Fostering Friendships - Enhancing Social Bonds in the Classroom
Safeguarding part1
1. You & Your Family
Against
Allegations of Abuse
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
2. Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge and thank the following for their
contribution, support and encouragement:
Trillium Foundation
Ann Dafoe, President of Hastings FPA
Canadian Foster Families Association (CFFA)
FPSO Board of Directors
Children’s Aid Foundation
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
3. WHY Do We Need to Safeguard?
While, for much of the time, foster parents do the same
things that natural parents do, they have to accept that, in
other ways, their task is a different one from that of the
natural parents.
Unlike foster parents' own children, the children in their
care do not belong to them. They are held in trust. Having
someone else's children is not a natural situation. The
Society has ultimate responsibility for the children and is
involved in their lives.
Note: Throughout this training session the term “Society” has been used to
stand for; CAS, Children’s Aid Society, Family & Children Services, FCS
Agency, Agencies etc.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
4. WHY?
Foster parents never think that their family will be the
one that will be reported for possible abuse.
However, there has been a significant increase in reports
of allegations of abuse in foster families and it is likely
that this trend will continue.
Foster families are at greater risk of an allegation than
other families.
Foster families are held to different, higher standards for
what will be considered abuse in their homes.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
5. FOSTER FAMILIES
CONSTANTLY
LIVE
IN A
FISH BOWL
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
6. WHY?
Foster family life is highly visible in the community and
held up to public scrutiny.
Consumers of social services - foster children and their
biological relatives - are familiar with child abuse report
procedures and effects.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
7. WHY?
Societies are concerned about their legal liability
regarding placed children.
Foster children are often "high risk" both in
terms of the responses they may elicit from
others and in terms of the abuse risk they pose
for other children
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
8. HOW Do We Safeguard Ourselves?
By Providing Foster Parents with:
KNOWLEDGE
&
TRAINING
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
9. Training Objectives
To identify the reasons and the context for allegations
To develop family safety strategies to prevent false
allegations
To understand the investigative procedure
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
10. SECTION I
ALLEGATIONS
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
11. WHAT IS AN ALLEGATION?
An allegation is a statement
or suggestion made by an
individual about another
person with respect to an
abusive behaviour as defined
under the Child & Family
Services Act.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
12. The child’s safety is our first concern.
Abuse allegations are serious and must be dealt with
seriously because we have given the child the promise
of safety.
When an abuse allegation is taken seriously the child
learns that adults can be trusted.
Allegations will happen and can be a learning
experience. Crisis causes learning. We need to ask what
could I do differently?
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
13. SECTION II
UNDERSTANDING
ALLEGATIONS
of ABUSE
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
14. REASONS for ALLEGATIONS of ABUSE
Actual abuse has occurred. Actual emotional, physical
or sexual abuse has occurred in the foster family. The abuser
could be one of the foster parents, other foster children,
natural children or even a visitor to the foster home.
Language is misinterpreted. An adult's action or
expression has been misinterpreted. Children who have been
abused, particularly sexually, sometimes misread a situation
based on an earlier experience. To the child, an action might
seem a repetition of a sequence that was used when he/she
was actually abused.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
15. REASONS for ALLEGATIONS of ABUSE (cont’d)
Memories are confused with the present. Sometimes
as repressed memories of abuse come to the surface, the
child confuses this with abuse currently happening in the
present placement.
A child’s perception of day to day experiences is determined
by their past. Crisis and/or stress can bring out feelings or
reactions from the past. Seeing someone who looks like
someone from the past can trigger feelings/reactions. These
reactions can lead to false allegations based on memories of
the past.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
16. REASONS for ALLEGATIONS of ABUSE (cont’d)
Body language is misinterpreted
Revenge. The child, or perhaps someone in the child's
family, has a grudge against the foster parent or Society and
uses an allegation of abuse as a weapon.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
17. REASONS for ALLEGATIONS of ABUSE (cont’d)
Attention seeking. This is a way of obtaining the
attention the child seeks. It can also be a cry for help.
A child may be getting back at the system. He/she knows
that an allegation is easy to make but difficult to disprove.
The foster child wants to break a placement, is not listened
to, and knows this is a way to ensure a move.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
18. REASONS for ALLEGATIONS of ABUSE (cont’d)
The child/youth may want to break the
placement because:
abuse has occurred
he/she wants to go home (various reasons-might
want to get back to protect siblings)
he/she believes the placement won’t last (no
investment)
might want to be placed in the home of a sibling
believe that no one cares for him or her. Has a history
of being unloved by parents and sibs.
conflicting loyalties, desire to please bio parents
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
19. CRITICAL EMOTIONAL STAGES
THAT MIGHT LEAD TO ALLEGATIONS
Anger stage: Self expression: “I hate this place”. “You
are not my mother” “I could do this at home.”
Poor Case Management: Placement disruption, or foster
parent hanging in for the child.
Honeymoon period. Shock denial stage.
The crisis: “Do you still love me when I am this bad?”
Questioning whether foster parent will still be there for
them.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
20. POINTS TO CONSIDER
We tend to interpret our experiences by what
we know and what we have experienced.
Our foster kids see us as parents. Their past experience
with parents was not positive therefore they see us as
not positive.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
21. POINTS TO CONSIDER (Cont’d)
We see in others what we
expect to see and miss what
we do not.
Children do this: They see an
attitude where there is no attitude.
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
22. CONTEXT FOR MAKING ALLEGATIONS
Isolation
Too few adults
Too many children
Memory chargers
Changes
Access visits
School problems
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario
23. This concludes the first portion of the
Safeguarding training session.
Click on the “Back” button of your
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main page to continue
Online Training "Safeguarding"
Foster Parents Society of Ontario