS).
School is a Safe Space
For a child or youth who has experienced abuse, school can become a place of refuge. Students can show general signs of abuse. But there are also school-specific behaviours that can serve as indicators. Students might:
Show up early, stay late and generally be reluctant to go home
Seem frightened of parents
Send or post concerning messages
Write about negative experiences
Have sudden changes in behaviour or performance
Have unexplained physical injuries or injuries that don’t match the child’s explanation
Show extreme behavioural reactions such as aggression or withdrawal
Show sexual knowledge or behaviour beyond their stage of development
Be always hungry, sick or not suitably dressed for the conditions
Be Aware of Your Initial Reaction
A child may come to a trusted adult because they believe you can help. Although it is common to feel fear, disbelief, anger or sadness, it is important to set aside personal feelings and stay calm. Initial reactions are critical for the child’s path to healing.
Listen. Believe.
Allow the child to do most of the talking. If you need more understanding about the context, use an open-ended question or phrase such as “Tell me more.”
Once you have reasonable grounds to suspect abuse, or the child discloses, stop asking any further questions.
Reassure the child that telling you was the right thing to do.
Explain to the child that you believe them and will need to tell someone who can help them. You cannot keep it a secret.
Document any comments verbatim. This includes those made by the child, parent, caregiver or anyone else relevant to the situation.
Recognizing, Reporting and Responding from a Distance
Online and at-home learning can pose challenges for teachers and staff looking to connect with kids. But there are things we can do, including:
Asking open-ended questions
Providing words of support
Reminding students they can talk to you
These and other valuable insights are included in the brochure, “Recognizing, Reporting and Responding to Child Abuse from a Distance.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Children & Family Services sometimes require more information?
To move forward with an assessment, concerns about the child’s survival, security or development must fall within the Child Youth and Family Enhancement Act. Children & Family Services cannot assess or investigate a family without reasonable and probable grounds according to this legislation.
An open-ended question such as “Tell me more about…” helps to gain further understanding about the situation without probing for investigative details. For example, a child may disclose that dad “beat” him. When asked to provide further details, the child could reveal that dad “beat” them at a video game—a situation that doesn’t warrant the involvement of Children & Family Services.
If the child discloses further details that are concerning, responds with an explanation that doesn’t match the context, becomes nervous or fearful, doesn’t want to provide further information or says that it is a secret, report your concerns to Children & Family Services. If a child does reveal suspected abuse, do not probe for additional details.
Why are children sometimes interviewed at school?
At times, due to risk factors for a child’s safety or the ability of a child to be comfortable, open and honest when talking about potential child maltreatment, an interview may occur at the school without the permission of the parent or guardian.
Following the interview with the child, the Children & Family Services worker will contact the family to inform them of the interview. If an alternate communication plan is needed, it will be developed with the school and the Children & Family Services worker.
Reports that are determined to require an emergency assessment (on the same day and within a short time of the referral being made) will most frequently result in an interview occurring at the school to ensure the safety of the child(ren).
It is extremely helpful to call Children & Family Services as early in the day as possible. This allows more time for planning a safe location, most likely the school, to assess the situation.
Why might Children & Family Services ask me to call parents?
In calls where there is some lack of clarity about what the child may be disclosing, calling parents can help determine if there is a logical or reasonable explanation for the concern. For example, the school may be concerned about a child who consistently has no lunch. When a phone call home is made, it could be determined that mom is consistently making lunch, however the child is throwing it away as they prefer what the school provides.
If the reporter feels uncomfortable when asked to call home or has already tried several times, identify this to the Children & Family Services intake worker so they can make further plans.
Does Children & Family Services become involved in attendance concerns?
On its own, attendance is not sufficient cause for Children & Family Services involvement. In Alberta, attendance at school is mandated by the School Act rather than the Child Youth and Family Enhancement Act. Attendance is an important factor in school success and repeated unexplained absences should be discussed with the administration and/or student services team.
If attendance is one factor among several concerns pertaining to the safety, security or development of the child, this should be reported to Children’s Services.
What happens after a report is made?
Depending on the situation and information provided, some possible outcomes of a report are:
The information is documented but there is not yet enough information to meet the Child Youth and Family Enhancement Act to proceed with any action. You may be asked to track who you spoke to and continue to document.
The information is documented in the Children’s Services system because it meets the legislation. If there are factors keeping the children safe, no further action will be taken at this time.
The information is documented in the Children’s Services system and a decision is made that further work is needed to determine next steps.
The information is determined to be an immediate response. This means that there are imminent safety concerns. These include, but are not limited to:
No care provider or no sober care provider,
The child has a physical injury believed to be non-accidental,
The child refuses to go home due to abuse and the guardian cannot be contacted to plan,
The child is actively suicidal, and parents are advised and are unable or unwilling to plan, or
Severe neglect high risk newborns
Should I report sexualized behaviours in students under the age of 12?
When a school receives a disclosure or is made aware of sexualized behaviours that occurred between children, the school has the responsibility to address the concern and ensure the safety of all students. The behaviour can be treated similar to other unwanted behaviours at school, such as bullying. It should not be an “investigation” to see who the “perpetrator” is, but simply a conversation with all students involved to get an understanding of what happened.
If a child does disclose sexual abuse, stay neutral and calm. Do not display intense emotion (extreme concern, disgust, alarm) as this may frighten and/or shame the child. Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by telling school staff.
The level of response depends on the severity of the behaviour. Behaviours may fall in the normative range of sexual development for a specific age range, be cause for concern or may be cause for serious concern. Different situations require different responses/actions.
For further information, please access the following resources:
Understanding Students Problematic Sexual Behaviour (a MORE course).
AHS Child Abuse Service at 403-428-5320 (parents can be provided this number if they are needing support in addressing their child’s problematic sexualized behaviours)
When does Calgary Police Service become involved in investigating child abuse?
During any assessment, Children & Family Services and Calgary Police Service/RCMP will join forces when needed to ensure the safety of the child and further investigate the situation, sometimes from the very start (depending on the complexity and severity of the suspected abuse).
In the case of extra-familial sexual assault, students and parents/caregivers should be encouraged to contact the police. This can be done through the School Resource Officer or calling Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234 or the local RCMP (outside of Calgary). Reporting a sexual assault to the police is important to protect other potential victims from harm, hold the offender accountable and preserve any existing evidence.
A report to Children & Family Services should also be made if:
There are concerns, or you don’t know, whether the parents cannot or will not protect the student or their siblings, or
A child under the age of 12 is exhibiting inappropriate sexualized behaviours
Regardless of their decision to contact police, the student and parent/legal guardian need to be made aware of the resources available to them.
