Empowering Teacher Competence in Detecting & Preventing Child Abuse Erasmus Project

Project Title

Empowering Teacher Competence in Detecting & Preventing Child Abuse

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

In the European Commission’s School Policies report, the key conditions for the ‘whole school approach’ for early school drop-out were organized around five thematic areas, which are firmly linked to each other. While the thematic area which is for Learner Support strongly focuses on learning and teaching; the learner welfare is emphasized to be nourished, it is stated that schools can play an important role in the determination of violence, victimization, abuse and bullying which arise in and out of the school. Moreover, the development of coping strategies is perceived as quite significant in this context. The Erasmus + Program also prioritizes actions to address forms of bullying (including cyber bullying) and violence”, as well as many other related elements within the scope of strategic partnerships for education. According to the related literature, the educational results such as educational failure, drop-out, lack of attendance, lack of concentration, and educational difficulties, as well as many other health problems of the aforementioned kind, make the reasons for this prediction understandable. This prioritization, by considering forms abovementioned and due to legal regulations and pioneering initiatives and practices on educational programs, makes the cooperation with Europe rather crucial for Turkey. The increasing knowledge and awareness of these problematic aspects and the ability to manage will enable them to acquire the competencies that will support the early drop of school and the losses related, as well as the ability to succeed for all students. For this reason, scientific knowledge that can be reflected on related policies and trainings are vital in terms of strengthening the professional formations of occupational groups that should fight against victimization, violence or abuse. Teachers are at the top of the groups whose knowledge, skills and awareness in the determination of these issues ought to be enhanced in a healthy way. With the start of the education cycle, teachers become the people with whom the the schoolchildren spend most of their time. For that reason, schools must certainly be included in the actions related to prevention of abuse. In the literature, it is emphasized that teachers who are in constant contact with children and have knowledge and experience in child education carry extreme significance in identifying and protecting children who are ill-treated. The results of the national-scale studies show that the vast majority of teachers do not receive any special training on child abuse, and that there are serious shortcomings in recognizing child abuse and reporting.

However, in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, the teachers have responsibilities in:

a. Raising awareness about child abuse and neglect,
b. Conducting related prevention actions,
c. Preventing and identifying / determining victimized child in school environment,
d. Approaching appropriately and accurately to the victimized child,
e. Making a legal statement,
f. Cooperating with the school guidance service.
Teachers need to be informed about the consequences and reflections of abuse as well as the factors that lead to child abuse in order to control the behaviors that can be defined as child abuse and to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse in the victimized child.

In the related literature, teachers might:

• have inadequate level of knowledge to identify and report child abuse,

• have fear of taking part in the event,

• consider the school management as not supporting teachers,

• worry about interfering with family relationships and parenting practices,

• have concerns about the possible revenge behavior of parents,

• have concerns about the alienation of families from school,

• neglect the notification obligations with the adverse effects of previous abuse statements, etc., and the elimination of these drawbacks through training programs for teachers appear to be possible.

Some of the research findings in the literature show that nearly all teachers, or a very large proportion of them, previously received formal training in child neglect and abuse. The increasing knowledge and awareness of these problematic aspects and the ability to manage them will enable them to acquire the competencies that will support the early abandonment of school and the losses caused by this, as well as the ability to succeed for all students. The project application is based on this problem, and it has a strong focus on teaching and learning by strengthening the knowledge, awareness and conscious of the teachers on the subject, and the process management skills related to the subject, while affecting the success and effectiveness of the students. It aims to provide adequate answers to factors and new and complex challenges facing schools.

Project Website

https://prochild.erciyes.edu.tr/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 130649 Eur

Project Coordinator

ERCIYES UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• Kayseri Emniyet Mudurlugu
• THE NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
• HOCHSCHULE FUR OFFENTLICHE VERWALTUNG