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New relaxed guidelines on physical
contact between teachers and children are to be released today. The New Zealand Educational
Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) guidelines cover 45,000 NZEI members who educate
around 860,000 children aged from two to 20. The new guidelines will recognise
that teachers and support staff will come into physical contact with children
and students during their work and said "this is acceptable when carried
out in a professional and responsible manner that is age appropriate". The guidelines advise NZEI members
"to use common sense in all areas of their interaction with children and
be mindful of situations that may expose themselves to unnecessary
risk." NZEI president Irene Cooper said
guidelines were developed after discussions among teachers and support staff.
The new guidelines replace NZEI's
code of practice on physical contact, which was issued in 1998. A report by Auckland University
education lecturer Alison Jones, released in 2003 highlighted interviews of
primary school teachers and principals who spoke about their reluctance to
touch children because of widespread social anxiety about sexual abuse. The teachers reported wet and
naked children wandering out of pool changing rooms looking for help in
getting dressed, and girls lying prone on sports fields while male teachers
sent children to find a female to help. "In many instances, female
teachers have had to be called away from their own groups to assist male
colleagues afraid to touch or be alone with a child." Ms Cooper said NZEI acknowledged
that the previous code was more cautious in its advice. "But NZEI knows from
experience that teachers and support staff still need to be aware that
physical contact with children and students can be misconstrued. "That's why the guidelines advise
them to be mindful of situations that may expose them to unnecessary risk and
to work together to develop policies and practices that minimise that
risk," Ms Cooper said. The new guidelines have been
welcomed by those in the industry. Raetahi Primary School principal
Brian Laing said in the 1990's there was an upsurge of anxiety in the
community about the issue of adults having physical contact with children. "This led to a view that it
was best to avoid physical contact for the safety of the children and the
teachers." Mr Laing sa id they were now
saying that teachers and support staff did come into contact with children in
the course of their work and that was okay when it was done in an appropriate
way. Christchurch Somerfield School
Year one and two teacher Chris Eccersall-Panther said he was made aware of
the issue of physical contact while studying to become a teacher. "It's something I've always
been conscious of in terms of my own safety." But he said it had not affected
his work as a teacher in the caring and nurturing of children of that age and
the physical safety of them and me. "It's just using commonsense
and its about not putting myself in a position where it could be unsafe for
me." Mr Eccersall-Panther said he
supported guidelines because they took a "commonsense approach". "The guidelines reflect what
is happening in classrooms and centres on a day to day basis," he said. And early childhood teacher Hayley
Whitaker said that to provide quality early childhood education involved
appropriate physical contact with children. "Some of these kids, as young
as four weeks old, are with us for up to 50 hours a week. You need to pick a
child up and give them a cuddle when they are upset." She said the new guidelines
recognise that appropriate contact was part of teaching and they gave early
childhood education centres the space to work out the policies that suit
their teachers and children. |
