Disclosure Reporting Protocol
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- In Manitoba, regulations under Section 17 of The Child and Family Services Act (1999) indicate that every school division staff must report, or cause to be reported, any case of suspected child abuse relating to a child attending the school
- The Act states that anyone who has information that leads a person to reasonably believe that a child is being or has been abused or is in need of protection, or might be in need of protection, must report this suspicion
- It is not the school division staff’s responsibility to prove that a child is in need of protection. The responsibility is to report any suspicions, concerns or information that a child is or might be in need of protection. This report must then be made to a parent/guardian of the child or to an agency.
- In general, a report that a child may be in need of protection may be made directly to a parent/guardian when it is clear that the parent/guardian will ensure the adequate protection of the child. This is most often the case in situations where the incident was caused by a person who does not have care, custody, control or charge of the child. In all other circumstances, it is advisable to report suspicions of child protection to a Child and Family Services Agency.
- If a school division staff cannot determine whether the report can/should be made to a parent/guardian directly, it is strongly recommended that the staff consult with the school administrator and/or a school division social worker.
- Prior to contacting the parent/guardian or the agency directly regarding a child in need of protection, staff members will consult with their principal
- If the suspicion of a child in need of protection involves a school division staff member, these are our guidelines:
1. Contact the principal who will inform the superintendent
2. Contact the parent
3. The division will commence with an investigation
4. The division will consult Child and Family Services
- When reporting to an agency, school Division staff should document in an objective manner on the Sunrise Child Protection/Suspicion of Abuse Report template, any behaviour by a student that might be a sign or symptom suggesting that the child may need protection. This information will be shared verbally with the principal.
· date and time of entry
· full name of the child referred to in entry
· signature of the person making the entry
· demographics for ease of related contact and follow-up
· any of the following objective data:
o description of an injury observed, including size, shape, colour, and location on body
(write the description so the injury can be easily understood)
o drastic changes or chronic problems with a child’s health or behaviour
o direct quotes related to child protection from the child and/or parent/adult
o acting out, direct quotes, or explicit drawings by the child during play that concern injury,
o description of the situation ( ie; neglect, emotional or sexual abuse or assault)
- Once the report is made to the agency, the documentation is placed in a sealed envelope and forwarded to the Sunrise Education Center, c/o The Division Principal of Student Support Programs. The information will remain sealed and will be kept on file at the Sunrise Education Center. Retention and estruction of this file will occur as per Sunrise Pupil File Guidelines.
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