From Act to Action: Normalizing Child Protection Policies in an Aotearoa New Zealand School

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand’s rates of child abuse and neglect (CAN) are amongst the worst in the OECD. The Children’s Act 2014 legislated for child protection policies (CPPs) to be implemented in all schools, in place of mandatory reporting. This includes the expectation all personnel—not just teachers, the usual focus of literature on CAN training—be able to identify and respond to both suspected and actual abuse and neglect. This is also an expectation within the Teaching Council New Zealand’s Code of Professional Responsibility. This instrumental case study investigated how one school normalized a child safety focus regarding CAN, as directed by legislated CPPs. It used Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to understand how the Act’s expectations might be implemented, embedded, and integrated into routine work by all school personnel. This is a novel use of NPT. It used applied theatre as a research method, which provided prompts for plenary and focus group discussions, and for the creation of written artefacts. Individual interviews, and a meeting to review the school’s CPP, offered personnel opportunities to reflect on their understandings. The head of an initial teacher education (ITE) provider was also interviewed. Statutory bodies’ websites were trawled to determine what support was offered for implementing CPPs. It found that CPPs were implemented to the point of compliance with the Act. However, for most personnel, procedures included within CPPs are not embedded or integrated to the point they might be considered normalized. Insufficient opportunities for developing coherence and cognitive participation are provided within the school, by statutory bodies, or by ITE, which impacts upon collective action. Time and cost are barriers, especially to participation in training by non-teaching personnel. While all participants agreed child protection was important, many believed the required work was being conducted by someone else. Recommendations include the need for a national resource repository to support all organizations required to hold a CPP. This should include online training modules as these can be accessed at no cost, and at times which suit all personnel.