Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1485769
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 NOVEMBER 2022 JAMES DEBONO 40 out of 63 school heads or as- sistant heads participating in a national study have encountered suspected cases of child sexual abuse at some point in their role as educational leaders. But while a significant 65% fulfilled their legal duty to re- port these cases to social ser- vices, 14 respondents (35%) said they had failed to report suspicions, even in times they were bound by school policy to disclose this information. In six out of 12 cases, these principals feared retaliation by parents, guardians or other relatives, while in the rest they were con- cerned about the legal implica- tions of reporting. The study published in the Malta Journal of Education on the role of secondary school leaders in responding to child sexual abuse was authored by teacher Neal Sammut, whose data was collected from 63 questionnaires across state, church and independent schools, and interviews with 10 heads of school. The author said the low response rate (63 out of 240 requests) was down to sex being a taboo subject for many heads and acting heads. Duty to report child abuse cases The obligation to report cas- es of child sexual abuse stems from the Child Protection Pro- cedures for Schools of 1999, with a similar policy adopted by church schools setting out clear guidelines on child pro- tection. Whilst under both pol- icies every school can designate a member of staff for child pro- tection matters, the ultimate responsibility for all cases of abuse lies in the hands of heads and acting heads. The Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act (2020) further emphasised educators' legal responsibility to report their concerns and suspicions pertaining to any form of child abuse and ne- glect. 49 of the 63 leaders (77.8%) indicated they were aware of the policy, but 10 were either unsure and four were actually unaware of their legal duty. Participants showed a will- ingness to fulfil their duty to report these cases, but knowl- edge on this sensitive topic remains somewhat lacking amongst them. This was at- tributed to a lack of pre-service and CoPE (Community of Pro- fessional Educators) training opportunities on all aspects of child sexual abuse. Moreover, the study reveals that dealing with child sexual abuse poses significant emo- tional challenges for educa- tional leaders. All school heads claimed to have followed some form of training linked to child sexual abuse but most believe it to be insufficient to meet their legal obligations, describing their training as either sporadic or insufficient. "We have training but not enough. Unfortunate- ly, we are so taken by changes and reforms that unfortunate- ly, these things appear as a pe- riphery," one frustrated head of school said. Educational leaders report- ed an average of 6.63 hours of training on child sexual abuse in their careers. The majority (61.9%) had not followed any form of pre-service training and just over 50% had not fol- lowed any CoPE sessions. Only 10 had followed CoPE sessions and just one claimed to have a very high level of con- fidence in dealing with this is- sue. Most respondents reported 'moderate' confidence (60%) while 20% reported having 'low' confidence. Stressful situations The study also casts a light on the psychological stress en- dured by school leaders when dealing with such cases. One school head explained how both her physical and men- tal health are directly affected: "I pass through months where I do not sleep a single night and I pass through months where I feel miserable. I feel that even my health is deteriorating." Another Head described the experience of having to appear in court following a referral to court as "scary". Two of the interviewees who dealt with two separate cases concerned a teacher as the perpetrator of this abuse. Both heads ex- pressed a mixture of feelings, namely deception, guilt, anger, and betrayal. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Heads of school say they have little training on child abuse Study finds 64% of school principals encounter cases of child sexual abuse in their schools with 65% fulfilling legal duties to report, but many say they have had less than 7 hours of training KURT SANSONE EVANS Building at the tip of Vallet- ta has been earmarked by the gov- ernment for hotel development and a request for proposals is expected shortly, MaltaToday has learnt. The four-storey building was built in 1952 to serve as university laboratories and was subsequently used to house a number of govern- ment offices, including the Elector- al Commission. The site also includes the lost re- mains of the Chapel of Bones, which is located beneath the ground. Sources close to government said the request for proposals will seek to gauge interest from the private sector for a 65-year concession to transform the building into tourist accommodation. The conditions are expected to include the retention of the build- ing's outer shell, despite this not being a requirement according to the 2011 St Elmo development brief, and archaeological investi- gations and restoration of buried structures. This will be the second RFP is- sued by Malta Strategic Partner- ship Projects, a government enti- ty, for the regeneration of a public building. The first RFP was issued for the Chalet in Sliema. Prime Minister Robert Abela had indicated the Chalet, Evans Building and the old fish market in Grand Harbour (the pixkerija) as public buildings the government wanted to give out on concession for redevelopment. Evans Building earmarked for hotel development