Ceutan school teachers and their knowledge of child abuse: a knowledge assessment approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The present research seeks to demonstrate different aspects of knowledge among teaching staff regarding an issue that has such a key influence on human development – namely, child abuse. Thanks to its direct contact with pupils, the school itself has to be the context in which such abuse is detected, and related issues mediated. A descriptive study was undertaken by means of a questionnaire adapted from than of Real and Jolluskin (2002). The sample comprised 122 teachers from all 17 state schools at primary and secondary level in the autonomous city of Ceuta, Spain. From the results of the analysis we can conclude that a high percentage of school teachers in Ceuta present a significant lack of knowledge regarding issues such as the steps to be taken when abuse is detected, the tools that can be used to identify it, or the institutions in Ceuta that are charged with the care and protection of children. This may be due to the scant education and training that teachers have received on the topic. The results highlight the need to provide suitably broad training to teaching staff regarding the detection of child abuse, to raise their awareness of the vital role they play in this area.