Ontario College of Teacher introduces Sexual Abuse Prevention Program

BY PAUL JUNOR

The introduction of a new online sexual abuse prevention program by the Ontario College of Teachers and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection was announced in the December issue of Professional Speaking, the quarterly publication of OCT.

The Ontario government passed legislation in order to support the OCT in its attempts to ensure that the safety of students is emphasized. There will be a formal launch of the program on January 3^rd, 2022. Ontario certified teachers (OCTs) will have until August 31^st, 2022 to successfully complete the program. Teachers who are entering the teaching profession or returning will have to pass the program in order to be certified to teach in Ontario.

Paul Boniferro, Transition Supervisory Officer of the OCT told Professional Speaking, “The College protects the interests and well-being of students, so C3P is a natural partner for us. While incidents of student abuse are rare, this program reflects our on-going commitment to student safety by providing professional development opportunities to College licensees.”

The program will feature video testimonials from individuals who survived sexual abuse as well as offenders. In addition to other OCT’s resources, there is the expectation that this new program will prompt actions to be taken faster if there are concerns that a student is at potential risk.

The collaboration between the Ontario College of Teachers and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection will be a unique one in Canada. Dr.Derek Haime, Registrar of the OCT told Professional Speaking, “This program is a critical next step in a series of student safety initiatives developed by the College over the past two years. It will strengthen the profession when all OCTs, myself included, are empowered to pass the benefits of this program on to students through the creation of safer and more supportive learning spaces.”

There is hope that this program could become a template for other jurisdictions to follow in Canada. Noni Classen, Director of Education at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection told Professional Speaking, “I’ve had numerous conversations with people across the country, and they are watching this initiative closely because it will lead the way. There has been a gap when it comes to helping teachers better understand what high-risk behaviour looks like, and how to act on it when they see it.”

There is no doubt that the push to have this program in place is influenced by concerns that educators play such a critical role in children’s lives and are expected to guard that trust. In addition, it is intended to ensure that there is clarification given to the distinction between breach of the boundary from faulty choices on the teacher’s part and those who may intend on being abusive. Classen clarifies, “The program focuses on what creates healthy relationships between adults and students. What somebody may readily identify as concerning behaviour that may not be illegal can still erode relationships because it crosses boundaries. There is hope that this innovative program will be a catalyst to help students early before the doors of self-disclosure are closed.”

There is hope that focusing on developing healthy relationships and revealing unhealthy ones, it will bring early intervention to help students who are vulnerable.