Dealing with the issue of child protection in any situation can at first seem a rather daunting prospect. It raises all sorts of questions that some people may not want asked. Is it important? Is it relevant to me? How many people does it affect? Does being male or female make any difference? If it is important and relevant, what can I do about it? Although I write from a music teacher’s perspective, the issues raised in this article apply to anyone involved with children and young people on a one-to-one basis. In establishing good working practice, every child, young person, adult and teacher can work in an environment that is safe for all.

Background
The NSPCC conducted research in 2000, which shows that a significant minority of children suffer abuse or neglect1. The research showed that 7% of children experienced serious physical abuse at the hands of their parents or carers during childhood. The percentage of children who had experienced sexual abuse was 21%. Three-quarters of sexually abused children did not tell anyone at the time, and around a third still had not told anyone about their experience(s) by early adulthood. If we are teaching more than a handful of pupils, the chances are that some of them may be either suffering abuse or are survivors. It follows, therefore, that our teaching methods and practice need to take this into account.

We also need to challenge the myth that only men are involved in sexually abusing children. A third of sex abuse allegations are against other children and young people, and it is well documented that females also abuse. Statistics on the extent of reported female sexual abuse vary hugely – from around 5%2 to 38%3, but whatever figure you work from, it shows the importance of both sexes taking child protection seriously.

In 2002 the Criminal Records Bureau was set up to enable employers to carry out a Criminal Records Check on potential employees. This was designed to be part of a recruitment process and would show if there were any recorded reasons for concern, prior to appointment. Unfortunately at this present time, it is not possible to check anyone who is self-employed, which means that as a private music teacher there is no way of obtaining a formal Criminal Records Check. There are plans to introduce a system so that self-employed people can use the Criminal Records Bureau system, but this will not begin until 2007. It is even more important therefore, for private teachers to establish good working practice and procedures.

Bricks and Mortar
There are many simple practical steps we can take to create a safe environment for teaching. When designing my music studio I gave careful thought and consideration to the whole area of ensuring the safety and security of the people I teach. First of all I have a separate, comfortable waiting room where a parent/carer can stay for the duration of the lesson if they wish. There is also a large window in the dividing wall, so that the parent can clearly see what is going on in the lesson at any time. The door between the waiting room and my studio is only ever closed by the student or parent. In practice it is left open for weeks at a time.

There is an external window looking out on the area students have to walk past to enter my studio and which I deliberately left with clear glass so that at any time, someone walking past can see what is happening. The door leading to the waiting room has a large, clear glass panel also. It would have been better for security reasons to put opaque glass in the window and the door, but I felt child protection considerations outweighed this option.

The actual teaching room needs to be large enough so that the pupil does not feel you are invading their personal space, which could be threatening. Some parents feel their child will learn better without their being there but in my situation, as I have already said, I regularly remind parents they are welcome to stay and even join in the lesson. Children love beating their parents at quizzes! Building a good relationship with parents is essential, not only for child protection considerations but also for creating an environment of openness and trust between teacher, parent and child.

Issues of Touch
Issues of touch can be particularly difficult in my profession. Not all activities require this, though sports such as dance, gymnastics and athletics are examples of where, at some point, physical contact may be essential. It is therefore not as simple as saying that you have a ‘no-touch’ policy. The piano is probably one of the instruments where there needs to be very little physical contact but, for example, when explaining to a pupil how to place their hands in the correct position and they simply don’t understand, (especially with young children) the easiest and most effective way is to put their fingers in the correct position on the keys. Whenever I need to do this I always seek permission from my student. It doesn’t take any effort to say ‘Would you mind if I helped you with …’ before any contact is made. The student will then know what you are going to do and why you are doing it. This seems to me totally appropriate if you are trying to teach something and touch is the simplest and quickest way of achieving this.

Conveying the Message
If your profession is similar to mine, there is nothing to stop you having a child protection policy statement available for anyone to see. How this is introduced to a new student however, could be awkward. You want both student and parent to be aware that you have thought about child protection and take it seriously, but not frighten them by presenting them with a formal statement on their first visit. A simple way of solving this problem that also serves as a good advert for the teacher, is to design your own leaflet. This can easily be done on a home PC. Writing a welcome leaflet explaining all the aspects of your work including style, syllabus, examinations, concerts, payments etc. would convey a professional and positive approach to your work. In the leaflet, you could also let the parent/student know that there may be times when you will need to use touch to teach something effectively. Explain that you have a child protection policy available on request at any time if they want to see it or discuss any issues. You are then not making a big deal of it, but are still showing it is important to you as a teacher. Parents expect to be told about payments – why shouldn’t they be told about child protection?

Be Sensitive
Ensuring the safety of children and security of adults is everyone’s responsibility in all situations but when teaching, especially one-to-one, the issues are brought even more into focus. Imagine how a child or adult who has been abused may feel on their first lesson. Any student will often feel nervous, vulnerable and unsure of what they are walking into. How much more could this be exaggerated if the pupil has experienced some form of abuse in a similar environment? Even a welcoming handshake could be really uncomfortable for some survivors. So it is important to find the right balance – be welcoming but not threatening both in what is said and your body language. Ensuring good child protection practice will help to make the pupil feel comfortable and not threatened even if they have no history of abuse, and will inevitably make your teaching more effective. It is worth remembering also, that in implementing child protection measures, it not only ensures the student is safeguarded but also means the teacher is protected from false allegations.

Conclusion
In conclusion, child protection within a one-to-one teaching environment should not be seen as a long list of do’s or don’ts, but as a professional and positive approach to teaching. By implementing the type of good sense strategies contained in this article, rapport with the student will be strengthened, they will have greater confidence in you as a teacher and they will see music (or whatever you teach) as a safe activity to pursue.

1 Cawson et al., 2000, Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, NSPCC.

2 Dr Lisa Bunting, 2005, Females Who Sexually Offend Against Children’, NSPCC www.nspcc.org.uk/home/informationresources/lesexualoffenders.htm

3 Darkness to Light Article, One in Six Men Victims of Childhood Sex Abuse,
www.darkness2light.org/KnowAbout/articles_men_victims.asp

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