St Joseph's School
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If you believe a child is in immediate danger, phone the police on 111. If you are concerned about the wellbeing of a child, or want to discuss, report, or refer a concern, contact Oranga Tamariki on 0508 326 459 or contact@ot.govt.nz.
Abuse recognition and reporting processes at St Joseph's School are part of our wider Child Protection policy, which applies to all school staff, contractors, and volunteers, and is available to our school community. These procedures fulfil our requirements under the Children's Act (s. 14) to provide information on identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
We expect staff to be alert to changes in student wellbeing or behaviour, and to recognise signs of neglect and abuse. We acknowledge that recognising, sharing, and responding to these concerns as early as possible is key to improving health outcomes for our students. The principal assures the board each year that staff are aware of indicators of abuse, and are familiar with our procedures for reporting abuse.
At St Joseph's School, our designated child protection person is the principal, who is the primary point of contact for concerns about students, including concerns about abuse or neglect. The designated child protection person is available and accessible to all other staff, and has experience and training in responding to child protection concerns.
St Joseph's School works with Oranga Tamariki and the New Zealand Police where appropriate, and liaises with partner agencies and community organisations to support early interventions, with the goal of safe and effective abuse response. We share information with appropriate agencies if it is in the best interests of a student and will support their wellbeing or safety.
Overview of abuse response procedures at St Joseph's School:
Recognising and responding to concerns
Student safety and welfare is the primary concern of St Joseph's School staff. Our staff are trained to be alert to changes in student wellbeing or behaviour, and to recognise signs of neglect and abuse. Information sharing provisions allow staff to share safety and wellbeing concerns, which includes low-level wellbeing concerns through to observations or disclosures of abuse and neglect. If it is in the best interest of a student, staff members are encouraged to proactively and voluntarily share information with other people or organisations who may be able to help.
We advise staff not to act alone when responding to child abuse concerns. This is to protect our staff members, and to avoid prejudicing any legal action. Unless there is immediate danger to a student, staff should consult with the designated child protection person or contact Oranga Tamariki. The designated child protection person reviews any relevant information and decides how best to support the student. This may include sharing information with external agencies, or making a 
report of concern.
If concerns raised by staff or student disclosures do not warrant a report of concern, the designated child protection person reviews any other evidence to see if there are repeated concerns relating to student or their family. The designated child protection person decides if combined evidence meets a higher concern threshold and should be reported. The designated child protection person may organise extra support for the student and/or partner with external agencies to address student needs.
Recognising abuse
Child abuse is defined as harm (whether physically, emotionally, or sexually), ill-treatment, abuse, neglect, or deprivation of any child or young person (Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, s. 2). Neglect is the most common form of abuse, and is defined as the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs.
Abuse and neglect are more likely to be recognised through observations of behaviour or physical indicators than through direct disclosures. We ensure that staff are able to identify signs of abuse and neglect, and encourage concerns to be shared with the designated child protection person.
For a guide to definitions and indicators of child abuse, see the documents below. These provide examples in different situations of abuse, but are not a definitive list. For any queries, we recommend sharing concerns with our designated child protection person or Oranga Tamariki.
See Definitions of Child Abuse 
Managing disclosure
While abuse is usually recognised through observation, students may willingly or accidentally disclose abuse. In this situation, we handle disclosure with care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the student, and to avoid prejudicing any legal action.
Any person who receives a disclosure is advised to:
We encourage staff to seek support for themselves in the event of abuse disclosure, either from a relevant support person at the school or through external support services.
Allegations against staff members
Child abuse concerns involving staff members may come about through observation or disclosure. These may reflect conduct within the school environment, but we also respond to allegations regarding staff behaviour outside of school. Any allegations against staff are taken seriously and dealt with as a matter of urgency. If someone has been accused of abuse, the school may take steps to prevent contact between that person and students at the school.
Any allegations against staff members should be reported to the principal. If a concern involves the principal, it should be reported to the board chair. See Protected Disclosure for the procedures that ensure staff feel confident they can raise concerns without fear of retaliation.
The school reports allegations of child abuse by staff members to Oranga Tamariki and the police. It is the responsibility of these authorities to assess any evidence and investigate whether child abuse has occurred. The school does not directly investigate allegations.
While student safety is our primary concern, we follow a fair disciplinary process in cases of alleged abuse. We uphold the rights of staff to respond to allegations and seek independent advice. During an investigation by Oranga Tamariki or the police, the school does not conduct its own internal investigations that may prejudice an external decision.
We protect any actual or potential legal action by following the advice of authorities in terms of contact with students, family/whānau, and those facing allegations. If there is insufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution, and following the advice of authorities, the school may conduct its own internal investigation.
Abuse and neglect are classed as a serious breach of the Code of Professional Responsibility | Ngā Tikanga Matatika under the Teaching Council Rules 2016 (Part 3). If we have reason to believe that a teacher has engaged in this type of serious misconduct, we make a mandatory report to the Teaching Council of Aotearoa.
Sharing information and reporting abuse
Under the information sharing provisions of the Oranga Tamariki Act, staff may proactively share information with other approved professionals (e.g. relevant members of staff, the board, and social, family, and community services) if it is in the best interests of the student. The decision to share information can be in response to general wellbeing concerns about a student as well as concerns of neglect and abuse.
St Joseph's School makes decisions about whether to report concerns to Oranga Tamariki or the police based on all available information. The reporting process may also involve other external agencies to identify and address student needs. The school consults with Oranga Tamariki and the police as required to decide who informs parents and/or caregivers, and when.
For further detail about the information that St Joseph's School is able to share and request, see Sharing Student Personal Information with External Agencies.
Storing information
We record all information in writing and keep this securely in a child protection file. The designated child protection person refers to this information when making decisions based on further evidence.
We store all information, including records documenting concerns, conversations, advice received, actions taken (including rationale), and any warnings issued, in accordance with our Privacy and School Records Retention and Disposal procedures.
The principal assures the board each year that staff are engaged with the Abuse Recognition and Reporting policy, including indicators of abuse and procedures for reporting abuse. See Review Schedule and Board Assurances.
Release history: Term 4 2022, Term 2 2022, Term 4 2020, Term 4 2019, Term 3 2019
