Teachers’ detecting and reporting child abuse and neglect : research into the determinants of complex professional behavior

Child abuse and neglect is prevalent and entails significant costs to children, families and society. Teachers are responsible for significant proportions of official notifications to statutory child protection agencies. Hence, their accurate and appropriate reporting is crucial for well-functioning child protection systems. Approximately one-quarter of Australian teachers indicate never detecting a case of child maltreatment across their careers, while a further 13-15% admit to not reporting suspected cases in some circumstances. The detection and reporting of child abuse and neglect are complex decision-making behaviors, influenced by: the nature of the maltreatment itself; the characteristics of the teacher; the school environment; and the broader legislative and policy environment. In this chapter, the authors provide a background to teachers’ involvement in detecting and reporting child abuse and neglect, and an overview of the role of teachers is provided. Results are presented from three Australian studies that examine the unique contributions of: case; teacher; and contextual characteristics to detection and reporting behaviors. The authors conclude by highlighting the key implications for enhancing teacher training in child abuse and neglect, and outline future research directions.

Give way to great charms of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

A travel article about Halifax, Nova Scotia. MOTORISTS in Nova Scotia are so polite it's almost a shame to leave, writes Kari Gislason. By the end of my second day in Halifax, I begin to develop deep concerns about the safety of the locals, or the Haligonians as they're known. I wonder how they ever leave their fair city or, perhaps more to the point, how they ever make it back...

Experience the sights & sounds of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

A travel article about Nova Scotia, and the area's annual Celtic music festival. I ARRIVED in Cape Breton on the occasion of the Fibre Festival, run not only by the South Haven Guild of Weavers but also the Baddeck Quilters Guild. And yet I might not have noticed that it was on, had it not been for a car, shrouded entirely by a quilt cover, that was parked outside the Volunteer Fire Department Hall. I was on my way to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum a little further along Baddeck's main street. But I stopped, for who wouldn't stop to look at the various fibres of Cape Breton. The hall had been divided between weavers and quilters. Naturally, I left hoping that one day this ancient divide might be healed...

Follow the lighthouse route in Nova Scotia, Canada

Within half an hour of leaving Halifax Airport I managed to get myself lost. I noticed an exit sign for St Margaret’s Bay and, despite written instructions to the contrary, it sounded like the right way to go. But I was on the Lighthouse Route and on my way back to Halifax...