Definitions of abuse are complex and based on various cultures of child-rearing behaviors and gender and role responsibilities and expectations. The primary determination of abuse is that it is dependent on the wrongful use of a relationship by the more powerful person. This could be a family member, a mentor, an authority figure, or an acquaintance.
ASFG has the right and obligation to document any type of suspected abuse. This may be through written narratives or interviews.
Inflicting physical injury on a child
Failure to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment
A pattern of actions such as inattention to a child’s emotional needs, failure to provide psychological care, or permitting the child to use alcohol or other drugs. Specific examples may include verbal humiliation, refusing to acknowledge the presence of the child, invasion of privacy for no specific reason, violent threats, etc.
Committing or allowing to be committed any sexual offense against a child, such as intentionally touching, either directly or through clothing, the genitals, anus, or breasts of a child for other than hygiene or child care purposes.
Sexual abuse has some different characteristics of child abuse that warrant special attention. Most often sexual abuse requires planning, referred to as grooming, which may result in victims accepting the blame, responsibility, guilt, and shame for the sexual behavior of the offender. Sexual abuse requires far more secrecy than other forms of child abuse, so is more difficult to report. Many victims, through the process of grooming, are taught that sex is a form of love, so tend to love their offender and often present themselves as happy and well- adjusted children with no negative symptoms because of their perception of being loved. Working with the sexual offender cannot be done by school counselors.
This includes failure to provide necessary food or shelter, and/or failure to provide appropriate supervision or proper adult guardianship, such as leaving children unsupervised at home for any extended period of time. If both parents/guardians leave Guadalajara for 24 hours or more during the school week for any reason, they have the responsibility of informing the school of all appropriate contact information. Parents are expected to contact the section office.
Behavioral indicators in and of themselves do not constitute abuse or neglect. Together with other indicators, such as family dynamics, they may warrant a referral.
These indicators of abuse and neglect will be used by the staff member as a guideline for reporting any incidents or suspicions to the section counselor who will determine if the case needs further attention. All staff, faculty, and administrators are mandated to report suspicions or incidences of abuse and neglect within 24 hours. If warranted, the counselor will inform the section principal and the principal will inform the director general. All reports are confidential.
Step 1
When a child reports abuse or there is reasonable cause to believe that abuse is occurring, the teacher will seek advice from the section counselor within 24 hours. The counselor will inform their immediate supervisor within the next 24 hours. The immediate supervisor will inform the director general within 12 hours. The counselor will take initial steps to gather information regarding the reported incident and will form a school-based response team as needed to address the report. The response team will include the counselor/ psychologist, and other individuals as the counselor and immediate supervisor see fit. In all cases, follow- up activities will be conducted in a manner that ensures that information is factually documented and that strict confidentiality is maintained. The following procedures may be used with appropriate discretion, deliberation, and sensitivity:
Step 2
Based on acquired information, the following actions may take place:
Most cases of suspected abuse or neglect will be handled by school counselors, such as those involving:
Some cases will be referred to outside resources, for example:
Cases reported for investigation and outside resources are:
In extreme cases when families do not stop the abuse or concerns remain about the safety of the child, reports could be made to:
Step 3:
Subsequent to a reported and/or substantiated case of child abuse or neglect:
ASFG is defining a standard for the treatment of all children and youth - that they be treated with respect and dignity at all times. Children and youth have legal and moral rights to their individuality, that when protected, will develop into the ability to meet the needs of the family, community, and global society. Child protection standards defined by ASFG encompass all cultures and international law. When given reasonable cause to believe that these rights are violated, ASFG will seek all available resources to restore those rights.