Draft Guidelines on Assaults for Schools INTO Special Education Conference Croke Park, 8 th December 2012

The Legal Context EU OSHA Definition- 3 rd Party Violence in the context of the workplace – “physical violence, verbal aggression or the threat of physical violence where the aggressor is not a work colleague, e.g. the person, customer, client or patient receiving the service” Assaults on teachers ( by pupils or others) are a workplace safety issue

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 The Employer- the Board of Management shall ensure, as far as reasonably practical, the safety, health and welfare of employees through: – Assessing risks and minimizing these through taking measures set out in the act – Reporting incidents where appropriate Employees have a duty to take reasonable care to protect their safety at work.

Consequences of Violence at Work For the individual – Physical harm – Stress – Emotional trauma – Feelings of powerlessness – Demotivation For the organization Higher staff turnover Increased absenteeism and sickness absence Higher insurance costs

Guidelines – should include Introduction- – Assaults acknowledged as an organisational issue, not a personal one – Constructive approach to prevention and dealing with assaults Background – Definition, legal framework, prevalence – Impact of assaults

Concrete Steps to be taken in the school Understanding of the situation Impact on staff Raise awareness Discussion and assessment in a trustful manner Taking Stock Risk assessment Shared commitment to minimize assaults Positive approaches to behaviour management Link with other school policies (H/S, Code of Behaviour) Co- operative Approach to prevention

Guidelines Outline steps following assault Supports available Dealing with incidents Clear simple internal procedures Template for report (from HSA) Clear outline of how reports are responded to Reporting Training and professional developmentMonitoring and follow -up

Where to next? Preparation of a report of this Conference INTO discussions with the DES and Management bodies with a view to revising Circular 40/97 INTO Representation – development of HSE Health and Safety Guidelines for Primary Schools In the interim, work at school level to develop policy in their own context