ATL

Wales

Investigations into allegations against staff must be quickly and fairly dealt with, says Dr Philip Dixon, director of ATL Cymru

The central place of children in the Welsh policy agenda was underscored by the establishment of the first Children's Commissioner in the UK. The paramount importance attached to child protection was shown by the establishment of the Independent Investigation Service set up in 2006.

ATL Cymru welcomed both of these innovations in principle: teachers and support staff are acutely aware of the need for proper scrutiny of those who work with children, but the practice has been less than ideal.

Commenting on the first year of the Investigation Service, the Children's Commissioner revealed that out of 92 referrals to the investigators, just five resulted in disciplinary action of any kind. It is obvious that the calibration for investigation was set far too high. As the system beds down, we must hope that a more reasonable and balanced use is made of this service.

What the stark statistics do not reveal is the human cost of these investigations. Members in Wales caught up in these investigations, either as the subject or as a witness, all testify to the snail's pace of the process and the anxiety it causes to individuals and to the school as a whole.

The current child protection framework is weakest in addressing the problem of malicious allegations, and again we have some examples of these. ATL Cymru is not pressing for special treatment for teachers, but equal treatment. 'Innocent until proven guilty' is a hallmark of all civilised societies - this has to hold true in schools, as well as the wider world.