Protecting students from harm: how teachers’ experiences of violence influence reporting

Background Schools play a central role in child protection, with teachers on the front line in identifying violence against children. Despite mandatory reporting obligations, many identified situations remain unreported. While institutional barriers to reporting are well documented internationally, the influence of prior victimisation experiences on reporting practices remains underexplored.Purpose This article explores the effects of the experience of violence during childhood or adolescence on teachers’ professional practices in protecting students who are victims of such violence. Based in France, the study aims to answer the following research question: To what extent do teachers’ experiences of familial violence influence their propensity to report familial violence of which their pupils may be victims?Method The study adopted an explanatory sequential design combining data from a questionnaire sent to teachers from kindergarten (pupils aged from 2.5 years) to high school (pupils aged 18 and older) and answered by 640. Teacher testimonials were also collected during semi-structured interviews with a subset of questionnaire respondents (n = 39).Findings Cross-analysis of results revealed that reporting of concerns of child abuse took place independently of victimisation experience. The practice was largely subject to collective institutional dynamics, in which professional legitimacy, power relations and organisational norms determined the conditions for expression and the scope of teachers’ action. Even those with expertise in identification found that their vigilance could be neutralised or their words delegitimised in decision-making processes.Conclusion This research shows that institutional constraints, rather than personal histories of violence, shaped these teachers’ protection practices. It makes a case for the training, recognition and legitimacy of teachers to be strengthened so that their expertise can fully contribute to the protection of children who are victims of violence.