Responding to a disclosure
It is important that school staff know how to respond if a student or an adult discloses abuse.
A disclosure can be:
- made by anyone, including the student who has experienced abuse or someone they know
- verbal or non-verbal
- intentional or accidental - it is important to treat these disclosures the same way as when you receive a disclosure
- complete or partial, including in stages over time
- a way for the discloser to process their experiences.
There are many barriers to making a disclosure. The person making the disclosure may:
- worry that the disclosure will not be believed
- have fears for their safety or someone else’s safety
- be concerned they will be blamed or treated negatively because of the disclosure
- exhibit self-blame leading to shame or embarrassment
- worry about their commitment to a relationship with the person abusing them
- be concerned about the impact on the person abusing them
- hope that abusive behaviour will change
- be experiencing isolation, minimisation or denial as coping strategies
- be experiencing a power imbalance between children and adults
- not wish to disclose because of their culture, identity, gender, sexuality and disability
- be experiencing racism and discrimination
- have had previous negative experiences or difficulty navigating the service system.
Conditions that empower, encourage and support students to disclose include:
- a school culture that actively promotes child safety and encourages speaking up
- safe adults are available and accessible
- students are given opportunities to raise and discuss concerns
- students are taught to support their peers
- students are taught about their rights and the behaviour they can expect from the adults around them
- complaints processes that are child focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone.
Responding in a safe, respectful and supportive manner can:
- promote feelings of safety
- help the impacted student to manage the effects of the abuse
- help the impacted student access appropriate support
- influence whether the person makes future disclosures.
When someone discloses abuse – particularly for the first time – the reaction they get can strongly influence whether they seek help in future.
- If they feel disbelieved, blamed or judged, they are less likely to seek help again soon.
- If they feel supported and believed, they are more likely to disclose again to another professional.
Knowing what to say after a disclosure is an important part of response.
When the source of abuse is an adult engaged by a school
If you receive a disclosure and the source of abuse is an adult engaged by a school, do not notify the student or adult involved. This can compromise the investigation and increase risk to the student.
Follow the advice for your school sector:
Disclosures from a student – what to do
When receiving a disclosure from a student, there are several important things you can do.
After a disclosure
After you have received a disclosure, continue to follow the 4 Critical Actions for the source of abuse.
If the disclosure is not about an adult engaged by a school, it is important to keep students informed of the actions you are taking to respond. Note that you may be instructed by Victoria Police not to share information if the abuse takes place at the school.
Students can feel a great sense of loss of control when their disclosure needs to be shared with others. This can lead to feelings of betrayal, which may cause future mistrust of staff and support services. To decrease the negative impact of sharing information:
- ensure students who have disclosed abuse are kept informed
- prepare them for each step of the process by clearly explaining what is happening and why
- use age-appropriate language.
You may need to request information from other services. See Information Sharing and Family Violence Reforms: Guidance and Tools(opens in a new window).
The person who received the disclosure may also need mental health and wellbeing support. This could be immediate or later on. For more information, see support for school staff.
Disclosures from someone who is not the victim
There may be circumstances where a student’s friend, sibling, parent or carer, or someone else they know, discloses or provides information regarding child abuse. For example, a student’s parent or carer may disclose family violence. Note that if a student’s parent or carer is experiencing family violence it is likely that the student may also be experiencing abuse.
When you receive a disclosure or information about child abuse from someone who is not the victim, it is important to use the same strategies outlined on this page.
See disclosures from a student – what to do.
What to do when a student retracts a disclosure
There are some circumstances where a student may retract a previous disclosure. This could be the result of:
- receiving pressure from others, including the person committing the abuse
- worrying about consequences and changing their mind
- the initial disclosure receiving a lack of support.
In these circumstances, you must still act by following the 4 Critical Actions for that source of abuse.
Child Safe Standards - complaints processes guidance
Responding to a disclosure is part of managing a child safety complaint.
Child Safe Standard 7 focuses on ensuring that schools have complaints processes that are child-focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone.
To comply with this standard, at minimum, schools must ensure they have:
- a complaints handling policy
- procedures for responding to complaints or concerns relating to child abuse.
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