Interviewed by pastoral specialist and teacher Adele Bates, Rachel discusses the impact of the abuse, including on her education and behaviour in school. She talks about her attempts to disclose and how she was finally rescued from her abuser.
She discusses spotting the signs of abuse, the barriers to disclosure, how staff should handle disclosures – how we must respond – and what to do if you suspect a child is being abused or is at risk of harm.
We also talk about the behaviour of children who are living with trauma and what staff should be aware of.
Rachel has been writing about these themes in SecEd (https://bit.ly/seced-disclosure) and wanted to take part in this episode to help support school staff to know what to do in safeguarding situations.
The podcast makes for uncomfortable listening at times but is essential listening for all those working with children in schools.
Rachel W has a wealth of experience both personally and professionally in education, fostering, residential childcare and as an instructor for managing challenging behaviours within these settings. Rachel is an abuse survivor, thriver and currently the managing director of Animal Assisted Therapy for young people. Rachel is also raising funds to help her in her mission to improve child protection training. Find out more via https://gofund.me/e5e4655f
The episode is hosted by Adele Bates. Adele supports school leaders and teachers to work with pupils with behavioural needs and SEMH. She is the author of Miss, I Don’t Give A Sh*t: Engaging with challenging behaviour in schools (Sage & Corwin). Follow her on Twitter @adelebatesZ.
To hear other SecEd podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'The SecEd Podcast' in your podcast streaming application of choice. Or visit www.sec-ed.co.uk/podcasts. For details about The SecEd Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at editor@sec-ed.co.uk