Dealing With Sensitive Issues: Shared Visions For Outside School Hours Care

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Fact sheet 14 | Shared visions for outside school hours care
Dealing with sensitive issues

Children bring their lives and concerns
to OSHC. This means that at times they
will share with you information about
themselves and their families that
should be kept confidential, and at
times you may feel you have no right to
know. At other times they may share
things that you feel a professional
obligation to pass on to someone.
Sometimes a child may tell you
something about another child that is
serious, for example that they are
engaging in inappropriate sexual
exploration. And at times the child may
divulge sensitive information in the
presence of other children. The
challenges for you as an OSHC worker
is that in all these situations the child is
looking to you for a response, and
secondly that you have to decide what
action to take in response to what you
have been told.
These situations are all very different
and an appropriate response depends
on the child or children and your
relationship with them. Below are some
general suggestions of things to think
about as you decide how to respond.
Try to hear what the child is really
saying, and what feelings are being
expressed. It is always tempting to
overlay our own feelings about
sensitive issues onto others, and
interpret what they say and do
according to our own experience and
feelings. A child may tell you something
in order to find out what you think.
Dont deny or belittle the childs

feelings. Sometimes because we want
to be reassuring, or because we dont
want to believe something terrible a
child has told us, we may say things to
a child such as, Oh, thats nothing to
worry about, or Thats not possible, or
Dont be silly, or Dont be afraid.
Although our intentions are good, what
we are doing in effect is negating or
denying the childs feelings. The most
helpful thing is to validate the childs
feelings, letting them know that we hear
what they are saying, and reassuring
them that help is available to deal with
the situation, whether it is a situation
that exists in the service or in the
childs home and family life.
Dont overreact or jump to conclusions.
Be calm and keep your emotions in
check. Children need to know that
adults will be supportive and will help
them keep safe.
Depending on the age of the child, you
may want to talk to them about not
talking openly about issues that should
be shared with only certain people. This
has to be done carefully and
thoughtfully, as you dont want the child
to get the message that he or she
should keep troubling matters to
themselves or that what is on their
minds is something to be ashamed
about.
Maintain confidentiality and follow the
policies about sharing information that
exist in your OSHC service. When a
child shares something with you that
you need to discuss with your

Coordinator, make arrangements to do
so as soon as possible and, in the
meantime, keep the information the
child shared with you confidential.
Let your coordinator decide on the
appropriate course of action, including
whether or not to discuss the issues
that have been raised with parents.
The coordinator will be clear about
professional and legal obligations
to act.
At times controversial issues come up
in conversation because children learn
about them in the news and may hear
their parents and other adults around
them talking about them war, issues
related to immigration and particular
cultural and religious groups, or
abortion, for example. At times you will
hear children making inappropriate
comments about others because of
their sexual orientation, religion or
cultural background. OSHC can provide
a safe setting for children to explore
various views about such issues.
However, families often hold strong
beliefs about them and may become
alarmed if they believe their child is
being exposed to inappropriate beliefs.
To further complicate matters, some of
the views expressed may contradict the
values and philosophy of the service.
Be aware of your service policy and
philosophy on such issues as diversity,
sexism, racism, discrimination, and nonviolent conflict resolution. Talk with your
colleagues to be sure that you all have
the same understandings of these.
Back
Fact sheet 14 | Shared visions for outside school hours care
Encourage open sharing of views about

issues, but challenge those that are
incompatible with your service
philosophy and policies. Challenge
them strongly and rationally without
making the children asserting the views
feel stupid or ashamed. Offer
experiences and evidence to challenge
stereotypes, for example.
Try to keep your own personal views on
controversial issues to yourself, except
when they support those of the service.
Children need places where they feel
comfortable and secure enough to be
themselves, to share what they are
thinking and feeling. They need
relationships with trusted adults to be
comfortable saying whats on their
mind. OSHC can be such a place.
Acknowledgement: Produced by Community Child Care Association, funded by Department of Human Services
Copyright Department of Human Services 2004
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 555 Collins Street, Melbourne
Printed by Newtone Press, Nunawading
Links to Shared visions

Chapter 4: A profile of children five
to twelve
Questions and reflections

1. Are you clear about how your
services philosophy and policies
link to sensitive issues that
children might bring up? If so,
do you think they provide
sufficient guidance for your
responses to children? If not,
what constructive steps can you
and other staff members take to
make them more helpful?
2. What are the confidentiality
guidelines that operate in your
service?
3. Identify three controversial
issues that you have strong
views about. Have situations
ever come up in your work
where you had to decide to
either divulge or not divulge
those views?
How would you deal with racist
or homophobic comments you
overheard children making?

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Fact sheet 14 | Shared visions for outside school hours care

Dealing with sensitive issues

Dont deny or belittle the childs

you need to discuss with your

Fact sheet 14 | Shared visions for outside school hours care

Encourage open sharing of views about

Links to Shared visions

Questions and reflections

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