NCJ Number
212767
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 14 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2005 Pages: 317-330
Date Published
September 2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development, evaluation, and revision of a training pack to educate new teachers on child protection issues in England and Wales.
Abstract
Schools and teachers play a vital role in the protection of children, one that has been formalized in the Children Act of 1989 which states that local authorities in England and Wales have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their jurisdiction. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) requires that all teachers receive training on child protection and attend a refresher training every 2 years. But since the DfES does not stipulate the training materials, teacher training institutes determine the duration and structure of this training on their own. In response the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) devised a training pack for this instruction. The authors describe the evaluation of the initial training pack, which involved student questionnaires, student discussion groups, tutor interviews, feedback materials, and course observations. The evaluation results pointed to needed improvements which were incorporated into a second draft of the materials. Second draft improvements included more input on how to respond to a disclosure and on the types of support available. Feedback from initial teacher training providers indicated that they would welcome the training pack and that they had clear ideas about the format and structure the training pack should take. The success of the revised pack in meeting the training needs of new teachers has not yet been evaluated. References