Calling for help: Primary school professionals' experiences of phoning CYF to report suspected child abuse

Abstract

Interprofessional information sharing and collaboration are two key learnings that have featured repeatedly in case reviews for maltreated children internationally. Within Aotearoa New Zealand there is increased emphasis on these issues as a result of the Children’s Action Plan and Vulnerable Children’s Act (VCA) 2014 with school boards now required to have a child protection policy that describes arrangements for the detection and reporting of suspected child maltreatment. This study explored senior primary school professionals’ reporting of suspected child maltreatment, their understanding of policies that inform this and their experiences of interagency collaboration with statutory child welfare services. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were completed with senior education professionals from primary schools around Aotearoa New Zealand. The findings were thematically analysed and demonstrate that school professionals accept their roles and responsibilities within safeguarding children whilst balancing their relationships with their communities. Referring children to Child Youth and Family (CYF) was a decision not made lightly. Barriers to reporting child maltreatment were present and non-reporting behaviour is discussed. Narratives revealed that participants’ experiences included: feeling confused by CYF thresholds with CYF perceived as failing to act; frustration at a lack of feedback following referrals; technology issues or issues of intake social worker competence. Interagency collaboration remains problematic with underlying issues relating to communication and relationships featuring. This study suggests that policy and legal structures alone will not resolve the issue of under reporting or poor collaborative practice. Some recommendations for service delivery are made and areas for further research are highlighted.