Q&A: Protecting kids from abuse and how to have conversations that could prevent it
CBC
Twice this year, Windsor police have laid sexual assault charges against two individuals who were working with young people.
In January, a 34-year-old man was charged with five counts each of sexual assault and interference. At the time of the alleged incidents, the accused was employed by the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. Police said five children, all younger than 16 at the time, have since come forward to investigators.
This week, a 35-year-old man was charged with two counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation. Police say he was employed by the Greater Essex County District School Board as an advisor at the high school level, and that he has been a coach in the sports community for several years.
None of these allegations have been proven in court.
CBC Windsor Morning guest-host Peter Duck spoke with Karyn Kibsey, manager of training and education with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, about what organizations, parents and children should know to better protect kids.
The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Duck: How common are incidents like this?
Kibsey: I think we're all seeing an increase of this in the media. So whether it is in sport, in school or a faith-based organization, really across all child-serving organizations, it is something that we hear about and definitely is a concern.
What we know is that the vast majority of those who work and volunteer with children are there for the right reasons. But child-serving organizations ... these organizations aren't invulnerable to this happening, and it's extremely important that they're putting in place measures to safeguard children in their care.
We know that coaches and other volunteers generally need to get police background checks before they can take on positions involving kids. How do predators still get through the cracks?
Police background checks are a very important part of the screening process and absolutely should be there for those working with children or volunteering with children. But they really are only one part of the equation when it comes to determining if somebody is safe to be working with or volunteering with children.
Most offenders won't have a criminal record, so relying on only a criminal record check simply isn't enough when organizations are looking at what they're doing in terms of their screening processes.
What other things should be part of that screening process?
Many organizations might have policies, for example, around what to do when they suspect child sexual abuse, but it's critically important that those policies also address risk. So rather than only focusing on something like incident response, this would include putting in place policies around staff and volunteer screening, as well as training on these issues. So training on sexual abuse, and what reporting procedures are within an organization, ensuring that an organization has a child protection code of conduct so that they develop a document that outlines what the expectations are for those working and volunteering with children. And this is really tied to appropriate boundaries in their interactions and conversations.
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