Glossary

Abuse

Child abuse and neglect can take many forms; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse and neglect.

Child safe organisation

Child safe organisations value children; they understand safety doesn’t just happen. A commitment to protecting the child is embedded in the organisation’s culture and is understood and accepted by everyone.

Situational prevention

Situational prevention seeks to reduce opportunities for behaviour that presents risk to students. It involves evaluating various elements within our schools – including physical and online environments, staffing, governance, behaviours and culture with an aim to eliminate or mitigate situations that present risk for children and young people.

Extended guardianship

When our leaders, staff and wider school community share a collective responsibility to actively support an environment that is engaging, supportive and safe. At a basic level this involves talking about behaviours that don’t contribute to engaging, supportive and safe environments.

Healthy and respectful relationships

Pope Francis says in AMORIS LÆTITIA, as an essential requirement of love, “every human being is bound to live agreeably with those around him”. Modelling healthy and respectful relationships creates an engaging, safe and supportive environment. It also equips children and young people with the understanding of how they should be treated.

Healthy relationships are often referred to as being ‘respectful relationships’ or ‘ethical relationships’, or even a ‘good relationship’. No matter what type of relationship it is, a respectful relationship typically exhibits characteristics of:

Respect

mutual feelings of regard; sense of feeling affirmed and safe

Communication

really listening, hearing and being heard; understanding; being able to say no

Trust

feeling trust and being trusted

Equality

freely making your own choices

Pastoral care

Pastoral care is the work involved or the situation which exists when one person has responsibility for the wellbeing of another. This includes the provision of spiritual advice and support, education, counselling, medical care, and assistance in times of need. All work involving the supervision or education of children and young people is a work of pastoral care.