Allegations of Abuse Against Staff

Profile

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) is an independent, international, day school located in Beijing. Founded in 2001 with a small cohort of students studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, it has now grown into a large K-12 school with over 1100 students. BWYA has developed a reputation for academic excellence coupled with a strong sense of community. We educate students with English and Chinese as the main language of instruction, as well as with a commitment to the Chinese government education policies for national students. BWYA is authorised with International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB), Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), and accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The school is also a member of Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS) and East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS).

Mission

Beijing World Youth Academy strives to provide members of our community excellent learning opportunities that incorporate critical investigation, exposure to different cultural perspectives and assessment against objective criteria. Our mission is to develop principled, open-minded thinkers who are capable of integrating with diverse international communities and who are empowered to shape their environs for the improvement of quality of life for themselves and others.

Values

As a school community, these are our values:

Compassion: We respect and empathise with the rights, opinions, culture and feelings of others.
Trust: We believe that honesty, integrity and reliability in ourselves and others, forms the cornerstone of our community.
Solidarity: We value harmony and oneness while recognising the individuality of each person in our community.
Collaboration: We recognise that the development of the student is the shared responsibility between the student, the family and the school.

Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

We have adopted the International Baccalaureate ® (IB) Learner Profile, which describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success, as our Schoolwide Learning Outcomes as part of our commitment to help all members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.

As learners we strive to be:

Inquirers: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
Knowledgeable: We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
Thinkers: We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators: We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
Principled: We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
Open-minded: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring: We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
Risk-takers: We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives — intellectual, physical, and emotional — to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognise our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
Reflective: We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

Rationale

It is extremely important that any allegations of abuse against a teacher, any other member of staff, or volunteer in our School is dealt with thoroughly and efficiently. The process must maintain the highest level of protection for the child whilst also giving support to the person who is the subject of the allegation.

The procedure for dealing with allegations against staff depends on the situation and circumstances surrounding the allegation. This policy aims to strike a balance between the need to protect children from abuse and the need to protect staff and volunteers for false or unfounded allegations. It must be followed when dealing with allegations, but may be adapted to each case. This policy will be used alongside the School’s Grievance Policy, Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Policy.

This policy will be used in any case where it is suspected or alleged that a current or past member of staff, a teacher or a volunteer at the School has:

behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or
behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm if they work regularly or closely with children.

Our Child Protection Policy outlines what it means to harm a child and our Staff Code of conduct outlines steps that a staff member is expected to take in order to safeguard students.

Guiding Principles

Beijing World Youth Academy considers no aspect of its operation or administration more important than the health and safety of its employees, students and visitors. This is achieved by maintaining safe and healthy working conditions and by fostering a culture focused on awareness, open communication, safety education and supervision, with safe working methods. Safeguarding is a priority for the BWYA community.

Timescale

It is imperative that allegations against staff are dealt with as efficiently as possible to:

minimise the risk to the child.
minimise the impact on the child’s academic progress.
ensure a fair and thorough investigation for all parties.

To enable this to happen, all staff, parents, and students should be aware of the procedures set out in this policy.

Procedure

Reporting Allegations

All concerns of poor practice or possible child abuse by staff or volunteers should be reported immediately to the relevant principal. The principal will immediately inform the Headmistress and Director of Head Office of any allegations and provide regular updates of any investigations that are conducted. The allegation will be discussed at a Senior Management Team Meeting (SLT) where a course of action will be decided.

Concerns regarding one of the principals should be directed to the Headmistress or Director of Head Office. The Headmistress and Director of Head Office will then meet and decide how to proceed with the allegation.

Staff who are concerned about the conduct of a colleague towards a pupil are undoubtedly placed in a very difficult situation. They may worry that they have misunderstood the situation and they will wonder whether a report could jeopardise their colleague’s career. All staff must remember that the welfare of the child is paramount and must report their concerns immediately.

Suspensions

The School will not suspend a member of staff automatically when an allegation has been made. Typically, suspension will only be considered in cases where there is cause to suspect a child or other children at the School are at risk of harm or the case is so serious that it might be grounds for dismissal. The SLT will be responsible for deciding whether a suspension is warranted, and if so, this will be communicated to the staff member in writing by the Director of Head Office within one day.

The professional reputational damage that can arise from suspension where an allegation is later found to be unsubstantiated, unfounded or malicious must be considered. It may be that the result that would be achieved by suspension could be obtained by alternative arrangements, for example, redeployment.

Resignations

If an employee hands in their resignation when the allegation is made against them, or during an investigation, the investigation will still continue until an outcome has been reached, with or without the employee’s cooperation. The staff member will still be given a full opportunity to answer the allegation made against them.

Investigation of Allegations

Initial Investigation

The relevant principal will initially investigate all allegations as directed by the SLT. The principal will then report his/her initial findings back to the SLT.

In-Depth Investigation

After the initial investigation, the SLT will make a decision as to how to continue the investigation based on the severity of the allegation and the likelihood that the allegation will be substantiated. One of three courses of action will be recommended:

The investigation will be handed over to the police immediately.
The principal will continue to investigate the matter in greater depth.
No further investigation is necessary at this stage.

Outcome of the Investigation

The police or principal will report to the SLT the findings of the investigation. The following definitions should be used when determining the outcome of the investigation:

Substantiated: there is sufficient evidence to prove the allegation.
Malicious: there is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation and there has been a deliberate act to deceive.
False: there is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation.
Unsubstantiated: there is insufficient evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation. The term, therefore, does not imply guilt or innocence.

Substantiated Allegations

The SLT will decide the consequences for the employee of a substantiated allegation based on the school’s Staff Discipline Policy. If the allegations are serious, and it has not already been done so, the school will also report their findings to the police.

Malicious Allegations

If an allegation is found to be intentionally factitious and malicious, the principal will decide what the proper sanction will be for the student who made the false allegation in line with the school’s behavior management policy.

False Allegations

False allegations will be followed up by the principal. The student will also meet with one of the school’s counsellors to determine whether he/she is in need of special care, or to help to understand if they are being abused elsewhere.

Unsubstantiated Allegations

Where an allegation is unsubstantiated, the SLT will determine the most appropriate course of action. This course of action will primarily consider the need to ensure the safety of all students at BWYA, but will also consider the rights of the employee in finding a suitable outcome.