Assessing the Implementation of Child Protection Policies in Elementary Schools: Challenges and Best Practices

Strengthening the child protection policy among elementary schools, promote a safer and conducive learning space to learners. However, several news casted on the bullying and violence encountered by victim learners from their classmates, teachers, or other stakeholders. Hence, this study aims to assess the level of implementation of child protection policies in elementary schools, focusing on awareness and understanding, policy implementation and compliance, training and capacity building and school culture and stakeholder engagement, and investigating the challenges and their best practices.
Using sequential explanatory research design, from 94 participants, primarily school staffs and teachers, through written interviews and survey questionnaires results indicated that the five constructs were strong in implementation, with Policy Implementation and Compliance yielding the highest mean (M = 4.72, SD = 0.47) and Training and Capacity Building the lowest (M = 4.51, SD = 0.64). Qualitative results identified areas of concern in terms of policy comprehension, resource management, reporting problems, training, and stakeholder relationship issues.
Best practices, on the other hand included systematic campaigns, constant monitoring of compliance with the policy, transparent reporting and referral, differential training modalities, and active stakeholder engagement. This study therefore recommends to continue reinforcing Child Protection Policy in Maramag Central Elementary School.

child protection policy, implementation, challenges, best practices, elementary school

1. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). Teachers College Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Lipsky, M. (2010). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public service (30th anniversary expanded ed.). Russell Sage Foundation. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Republic of the Philippines, Department of Education. (2012). DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012: Child Protection Policy. Department of Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Republic of the Philippines, Department of Education, Schools Division of Bukidnon. (2023). Division Memorandum No. 367, s. 2023: Project SAFE (Strengthening Anti-bullying and Friendly Environments). Schools Division Office of Bukidnon. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2014). Hidden in plain sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children. UNICEF. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Impact of Ownership Structure on Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Plantation Companies in Sri Lanka
• Urban Sustainability in North-East India: A Study through the lens of NER-SDG index
• Performance Assessment of Predictive Forecasting Techniques for Enhancing Hospital Supply Chain Efficiency in Healthcare Logistics
• The Fractured Self in Julian Barnes' Postmodern Fiction: Identity Crisis and Deflation in Metroland and the Sense of an Ending
• Impact of Flood on the Employment, Labour Productivity and Migration of Agricultural Labour in North Bihar