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Convicted child abuser Peter Ellis
is questioning what has changed to make it safe for teachers to touch pupils.
His comments come after new
guidelines were released by the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) to
assist teachers, support staff and early childhood educators when interacting
with pupils. They replace a stricter “no
touching” code of practice released in 1998 in response to community concern
after Mr Ellis was convicted of sexually abusing children at the Christchurch
Civic Childcare Centre. Mr Ellis, who always maintained
his innocence, said after an approach to the Otago Daily Times, it had been
15 years since the Civic Creche case and it was still not resolved, so what
had changed to make it safer for teachers to “pat a student on the back”? He was still fighting for his
appeal to be heard by the Privy Council. “It is not behind us, not dealt
with,” Mr Ellis said. NZEI president Irene Cooper said
the new advice reflected the social environment in which schools and early
childhood services operated today. University of Otago primary education
co-ordinator Matt Wilson-Wheeler said the earlier guidelines caused
considerable anxiety for both training and practising teachers. “It’s a very positive shift.” Anecdotal evidence showed that the
possibility of being accused of inappropriate touching discouraged men from
entering the profession. “This may allay some of the
anxiety, I would hope.” Other moves like increasing
salaries and publicity campaigns had failed to attract men to the profession,
but “hopefully this might turn things around”, he said. Teachers also had an ethic of care
and to have a trusting relationship with their pupils, some degree of
touching was implicit. It was important individual
schools developed specific policies around physical contact in consultation
with their communities. New Zealand Principals Federation
executive member Paddy Ford, of Balclutha School, said the guidelines should
provide a more relaxed atmosphere for teachers to work in. It showed common sense was once
again coming to the fore around the physical contact issue. “It proves it is all right to be
in contact with children in the right circumstances.” The guidelines might even attract
much-needed male teachers to the sector, he said. Dunedin Kindergarten Association
senior teacher Christine Gale said traditional teaching practice in
kindergartens had always involved teachers comforting their charges. Teachers were always very careful
to keep themselves safe when dealing with activities like changing clothes. |
