Abstract
study inquired into the insight of teachers on their competency to respond to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) disclosures in the school context. Teachers are regarded as mandatory reporters of CSA by the Children’s Amendment Act 41 of 2007 and are expected to report any suspected and disclosed cases of CSA. However, due to the complex nature of CSA, teachers do not always respond to disclosures as obliged.
This study aimed to explore factors that influence teacher efficacy in responding to CSA disclosures and also explore teacher self-efficacy as a cognitive mediator of responding to CSA. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design and an interpretive paradigm was employed for this study. 15 primary school teachers were purposively sampled from a pool of class teachers, Life Skills teachers, the School-Based Support Team and the School Management Team to participate in this study. The self-efficacy theory by Bandura underpins this study as a theoretical framework. Individual in-depth and focus group interviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data collected across the data sets.
The findings of this study suggested that teachers perceive themselves as generally lacking the ability to deal with CSA disclosures as mandated. They indicated that factors that hinder their efficacy include a lack of skills, knowledge, and adequate information on reporting CSA to relevant authorities, concern for safety, and lack of support. Teachers suggested in-service training in the form of workshops and collaboration with child welfare services, parents, and the wider community as factors that can enhance the efficacy in dealing with CSA.
Keywords: Child Sexual Abuse, Teacher competency, self-efficacy, Disclosure, Mandatory reporting.