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"Love one another as you have hitherto done." - Nano (Honoria) Nagle

Child Abuse

Provincial Structures for Child Safeguarding:

Reporting Flowchart

1. Child Safeguarding Roles

The Provincial Leader, is the Leader of the Province who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Child Safeguarding Policy and related procedures in the Province.

 

The Provincial Leader

  • Oversees the development, review, implementation, record keeping, training and audit of policy within the Province.
  • Is responsible, working through the Provincial Designated Officer, for processing and dealing with allegations of child abuse in conjunction with the Civil Authorities.
  • Appoints the Provincial Designated officer and arranges for her/his training.
  • Appoints the Provincial safe-guarding committee which includes the safe-guarding co-ordinator.
  • Ensures that the Governing body of each Presentation Ministry appoints its own local Designated Officer within the ministry; where there is no Governing Body the Provincial Leadership team will appoint the Local Designated Officer for the ministry.
  • Is responsible for the assignment and re-assignment of Sisters to ministries in light of the safe-guarding policy.
  • Appoints the support person(s) and advisor(s).

 

The outgoing Provincial Leader is responsible for ensuring that the incoming Provincial leader given full access to all documentation and information regarding safe-guarding children issues within the Province.

 

2. Provincial Committee for child –safe-guarding

The Committee:

  • Promotes all aspects of safe-guarding.
  • Ensures that records regarding policy, procedures, best practices and training are maintained and kept up to date.
  • Ensures that best practice elements of the policy are implemented within the province.
  • Oversees regular audits regarding development and implementation of best practice in the Province.
  • Ensures that safe guarding polices adopted by governing bodies of ministries are in line with Indian law and Congregational Guidelines.
  • Ensures there is appropriate planning for and delivery of training across the Province in consultation with the Provincial safe-guarding co-ordinator.
  • Oversees yearly self-audits and other monitoring with regard to the development and implementation in the ministry places.

 

3. Provincial Team Link Person

The Provincial Team Link Sister:

  • Supports the Committee in their work and is a member of the committee.
  • Links with Child safeguarding committee in relation to training, development of policies and monitoring.
  • Oversees the development, review, implementation, record keeping, training and audit of policy within the Province.
  • She does not have a role in relation to allegations or suspected allegations.

 

4. Provincial Safeguarding Coordinator

The Coordinator:

  • Is appointed by the Provincial Leadership team.
  • Promotes in the province an awareness of the policy regarding child safeguarding issues.
  • Organizes regular planning and training for personnel.
  • Maintains records of all training.
  • Arranges specific training for the Local Designated officers and others as appropriate to their roles.

 

5. Provincial Designated Officer

The Provincial Designated Officer

  • Is a appointed by the Provincial Leadership team.
  • Is responsible to receive information where it is alleged or suspected that a child has been or is being abused by Presentation Sister, employees or volunteer.
  • Manages the allegation/disclosure or concern from the beginning.
  • Is responsible for securely keeping records of allegations in the province.
  • Keeps the Provincial informed of any allegations received.
  • Where necessary reports the allegation to the appropriate authorities.

 

6. Local Designated officer

The Local Designated officer

  • Is appointed by the Governing body of the relevant ministry or directly by the Provincial Leadership Team where the PLT acts of the Governing Body.
  • Provides information and advice on Safeguarding within the ministry.
  • Liaisons with and co-operates with the Provincial Designated Officer, the safeguarding committee and the co-ordinator.
  • Receives and acts upon concerns within the ministry.
  • Informs the Provincial designated officer regarding allegations or suspicions against Presentation sisters, Presentation employees and volunteers.
  • Maintains appropriate records in line with policies.

 

7. Support Person

He/ she offers support to the abused person or family as appropriate.

The Support Person is to assist where appropriate with communication between the child (abused person) and the Designated officer.

8. Adviser:

The adviser offers support to the alleged abuser or respondent and to the family or religious community as appropriate.

Child Abuse:

Child abuse is any act, or failure to act, that results in actual or potential harm to a child under the care of someone in a position of greater power than a child(18 or under). Child abuse is generally categorized into 4 broad forms:

1.Physical Abuse

It is an act of inflicting pain/injury to a child by hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or any other act of violence that may cause temporary or permanent damage to the child’s body affecting his / her normal growth and development.

2. Emotional abuse

It is also called psychological abuse. It is bullying, using harsh and rough language, ridicule, humiliating and degrading treatment, creating terror or fear in the children which could cause serious behavioural, cognitive, emotional or mental distress/ trauma. It is also denial of affection, appreciation, affirmation, consistency and security which hampers the personality development of the child. It is a component of all other forms of abuse.

3. Sexual abuse

It involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. Sexual abuse is any sexually motivated touching of a child, whether actual or threatened, including all forms of sexual activities such as socially taboo touching, rape and activities that do not involve physical contact such as showing the child pornographic material or exhibitionism.

4. Neglect

It is an act of omission, where the child suffers significant harm or impairment of development by being deprived of food, clothing, warmth, hygiene, intellectual stimulation, supervision and safety, attachment to and affection from adults, and failure to access appropriate medical care or treatment. It is a lack of personal attention, concern, understanding which amounts to rejection. Neglect generally becomes apparent in different ways over a period of time rather than at one specific point. It is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, such as the neglect of, or unresponsible to, a child’s basic emotional needs likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Procedure for Recording the Information:

It is a vital that anyone raising a concern should strictly follow reporting procedures:

  • Who can report?

Child, Parents/ guardians, peer group, staff, sisters, well-wishers.

  • To whom to report?

Local designated officer.

  • How to report?

Oral disclosures to local designated officer.

Written disclosures to local designated officer.

Using disclosures/ reporting box.

If abuser happens to be the Head of the Ministry then allegations are reported to Provincial/ Province Designated Officer directly.

Standard Form For Reporting Allegations Of Child Abuse Is Available In The School Office.