Paparoa Street School
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Our Child Protection policy, along with supporting policies and procedures, applies to any ākonga at Paparoa Street School who is defined as a 
child under the Children's Act 2014 (Part 1, s. 5). Where this policy refers to "ākonga" to maintain consistency with other kura documentation, child protection requirements apply, with the exception of those outside the Children's Act definition.
Child protection framework
As required by the Children's Act 2014 (s. 14), we have adopted this Child Protection policy as our framework for ākonga safety at Paparoa Street School. This policy contains provisions for identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect, with further detail provided in Abuse Recognition and Reporting.
Guidance provided by Paparoa Street School for the safety and wellbeing of ākonga aligns with the principles of partnership/mahi tahi, protection/kaitiakitanga, and participation/whai wāhi; and the rights and responsibilities of all members of our kura community as outlined by te Tiriti o Waitangi. We recognise the importance of involving family/whānau in decision-making, and we involve ākonga in decision-making about themselves in age-appropriate ways.
Our child protection policy, along with supporting documentation, ensures we maintain ākonga welfare as our primary concern, and keep the ākonga at the centre of decision-making. We aim to safeguard our ākonga from abuse and neglect by encouraging concerns to be recognised and shared, and having systems to respond when concerns are raised.
See Ākonga Wellbeing and Safety for a list of policies and procedures supporting child protection at Paparoa Street School.
Supporting ākonga safety and responding to concerns
We support the wellbeing/hauora of our ākonga by establishing positive learning environments, and promoting respectful relationships between ākonga and kaimahi. We have a designated child protection person, who is the primary point of contact for concerns about ākonga, including concerns about abuse or neglect. At Paparoa Street School, this person is the tumuaki. In situations of concern, we aim to work together and intervene early to support ākonga safety and wellbeing.
We foster a safe atmosphere for our ākonga to speak up if they feel that something is wrong or that they are being mistreated. We may use programmes to help ākonga identify healthy and unhealthy relationships. Our kura uses the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme.
Concern response overview
For information specific to the situations listed above, see the corresponding policy. Our response overview is provided here.
If there is immediate danger:
If there is no immediate danger:
Child protection roles and responsibilities
The poari matua is responsible for ensuring all children's workers (core and non-core) employed or engaged by the kura are safety checked before their appointment. Existing children’s workers are safety checked every three years after the last safety check was completed.
If the kura employs a kaimahi that is not considered a children's worker, they are police vetted if their role includes unsupervised access to ākonga.
Kaimahi have a professional responsibility to report any concerns about ākonga wellbeing and safety, particularly in regard to abuse, neglect, or professional misconduct of other kaimahi to the designated child protection person. For more information about kaimahi training, responsibilities, and conduct expectations, see Kaimahi Responsibilities for Child Protection.
At Paparoa Street School, our designated child protection person is the tumuaki, who is the primary point of contact for concerns about ākonga, including concerns about abuse or neglect. The designated child protection person is available and accessible to all other kaimahi, and has experience and training in responding to child protection concerns.
Child protection partnerships
Kaimahi work with relevant contacts within the kura to best support ākonga, and seek guidance from external agencies as appropriate. Unless there is immediate danger, kaimahi do not act alone on their concerns.
Paparoa Street 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 if it is in the best interests of an ākonga, as per information sharing provisions. In all circumstances, Paparoa Street School is carefully guided by these provisions as well as privacy considerations.
For further detail about information sharing processes, see Sharing Ākonga Personal Information with External Agencies.
External agency interviews
If an external agency such as the police or Oranga Tamariki asks to interview an ākonga on kura grounds, the kura ensures the rights of the ākonga are upheld. If Oranga Tamariki contacts the kura to interview an ākonga, that ākonga has the right to a support person if they wish. This support person (e.g. member of support staff, kaiako, or tumuaki) focuses on the safety and wellbeing of the ākonga.
The police may contact the kura to question an ākonga. Ākonga in this situation have the right to remain silent, and the right to a lawyer. If an ākonga who is under 18 is interviewed by police, a nominated adult can support them. See Youth Law: Rights with the Police.
Child protection review
We acknowledge that child protection is everyone’s responsibility and we share and review our Child Protection policy and procedures with our wider kura community.
Child protection topics are reviewed at least once every three years as part of the SchoolDocs review cycle. Our designated child protection person and any other relevant kaimahi are involved in reviewing policies and procedures related to child protection.
The tumuaki assures the poari matua that the Child Protection policy is in use, is being implemented correctly, and is publicly available. See Review Schedule and Poari Matua Assurances.
Hei mihi | Acknowledgement SchoolDocs appreciates the input of Safeguarding Children through their review of Child Protection-related policies and procedures. |
Release history: Term 4 2023, Term 4 2022, Term 1 2021, Term 4 2020
