INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / APRIL 17, 1990

 

 

Accusations of child abuse in preschool
— forum planned

he number of allegations of

child abuse against preschool
teachers is on the rise — creating
fear, frustration and confusion
among caregivers and patients, ac-
cording to Susan Harney, an Early
Childhood Education instructor at
Douglas College.

A forum at Douglas College
on April 24 will set the stage for
discussion and information ex-
change on issues regarding sex
abuse and early childhood educa-
tion. The forum, called When the
Unthinkable Happens — Accusations
of Child Abuse in Preschool, will
bring together a panel of experts
and an audience made up of
people connected with early
childhood care.

"We're responding to a need in
the field," says Harney, referring to
the increased number of allega-
tions. "When in this situation,
caregivers often don’t know what
to do. They’re frightened and con-
fused."

Although they might have a
handbook that covers procedures
when an allegation happens, they
may still feel devastated and con-
fused. "When it’s somebody’s
reputation on the line, it’s really
frightening,” she says.

Harney, who will moderate
the forum, says the panel of ex-
perts will include representatives
from the Ministry of Health, Minis-
try of Social Services and Housing,
the attorney-general’s department
and the police. There will also be a
representative from the profes-
sional organization, Early Child-
hood Educators of B.C.

The audience, she says, will in-
clude caregivers, parents, ad-
ministrators in the field of early

childhood education, licensing of-
ficers and social workers. Each
panel member will give a five-
minute talk, and the remainder of
the three-hour forum will be open
to questions and general discus-
sion.

Topics to be discussed include
normal sexual behavior and pre-
schoolers, and increased sen-
sitivity to parental concerns. Other
key issues under examination will
be policies and procedures regard-
ing disclosure and abuse allega-
tions, and repercussions of
unsubstaritiated allegations to
caregivers and centres.

The forum, Harney says, aims
“to prepare the caregivers in case
the unthinkable happens."

She urges caregivers and
others involved in early childhood
care to attend. "It’s important be-
cause it’s a dialogue happening in
a non-threatening situation. They
need to be talking about these
things before it happens."

The forurn will also provide a
learning opportunity for the ex-
perts. "To my mind, it’s one of the
first times when we’ve brought
together the three ministries,
police, the: professional organiza-
tion and an audience to sit down
and hash this thing through. I
think the: people on the panel are
going to learn just as much as the
people in the audience," Harney
says.

Harney teaches courses at
Douglas College. She is also an ad-
ministrator at a child care centre
and is just finishing a term as presi-
dent of Early Childhood Educators
of B.C.

The forum When the Unthink-
able Happens — Aiccusations of Child

Abuse in Preschool, will be held
Tuesday, April 24, 7 to 10 p.m. at
Douglas College in New West-
minster. To register call 527-5472. @

 

Introduction to
computers

(CIS 110-N90)
for staff, faculty
and administrators

Once again, a special section
of CIS 110 - Introduction to Com-
puters is being offered for ad-
ministrators, faculty and staff.

The course is scheduled for
Tuesdays and Thursdays from
1600 to 1900, commencing on
May 8, 1990 and ending on June
26, 1990. The lecture portion of
the course will take place in
Room 4312 and labs are
scheduled in Room 4333.

Space is limited and this
course may not be offered
specifically for employees
during the Fall 1990 semester.
Registration will occur during
the regular credit registration
process May 7th.

Those who do not have ac-
cess to an IBM-PC compatible
computer at home will be
provided with one by the Col-
lege for the duration of the
course.

BCGEU staff interested in
taking the course should
familiarize themselves with Ar-
ticle 21.06 of the Collective
Agreement.

Please contact Marian Ex-
mann in the Personnel Office
(local 5338) for further details. @