The Development of and Perceptions of the Value of Statutory Child Protection Measures Regulating Non-State Schools in Queensland: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

From time to time there are widely-reported cases of child abuse in churches, voluntary groups, child care operations, schools, and the wider community, which draw attention to the issue and tend to draw the topic into sharp focus for governments, the media and the community. While there can be no guarantees in place to protect children, there is public agreement that the problem of child abuse be addressed and that governments of the day recognize their duty to be active agents in child protection. The role of government in creating and implementing legislation is the topic of this thesis: where particular emphasis is placed on how regulatory measures are perceived and valued by primary school principals in the non-state sector in Queensland. Three aspects of the problem are identified, namely the historical appearance of categories of child abuse, the emergence and role of the law in setting up concepts aimed at child protection, and the importance now placed on the school in discussions around abused children. It is within this context that the existing key statutory child protection measures are analyzed, and through which the objects of the research and research questions are posed. A 3-phase analysis is undertaken to set a context that situates the empirical study.