Behavior Profile: School Support Staff Protect Learners
Democracy and Governance Goal: Reduce school-related gender-based violence
School Support Staff (Groundsmen, Cleaners, Security, Kitchen Staff, Administrative Staff, etc.) protect learners from GBV and related actions without recrimination, discrimination, or apprehension.
% of support staff at each school who learned of an SRGBV incident in the past [timeframe] who reported it according to guidelines

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

BEHAVIOR AND STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

School Support Staff protect learners from SRGBV and related actions without recriminations, discrimination or apprehension

  1. Adhere to National School Safety Framework and to national GBV-related laws and policies
  2. Adhere to school codes of conduct
  3. Intervene if safe to do so
  4. Report all forms SRGBV happening within the school to School Administrators or teachers

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior?
Structural
Accessibility: School Support Staff to do not protect learners from SRGBV because the NSSF, which clarifies roles of support staff in protecting learners, is not implemented in some schools
Service Experience: School Support Staff do not protect learners from SRGBV as some are perpetrators of SRGBV and because schools are underfunded they have not been well-vetted prior to working at a school
Social
Gender: School Support Staff do not protect learners from SRGBV because they reinforce negative gender norms, e.g. believe girls provoke boys and enjoy attention, believe that “boys will always be boys”, etc.
Internal
Attitudes and Beliefs: School Support Staff do not protect learners from SRGBV because they themselves have been victims of SRGBV and fear getting involved
Self-Efficacy: School Support Staff do not protect learners from SRGBV because there is a lack of confidentiality by school administrators and they fear of being victimized themselves by perpetrators
Knowledge: School Support Staff do not protect leaners from SRGBV because they don't always know their role or responsibility, as defined in school codes of conduct and policies, when it comes to reporting and protecting learners, especially when policies are only written in a language that they do not understand
Knowledge: School Support Staff do not protect learners from SRGBV because they do not always know what SRGBV is, leading to tacit acceptance of less extreme forms
Skills: School Support Staff cannot protect learners from SRGBV because supplemental training on GBV is limited for support staff

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior, and what actions must they take?
Institutional
District Education Department: Participate in quarterly sharing sessions from audit reports and ongoing monitoring
District Education Department: Buy-in to roll out NSSF for schools
Circuit Manager: Provide oversight on case management.
School-based Support Teams (SBSTs): Identify support interventions required for policy/code of conduct/disciplinary procedure implementation eg. counselling services, court preparation, referral to removal to place of safety, legal representation, medical assistance, admission to rehabilitative programmes and tracking follow up appointments.
School-based Support Teams (SBSTs): Develop and implement a comprehensive support plan for School administrators, teachers, school support staff and learners
District Psychosocial Support Services: Provide SRGBV support services for all staff.
School Governing Bodies (SGBs): Hold SMTs accountable for ensuring that the codes of conduct are adhered to and properly implemented.
School Governing Bodies (SGBs): Orient teachers, support staff, parents and learners on the revised policies, codes of conduct and disciplinary procedures as well as child protection and GBV-related laws.
School Governing Bodies (SGBs): Align school codes of conduct, reporting and disciplinary procedures with national protocols and guidelines (ie NSSF and the Protocol for Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools as well as child protection and GBV-related laws)
Department of Basic Education (DBE): Monitor effective implementation of aligned school codes of conduct and disciplinary procedures.
Department of Basic Education (DBE): Assist SGBs to align school codes of conduct to the national guidelines, protocols and policies.
Continuing Education Division: Conduct ongoing refreshers on diversity, human rights, mediation, classroom management, etc. (DED)
Headmasters: Participate in activities and ensure staff carry out roles/responsibilities to prevent SRGBV
School Management Team (SMT): Implement aligned school codes of conduct and disciplinary policies and procedures.
SGBs and SMTs: Encourage and empower all school staff to intervene in SRGBV-related incidents
Community
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs): Distribute support and referral site cards and linkage to SRGBV support services for teachers, learners and support staff.

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

What strategies will best focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Strategy requires Communication Support

Enabling Environment
Institutional Capacity Building: Conduct workshops on gender sensitivity, what SRGBV is and what they, as support staff, can do to prevent it
Institutional Capacity Building: Conduct orientation workshops on the NSSF and Protocol for Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment is Schools (as well as child protection and GBV-related laws)
Partnerships and Networks: Collaborate with Education and Police Services to effectively vet school support staff before they are employed in schools and ensure ongoing monitoring.
Partnerships and Networks: Document, monitor and provide feedback on implementation (gaps and challenges) of School Codes of Conduct, disciplinary procedures, guidelines to the Education Department key departments.
Policies and Governance: Raise awareness on the importance of conducting regular background checks on all staff as per national legislation, policies and guidelines on school safety.
Research: Compile a catalogue/compendium of existing key policies, guidelines, resources, and identify gaps and develop complementary materials/resources.
Research: Research context and interventions in schools and with support staff to gauge knowledge on roles and responsibilities in SRGBV
Systems, Products and Services
Quality Improvement: Conduct baseline audit and regular monitoring of implementation and hold subsequent feedback sessions with schools and key stakeholders on progress and areas for improvement.
Demand and Use
Communication: Conduct interactive talk shows and interviews with the relevant stakeholders to promote a culture of reporting GBV related incidents.
Communication: Link with different social media platforms, e.g. local radio stations, to address SRGBV, and inform and educate about human rights and gender equality
Communication: Create systems within schools that ensures reporting of SRGBV will always be kept strictly confidential, including creating and sharing channels of anonymous reporting
Collective Engagement: Organize school dialogues with school support staff, teachers, SMTs in collaboration with other stakeholders (criminal justice, health and mental health sectors as well as NGOs, CBO’s and other specialist stakeholders) to raise awareness and build capacity on SRGBV, including all the different types of entities they can report to
Collective Engagement: Connect and refer support staff who are survivors of SRGBV with local wellness programs or other support networks and refer any perpetrators for counseling.