Psychological Reports, 1990, 67, 75-80.
@ Psychological Reports 1990
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS O F SCHOOL PERSONNEL REGARDING CHILD ABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT ' GARRY BAXTER AND JOHN BEER Northcentral Kansas Special Educational Cooperative, Pbillipsburg, Knnsas Summary.-From a review of l i t e r a m a questionnaire was developed to identify problems related to child abuselneglect in a rural school district. School administrators, regular and special education teachers, and counselors completed the survey to help establish more effective training programs. Analysis indicated that (1) school personnel need further assistance in dealing with problems pertaining to the maltreatment of students. (2) Formal, coordinated, workshop training for child abuse/neglect is needed. (3) Colleges and universities should offer instruction on abuse/neglect for persons preparing to work in schools. (4) School personnel need to be aware of and abide by the laws regarding reporting cases of abuselneglect. (5) Improved communication among school, community, courts, and social service agencies is required for dealing with abuse cases. (6) School personnel should become more aware of what happens after abuse/neglect has been reported. Idormation from such analysis even for one school district can increase insight into problems.
School personnel are in a favorable position for contacting authorities in child abuse/neglect because they have daily contact with children. They have also been criticised for not protecting the students' welfare. Before effective training programs can be developed, researchers must evaluate how to overcome problems in identifying and reporting child abuse/ neglect. School personnel have diverse experiences and employment positions so generalized training programs may not be appropriate. To be effective a training program must be relevant for the educators in the school system. School personnel should receive formal, coordinated, workshop training on chdd abuse/neglect covering issues of identifying, referring, reporting, and laws. Kempe's book (1962) indicated the effects of severe child abuse, and gained public attention. Consequently in 1968 health officials were required to report suspected cases of chdd abuse (ten Bensel & Berdie, 1976). Then law required school officials to report suspected cases of child abuse in 1969 (Cameron, 1973). School personnel, however, are reluctant to get involved. To provide a reasonable basis for reporting seems necessary. The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of frequency and kinds of problems related to child abuse and neglect in a given school district.
'The opinions and views expressed here are not necessarily those of the school district, but the responsibility of the authors. Request reprints from Gar Baxter, 414 East Kansas, Smith Center, KS 66967 or from John Beer, 300 East New E I a m p L e , Osborne, KS 67473.
76
G . BAXTER & J. BEER
The "Baxter Inventory of Educational Needs of School Personnel Concerning Child Abuse/NeglectH (see Table 1 below) was constructed to obtain information from school personnel on child abuselneglect in several areas: (a) educational needs, (b) reporting procedures, (c) problems with reporting, (d) child abuse laws, and (e) school district policies. The instrument was developed from a review of the literature, from administrators, and from college personnel. Five professionals in education reviewed the forms for face and content validity. A pilot study was conducted with university graduate students majoring in administration to assess applicabihty. No changes were suggested so, with approval of the superintendent of schools, the questionnaire was distributed. Forty-nine questionnaires were delivered to school personnel in a rural northcentral Kansas school district. Eighty-six percent or 42 people completed the questionnaire; see Table 1 below. TABLE 1 AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSE TO BAXTERINVENTORY OF EDUCATIONN NEEDS FREQUENCY OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL CONCERNING CHILDABUSEAND/OR NEGLECT (N= 42) Question
n
1. Present position in the school district.
2. Level(s) of children you administer or teach.
3. Years of employment in the district.
4. Are you aware of the Kansas state law regarding the reporting of child abuse and/or neglect? 5. Have you read the Kansas state law regarding the reporting of child abuse and/or ne lect (n = 41)? If Er, please indicate date you fast read it (n = 9). 6. Does the Kansas state law require that all school personnel report suspected cases of child abuse? 7. Have you received any type of formal training regarding child abuse and/or neglect (n = 41)? If Yes, indicate type(s) of instruction (n = 1).
3 35 3 1
qo
07 Administrator
84 Regular Teacher 07 Special Education Teacher 02 Counselor
20 48 7 16 15 36 18 43 8 19 12 28 4 10 38 90 4 10 9 22 32 78 0 00 0 00 9 100
Elementary Junior High School Senior High School 0- 5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years Over15years Yes No Yes No Prior to 1970 1971-1975 1976-1981
12 29 Yes 11 26 No 19 45 Uncertain 1 02 Yes 40 98 No 0 00 College courses 0 00 Workshops 1 100 Inservice (school) 0 00 Prior to 1960 0 00 1961-1965 0 00 1966-1970 1 100 1971-1980
(continued on next page)
WHAT SCHOOL PERSONNEL KNOW ABOUT ABUSE
77
TABLE 1 (CONT'D) FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSE TO BAXTERINVENTORY OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL CONCERNING CHILDABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT(N = 42) Question 8. Does our school district have a written policy regardng child abuse and/or neglect?
9. Have you ever re orted a case of suspected child abuse and/or negf)ect? If Yes, do you believe this reporting reduced or elimiated the abuse and/or neglect of that child (n = 6). 10. Would you be ap rehensive in reporting child abuse and/or negfect for fear of parental retaliation (either verbal or physical; n = 41)? 11. Would you fear some type of le al reprisal for reporting suspected cases of c d d abuse and/or neglect? 12. Do ou feel adequately prepared to assist abused andror neglected children?
n
%
1 7 34 6 36 4 2
02 17 81 14 86 67 33
32 9
78 Yes 22 No
11 31
26 Yes 74 No
Yes No Uncertain Yes No Yes No
14 Yes 6 21 50 No 15 36 Uncertain 12 29 Yes 13. Does your school district offer any instructional curriculum designed to help students avoid 16 38 No becoming abusive or neglecting parents? 14 33 Uncertain 4 10 Yes 14. Does your school offer any classes to the community concerning child abuse and/or neglect? 38 90 No 15. What type of information or educational ro ram would be most helpful to educators in recognizing and solving the problems of c h i abuse and/or neglect?
Child Abuse Law School personnel (90%) are aware of the mandatory reporting law required in the state of Kansas, but 10% are unaware there is a law regarding report of child abuselneglect. Administrators, regular teachers, counselors, and special education personnel indicated awareness loo%, 84%, loo%, and 93%, respectively. Over 76% of regular teachers in the middle school understood. By comparison, nearly all regular teachers in the high school (96%) indicated that they were aware of mandatory reporting. All three school administrators and the counselor are aware of the mandatory reporting law. The special education staff indicated many of their personnel (93%) were aware of the mandatory reporting. Less than one-fourth (22%) of the school personnel indicated they actually read the Kansas state law regarding child abuse/neglect. All administrators, one-fourth of the regular teachers, and 15% of the regular education teachers in the elementary grades had read the law. In contrast, 63% of special education personnel a; the secondary level had read it. Of those who have read the law, all did so since 1978. When the school personnel were asked if the Kansas state law required
78
G. BAXTER & J. BEER
that all school personnel report suspected cases of abuse/neglect, 45% responded uncertain, 28% stated awareness that suspected cases must be reported, and 27% felt it was not necessary to report all cases. The three administrators and the counselor were cognizant that all suspected cases must be reported. With the exception of three teachers, the elementary regular education staff was either uncertain or stated reporting was not mandatory. The special education and senior high regular staff personnel showed the most awareness of the law, 31% and 46%, respectively. School personnel need further instruction on Kansas state laws of child abuse/neglect. The regular elementary, junior and senior high staff appear least informed, whereas administrators, special education personnel, and the counselor understand the law.
School District Policy Of all school personnel, 81% indicated uncertainty whether the school system had a policy on child abuselneglect, while about 3% stated that the district had one. Sixteen percent indicated there was no policy on chdd abuselneglect in the school system. The three administrators indicated that they knew the school had no policy on child abuse. The number of educators who were uncertain whether a policy existed suggests better communication is needed between administrators and teachers concerning school policies and the reporting procedure. Two elementary teachers with a total of 18 years experience stated they were aware of the school policy on child abuse even though no policy existed. A policy should be developed, the school personnel need understand the policy and how to report a case of child abuselneglect. Reporting Procedures Of all school personnel, 14% had reported, or had someone report for them, a suspected case of abuselneglect. Of the 14%, 66% felt that the reports reduced or eliminated the abuse/neglect. On the administration level one in the high school has made reports. This principal has reported five cases, or one-third of all cases reported by school personnel. The counselor has reported seven cases of abuselneglect in the junior and senior high - school and teachers were involved in rwo cases at the secondary level. Suspected abuselneglect should be immediately reported to the designated person or social agency. Interesting was the lack of cases reported by elementary personnel despite indication in the literature that most abused/neglected children are found in the lower grades. The mean experience of school personnel was 11.4 yr. (mode = 9 yr.). Those who had reported suspected cases, the mean was 14.8 yr. experience (mode = 11 yr.). One person of the 62% of school personnel with less than 10 years of experience had reported.
WHAT SCHOOL PERSONNEL KNOW ABOUT ABUSE
79
Problems With Reporting About two-thirds of school personnel indicated apprehension about reporting child abuselneglect for fear of parental retaliation (verbal or physical). Those at the junior high level were more fearful than elementary and high school staff. No administrator indicated fear of parental retaliation. Asked if personnel would fear legal reprisal for reporting suspected cases of abuse or neglect, 26% said yes; most were elementary regular staff personnel. Administrators are required to be knowledgeable about legal implications inherent to their position. They may have had a course in school law, updates in their work, and access to the school's legal counsel.
Educational Needs Only one individual, a senior high school administrator, had had formal instruction on chdd abuselneglect, but that instruction occurred more than 10 years ago and from another employee who had had no formal or outside training. Of all school personnel, 14% felt prepared to assist abusedlneglected children, 36% were uncertain, and 50% felt unprepared. When asked if their school district offered any instruction curriculum designed to help students avoid becoming abusive/neglective parents, 27% indicated that they did, 33% stated that they were uncertain, and 40% felt Like their school was offering curriculum. Psychology, sociology, and farmly living were listed as areas of prevention. If instruction was being given, it was not explicitly designed to cover the topic. Again 50% of school personnel gave no indication of awareness that information is explicitly in the curriculum. Nine percent of the school population indicated that there were adult classes offered to the community concerning child abuse/neglect. Over 90% of the faculty stated there were no programs offered to adults in the community nor is the school soliciting community involvement. Educators were asked what educational program would be most helpful to them in recognizing the problems of child abuselneglect. The consensus was they needed workshop or inservice training concerning the definition, recognition, legal aspects, and proper procedures in identifying and reporting child abuselneglect . This study and the literature review indicate: (1) school personnel need training in facts and rationale about law, identifying, and reporting abuselneglect of students (2) through formal, coordinated workshops. (3) Colleges and universities need to offer instruction for future school employees about child abuselneglect. (4) School personnel need to be aware of and abide by the laws regarding reporting cases of abuse/negIect. ( 5 ) Better communication between the school, community, courts, and social service agencies in deal-
80
G . BAXTER & J. BEER
ing with abuse cases is needed. (6) School personnel need to become more aware of what happens after an abuselneglect has been reported. This information, although based on only one school district, identifies problems most school districts may be confronting. REFERENCES
CAMERON, J. S. (1973) Role of the child protective organization. Pediatrics, 73, 793-795. KEMPE, H. C. (1976) The battered-child syndrome. In J. E. Leavitt (Ed.), The battered child: selected reading. Fresno, CA: McGraw-Hill. F? 4. TEN BENSEL, R. W., & BFXDIE,J. (1976) The neglect and abuse of children and youth: the scope of the problems and the school's role. Journal of School Health, 15(0ctober), 453-466. Accepted June 25, 1990.
@ Psychological Reports 1990
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS O F SCHOOL PERSONNEL REGARDING CHILD ABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT ' GARRY BAXTER AND JOHN BEER Northcentral Kansas Special Educational Cooperative, Pbillipsburg, Knnsas Summary.-From a review of l i t e r a m a questionnaire was developed to identify problems related to child abuselneglect in a rural school district. School administrators, regular and special education teachers, and counselors completed the survey to help establish more effective training programs. Analysis indicated that (1) school personnel need further assistance in dealing with problems pertaining to the maltreatment of students. (2) Formal, coordinated, workshop training for child abuse/neglect is needed. (3) Colleges and universities should offer instruction on abuse/neglect for persons preparing to work in schools. (4) School personnel need to be aware of and abide by the laws regarding reporting cases of abuselneglect. (5) Improved communication among school, community, courts, and social service agencies is required for dealing with abuse cases. (6) School personnel should become more aware of what happens after abuse/neglect has been reported. Idormation from such analysis even for one school district can increase insight into problems.
School personnel are in a favorable position for contacting authorities in child abuse/neglect because they have daily contact with children. They have also been criticised for not protecting the students' welfare. Before effective training programs can be developed, researchers must evaluate how to overcome problems in identifying and reporting child abuse/ neglect. School personnel have diverse experiences and employment positions so generalized training programs may not be appropriate. To be effective a training program must be relevant for the educators in the school system. School personnel should receive formal, coordinated, workshop training on chdd abuse/neglect covering issues of identifying, referring, reporting, and laws. Kempe's book (1962) indicated the effects of severe child abuse, and gained public attention. Consequently in 1968 health officials were required to report suspected cases of chdd abuse (ten Bensel & Berdie, 1976). Then law required school officials to report suspected cases of child abuse in 1969 (Cameron, 1973). School personnel, however, are reluctant to get involved. To provide a reasonable basis for reporting seems necessary. The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of frequency and kinds of problems related to child abuse and neglect in a given school district.
'The opinions and views expressed here are not necessarily those of the school district, but the responsibility of the authors. Request reprints from Gar Baxter, 414 East Kansas, Smith Center, KS 66967 or from John Beer, 300 East New E I a m p L e , Osborne, KS 67473.
76
G . BAXTER & J. BEER
The "Baxter Inventory of Educational Needs of School Personnel Concerning Child Abuse/NeglectH (see Table 1 below) was constructed to obtain information from school personnel on child abuselneglect in several areas: (a) educational needs, (b) reporting procedures, (c) problems with reporting, (d) child abuse laws, and (e) school district policies. The instrument was developed from a review of the literature, from administrators, and from college personnel. Five professionals in education reviewed the forms for face and content validity. A pilot study was conducted with university graduate students majoring in administration to assess applicabihty. No changes were suggested so, with approval of the superintendent of schools, the questionnaire was distributed. Forty-nine questionnaires were delivered to school personnel in a rural northcentral Kansas school district. Eighty-six percent or 42 people completed the questionnaire; see Table 1 below. TABLE 1 AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSE TO BAXTERINVENTORY OF EDUCATIONN NEEDS FREQUENCY OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL CONCERNING CHILDABUSEAND/OR NEGLECT (N= 42) Question
n
1. Present position in the school district.
2. Level(s) of children you administer or teach.
3. Years of employment in the district.
4. Are you aware of the Kansas state law regarding the reporting of child abuse and/or neglect? 5. Have you read the Kansas state law regarding the reporting of child abuse and/or ne lect (n = 41)? If Er, please indicate date you fast read it (n = 9). 6. Does the Kansas state law require that all school personnel report suspected cases of child abuse? 7. Have you received any type of formal training regarding child abuse and/or neglect (n = 41)? If Yes, indicate type(s) of instruction (n = 1).
3 35 3 1
qo
07 Administrator
84 Regular Teacher 07 Special Education Teacher 02 Counselor
20 48 7 16 15 36 18 43 8 19 12 28 4 10 38 90 4 10 9 22 32 78 0 00 0 00 9 100
Elementary Junior High School Senior High School 0- 5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years Over15years Yes No Yes No Prior to 1970 1971-1975 1976-1981
12 29 Yes 11 26 No 19 45 Uncertain 1 02 Yes 40 98 No 0 00 College courses 0 00 Workshops 1 100 Inservice (school) 0 00 Prior to 1960 0 00 1961-1965 0 00 1966-1970 1 100 1971-1980
(continued on next page)
WHAT SCHOOL PERSONNEL KNOW ABOUT ABUSE
77
TABLE 1 (CONT'D) FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSE TO BAXTERINVENTORY OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL CONCERNING CHILDABUSE AND/OR NEGLECT(N = 42) Question 8. Does our school district have a written policy regardng child abuse and/or neglect?
9. Have you ever re orted a case of suspected child abuse and/or negf)ect? If Yes, do you believe this reporting reduced or elimiated the abuse and/or neglect of that child (n = 6). 10. Would you be ap rehensive in reporting child abuse and/or negfect for fear of parental retaliation (either verbal or physical; n = 41)? 11. Would you fear some type of le al reprisal for reporting suspected cases of c d d abuse and/or neglect? 12. Do ou feel adequately prepared to assist abused andror neglected children?
n
%
1 7 34 6 36 4 2
02 17 81 14 86 67 33
32 9
78 Yes 22 No
11 31
26 Yes 74 No
Yes No Uncertain Yes No Yes No
14 Yes 6 21 50 No 15 36 Uncertain 12 29 Yes 13. Does your school district offer any instructional curriculum designed to help students avoid 16 38 No becoming abusive or neglecting parents? 14 33 Uncertain 4 10 Yes 14. Does your school offer any classes to the community concerning child abuse and/or neglect? 38 90 No 15. What type of information or educational ro ram would be most helpful to educators in recognizing and solving the problems of c h i abuse and/or neglect?
Child Abuse Law School personnel (90%) are aware of the mandatory reporting law required in the state of Kansas, but 10% are unaware there is a law regarding report of child abuselneglect. Administrators, regular teachers, counselors, and special education personnel indicated awareness loo%, 84%, loo%, and 93%, respectively. Over 76% of regular teachers in the middle school understood. By comparison, nearly all regular teachers in the high school (96%) indicated that they were aware of mandatory reporting. All three school administrators and the counselor are aware of the mandatory reporting law. The special education staff indicated many of their personnel (93%) were aware of the mandatory reporting. Less than one-fourth (22%) of the school personnel indicated they actually read the Kansas state law regarding child abuse/neglect. All administrators, one-fourth of the regular teachers, and 15% of the regular education teachers in the elementary grades had read the law. In contrast, 63% of special education personnel a; the secondary level had read it. Of those who have read the law, all did so since 1978. When the school personnel were asked if the Kansas state law required
78
G. BAXTER & J. BEER
that all school personnel report suspected cases of abuse/neglect, 45% responded uncertain, 28% stated awareness that suspected cases must be reported, and 27% felt it was not necessary to report all cases. The three administrators and the counselor were cognizant that all suspected cases must be reported. With the exception of three teachers, the elementary regular education staff was either uncertain or stated reporting was not mandatory. The special education and senior high regular staff personnel showed the most awareness of the law, 31% and 46%, respectively. School personnel need further instruction on Kansas state laws of child abuse/neglect. The regular elementary, junior and senior high staff appear least informed, whereas administrators, special education personnel, and the counselor understand the law.
School District Policy Of all school personnel, 81% indicated uncertainty whether the school system had a policy on child abuselneglect, while about 3% stated that the district had one. Sixteen percent indicated there was no policy on chdd abuselneglect in the school system. The three administrators indicated that they knew the school had no policy on child abuse. The number of educators who were uncertain whether a policy existed suggests better communication is needed between administrators and teachers concerning school policies and the reporting procedure. Two elementary teachers with a total of 18 years experience stated they were aware of the school policy on child abuse even though no policy existed. A policy should be developed, the school personnel need understand the policy and how to report a case of child abuselneglect. Reporting Procedures Of all school personnel, 14% had reported, or had someone report for them, a suspected case of abuselneglect. Of the 14%, 66% felt that the reports reduced or eliminated the abuse/neglect. On the administration level one in the high school has made reports. This principal has reported five cases, or one-third of all cases reported by school personnel. The counselor has reported seven cases of abuselneglect in the junior and senior high - school and teachers were involved in rwo cases at the secondary level. Suspected abuselneglect should be immediately reported to the designated person or social agency. Interesting was the lack of cases reported by elementary personnel despite indication in the literature that most abused/neglected children are found in the lower grades. The mean experience of school personnel was 11.4 yr. (mode = 9 yr.). Those who had reported suspected cases, the mean was 14.8 yr. experience (mode = 11 yr.). One person of the 62% of school personnel with less than 10 years of experience had reported.
WHAT SCHOOL PERSONNEL KNOW ABOUT ABUSE
79
Problems With Reporting About two-thirds of school personnel indicated apprehension about reporting child abuselneglect for fear of parental retaliation (verbal or physical). Those at the junior high level were more fearful than elementary and high school staff. No administrator indicated fear of parental retaliation. Asked if personnel would fear legal reprisal for reporting suspected cases of abuse or neglect, 26% said yes; most were elementary regular staff personnel. Administrators are required to be knowledgeable about legal implications inherent to their position. They may have had a course in school law, updates in their work, and access to the school's legal counsel.
Educational Needs Only one individual, a senior high school administrator, had had formal instruction on chdd abuselneglect, but that instruction occurred more than 10 years ago and from another employee who had had no formal or outside training. Of all school personnel, 14% felt prepared to assist abusedlneglected children, 36% were uncertain, and 50% felt unprepared. When asked if their school district offered any instruction curriculum designed to help students avoid becoming abusive/neglective parents, 27% indicated that they did, 33% stated that they were uncertain, and 40% felt Like their school was offering curriculum. Psychology, sociology, and farmly living were listed as areas of prevention. If instruction was being given, it was not explicitly designed to cover the topic. Again 50% of school personnel gave no indication of awareness that information is explicitly in the curriculum. Nine percent of the school population indicated that there were adult classes offered to the community concerning child abuse/neglect. Over 90% of the faculty stated there were no programs offered to adults in the community nor is the school soliciting community involvement. Educators were asked what educational program would be most helpful to them in recognizing the problems of child abuselneglect. The consensus was they needed workshop or inservice training concerning the definition, recognition, legal aspects, and proper procedures in identifying and reporting child abuselneglect . This study and the literature review indicate: (1) school personnel need training in facts and rationale about law, identifying, and reporting abuselneglect of students (2) through formal, coordinated workshops. (3) Colleges and universities need to offer instruction for future school employees about child abuselneglect. (4) School personnel need to be aware of and abide by the laws regarding reporting cases of abuse/negIect. ( 5 ) Better communication between the school, community, courts, and social service agencies in deal-
80
G . BAXTER & J. BEER
ing with abuse cases is needed. (6) School personnel need to become more aware of what happens after an abuselneglect has been reported. This information, although based on only one school district, identifies problems most school districts may be confronting. REFERENCES
CAMERON, J. S. (1973) Role of the child protective organization. Pediatrics, 73, 793-795. KEMPE, H. C. (1976) The battered-child syndrome. In J. E. Leavitt (Ed.), The battered child: selected reading. Fresno, CA: McGraw-Hill. F? 4. TEN BENSEL, R. W., & BFXDIE,J. (1976) The neglect and abuse of children and youth: the scope of the problems and the school's role. Journal of School Health, 15(0ctober), 453-466. Accepted June 25, 1990.
