More Snitches Needed

August 16, 2007 permalink

When the supply of kids runs low, it needs to be replenished. Ontario is providing $1.1 million to train school teachers to turn in kids. If your kid is tired or hungry, or worst of all, so bored with school he wants to jump out of his chair, teachers will now alert CAS.

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Ontario to train teachers to spot abuse

They are well placed to catch early signs of trouble, minister says

August 16, 2007, Louise Brown, Education Reporter

There's not always a bruise to tell the secret.

But a child who is starting to witness violence in the home – or be a victim – may seem a little more sleepy in class, a little more hungry, a little more jumpy and up for a fight, says MPP Sandra Pupatello.

And if someone can read those subtle warning signs, they may be able to intervene before the violence gets worse, says Pupatello, Ontario's minister responsible for women's issues.

A $1.1 million training program announced yesterday will provide workshops for up to 6,000 elementary teachers in how to recognize, and help, children affected by abusive behaviour – with luck, even before it turns to violence.

"Kids spend a large part of their days at school, so educators are in a unique position to read any sudden change in behaviour; to notice a child who is suddenly disruptive or who has an unusual outburst that could point to circumstances happening in the home," Pupatello, MPP for Windsor-West, said in an interview.

While teachers are legally obliged to report any suspected case of child abuse to authorities, Pupatello said they often are not trained in how to ask children questions about their safety in an age-appropriate way, using the right language to draw out the truth without upsetting the child.

Teachers will be able to learn more at the website www.curriculum.org/womanabuse.

The training program is being welcomed by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, which represents 70,000 grade school teachers in the province.

At its annual meeting in Toronto yesterday, the federation elected York Region Teacher David Clegg as its new president.

The former junior high school teacher says he will push Queen's Park to shrink the gap in funding that exists between grade school students and their high school counterparts.

Clegg succeeds Emily Noble as president.

Source: Toronto Star