The school counselors and notification of child abuse – analysis of the process

Objective: To illuminate the process from worries to notification when school counselors comes in contact with issues related to child maltreatment an abuse. Method: As a part of a project, aiming to facilitate the process... [ view full abstract ]

Objective: To illuminate the process from worries to notification when school counselors comes in contact with issues related to child maltreatment an abuse.

Method: As a part of a project, aiming to facilitate the process to help maltreated school aged children a narrative approach was applied. 32 school professionals from of various occupations in six different schools for children 6-15 years old in Sweden were interviewed.

Results: The study included 63 cases of children and school professionals recounted about the whole process from worries and cooperating with parents to doing a report. When worrying for the child they had concerns for the best for the child, their relation to the parents, consequences for the child and reported about ongoing worries long after the related situation. School counselors had a large and extensive network. They collaborated with the police and social services. A comprehensive resource center for the children of immigrant families was highlighted. Personal responsibility is great among the school counselors and the estimates indicate that they agree to a great extent in their ability to perceive the needs of the pupils.  

Conclusion: School professionals in general overestimate their ability loud that they can perceive a pupil in distress. They largely believed that they have the ability to talk with pupils about difficult things, good ability to assess the balance between the ability to do good and the risk to hurt. Moral distress can occur in school professionals’ who feel that external factors can counteract the efforts made for the best pupils. Questions about how and when school counselors will notify the social concerns eminently ethical issues creates a moral stress.