Safety Policy

Safety Policies

Updated Dec. 5, 2022.

Safety guidelines between CHeS workers and students - CHeS requires that parents/guardians remain with their children during in home sessions/visits or for CHeS paid sessions out of the home. This includes transportation to and from locations where learning or therapy is taking place.  CHeS does not support students being alone with CHeS paid service providers or staff members (teacher, coordinator, EA, etc…) CHeS is not liable if any of these safety guidelines are ignored. If a child or a staff member feels unsafe or threatened in any way, the incident should be reported immediately to the principal (877-777-1547 ext. 2 or 12) or her alternate, Danita Braun (877-777-1547 ext. 16). Staff visiting homes have the right to refuse unsafe or abusive situations and must report any threats immediately.   Students and adults alike must feel safe and protected in all environments.

Reporting Child Abuse - Under section 13(1)(a) to (d) of the Child, Family and Community Service Act, everyone who has reason to believe a child has been or is likely to be physically harmed, sexually abused, or sexually exploited by any person(s) is legally bound to promptly report their concerns to a child protection social worker.

Confidentiality of information - Information regarding an allegation of child abuse and/or neglect will be first disclosed to the principal, then promptly to a child protection social worker. For further information, please refer toA Guide for Independent School Personnel Responding to Child Abuse” or "The BC Handbook for Action on Child Abuse and Neglect".

The helpline for Children is: Phone # 310-1234 from anywhere in BC (no area code needed).  Children may phone this number for help if they feel threatened by any person in their family or otherwise.

Electronic Communication Supervision - Messenger, our preferred communication application stores all communications between students and staff. Parents should oversee all communications and CHeS administration monitors communications to insure accountability.  If students use other forms of communication parent should be aware and supervise content sharing.  

Safety on the Internet - Parents need to: (1) supervise while their children are surfing, ensuring they are visiting appropriate sites and using chat rooms safely; (2) install appropriate computer system defenses; (3) discuss immediately any messages or bulletin board items which are suggestive, obscene, belligerent or threatening.  

Christian Home e-School will not tolerate any form of bullying: physical, electronic, or otherwise.  Expect Respect and a Safe Education (erase) is a wonderful place to access support. Go here to find a reporting tool and more wonderful helpful safety information.  CHeS is trained in the Erase strategies for dealing with harm, and we will do all we can to "ERASE VIOLENCE / EMBRACE COMPASSION!

“Every child deserves an education free from discrimination, bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence.” (Ministry) Parents are responsible for creating a safe environment in the home and online for their children but CHeS also supports online safety through their commitment to communicate openly with the parents and the principal should they suspect any kind of abuse, bullying, or safety concern. CHeS has a trained Safe School Coordinator (the principal) or Alternate (the principal’s assistant) readily available to address any bullying or harassment concerns. Please report immediately to 877-777-1547 ext. 12 or ext. 16   Note: internet safety resources are linked into our planner system and we encourage all families visit this information. Internet safety is paramount in our form of delivery therefore we encourage the following practices:

  • Do not allow your child to have a computer with Internet access in their bedroom or any area that is private. Move it into the family room or someplace where you can easily see the activity.
  • Set time restraints. Do not allow your child to spend hour after hour online.
  • Check history and consider installing tracking software as well as parental controls (see resources below) . If your child is “wiping” the history every time, then you should find out why.
  • Spend time with your child online. This does so many things including giving you quality time with your child. Explore together!
  • Teach your children that when they come across any material that makes them feel uncomfortable, scared, or confused to immediately tell you or another trusted adult.
  • Teach your children to never open emails from people they do not know in person.
  • Teach children to never reveal any personal information and to immediately tell you or a trusted adult if someone ever makes them feel uncomfortable or starts communicating in a sexually explicit manner.
  • On social networks like Facebook, make sure the privacy settings are on to limit contact to only those on your child’s “friends” list and those should be people the child actually knows in person.
  • Make sure your child understands that anything that gets posted online will always be out there and can NEVER be completely deleted.  All pictures should be cleared by you before posting.
  • Make sure your child understands that he or she should, under no circumstances, ever meet in person someone they met online without you being present.

 

Other Resources:

When Should You Get Your Child a Cell Phone? - Focus on the Family

Covenant Eyes – Internet Accountability and Filtering

Net Nanny- Blocks Apps and Filters Web Content on any device on any network

Wizimage - hides images in a way that minimizes the impact on the user's browsing experience.

Safe, Caring and Orderly Schools: A Guide - Ministry of Education

Raising Digitally Responsible Youth – A Parent's Guide