Child protection: The protection concept of the pme Lernwelten
We have developed a comprehensive child protection concept to protect children and make them strong. Read here what it involves and how our childcare center teams actively work with it.
All children have a right to a non-violent upbringing in which positive attention and communication at eye level are part of the basic attitude. With our protection concept, we take into account the right to a non-violent upbringing in the family as well as in the childcare facility.
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To the data protection settings "Unfortunately, boundaries can be crossed and violence can occur in educational settings as well as in institutional or family settings. A protection concept that is practiced on a daily basis can prevent dangers and misconduct and helps to act quickly and purposefully in acute cases of suspicion. It supports us in our goal of protecting the integrity of the children and at the same time keeping an eye on the care of the team members.
What does the child protection concept of the pme Familienservice include?
The child protection concept of the pme Familienservice includes regulations and assistance on these topics:
- Prevention
- Power and abuse of power
- Boundary violating behavior among children
- Participation and complaints procedures for children
- Complaints procedure for parents
- Working in partnership with parents
- Consideration of child protection issues in the context of staff recruitment and management
- Legal requirements for fulfilling the protection mandate
- Working in partnership with parents
- Exercising the child protection mandate in the event of suspicions originating from the family
- Rehabilitation and reprocessing
An important component of the child protection concept is the behavior traffic light. It helps the teams to adopt a self-critical attitude in their day-to-day teaching and to constantly question their own behavior.
Violations of children's boundaries don't just start with violence. Taking a child by the hand without being asked or putting a hat on their head can already constitute critical behavior.
The behavior traffic light serves as a guide for educational teams to distinguish between appropriate and critical educational behavior. It supports the exchange and discussion in teams on topics such as physical contact with the child, care situations or assaults among children. The aim is for the teams to develop a common pedagogical attitude with the help of this exchange and to live this in everyday life.
"As professionals, providers and specialist advisors, we have a sound knowledge of developmental psychology. This basic knowledge needs to be examined again and again within the team. Our greatest treasure and our goal is to live a culture of error and to find a common language with which we can address and reflect on critical situations in everyday life."
Stephanie Niemierza, Central Advisory Service, pme Lernwelten
How is the child protection concept of the pme Familienservice implemented?
The topic of child protection is omnipresent at pme-childcare centers , for example in team meetings or when developing the pedagogical concept. The child protection concept serves as a guideline for this and for all everyday situations. All team members receive the protection concept and familiarize themselves with it.
With regular training on the protection concept (at least once a year), we ensure that all team members are aware of the content. Each facility has at least one child protection officer who also receives regular training. They support and advise the manager and the entire team to ensure that the protection mandate is fulfilled.
In addition, we sensitize our team members through training (e.g. mindful pedagogy, pedagogical misconduct, pedagogy according to Pikler-Hengstenberg) for a professional approach to physical contact, closeness and distance, children's rights, child sexuality, power and dependency.
This also includes constantly examining and reflecting on everyday situations in team meetings, during visits by specialist advisors and through institutional analyses and audits.
"As child protection specialists, we make sure that a sensitive eye for the well-being of children is promoted in our learning environments. Our aim is to support children in such a way that professionals are sensitive to changes in behavior and work with parents to find a way to help the child overcome challenges and crises. If families are unable to overcome the challenges themselves, we advise them on possible offers of help or initiate help ourselves if necessary."
Friederike Brender, experienced specialist in child protection
Interview with child protection expert Prof. Jörg Maywald
"It is crucial that we do not make mistakes taboo or sweep them under the carpet"
Mr. Maywald, what exactly does child protection mean to you? Where does it begin?
Jörg Maywald: In the narrower sense, child protection means protecting children from dangers to their well-being. In most cases, the focus is on protection against violence. In a broader sense, it is about the protection of children's rights, i.e. the protection of all children's rights.
Where does prevention begin for you? What makes children strong?
Children are empowered when their rights are recognized and realized. From an educational point of view, it is primarily about personality development, i.e. the promotion of social-emotional skills. In addition to strengthening the children, prevention should also focus on strengthening the adults responsible for the children and on professionalizing the facilities for children.
How do you feel about the current situation with regard to child protection in Germany?
Over the past three years during the coronavirus pandemic, the protection and rights of children have been significantly neglected, and not only in Germany. The multiple and interrelated crises currently being felt on a massive scale - the war of aggression against Ukraine, energy shortages, inflation - also suggest that children are once again being exposed to considerable stress, which is likely to lead to a deterioration in child protection, among other things.
Your experience as a child protection expert: Where are there often "blind spots" in everyday pedagogical work?
Misconduct is particularly common in key situations in everyday life - i.e. mealtimes, sleeping and resting situations, care situations. The professionals are often not even aware of this.
Your tip for educational professionals: How do you address discomfort without immediately placing people under suspicion?
We should of course assume that misconduct is part of everyday life in education, as it is in all professions. It is crucial that we do not make our own mistakes and those of others taboo or sweep them under the carpet, but instead strive to simply keep getting better. Reflection and self-reflection are key characteristics of professionalism.
