Informing Families About Professional Boundaries
Carleen Mitchell, APEI Deputy Director
APEI, AASB and a number of other organizations and individuals have worked together to develop information and training about professional boundaries in order to prevent child abuse from occurring in our schools. Educating administrators and school staff about what professional boundaries are, how adhering to professional boundaries prevents abuse, and the importance of reporting any concerns about boundary violations has been a primary focus in our abuse prevention efforts. Now that most school districts are familiar with professional boundaries, and have begun providing training to staff, we need to let families know about this important topic.
To help school districts share information about professional boundaries with their students’ families, APEI now has available, at no cost, a professionally produced, 3-minute video that provides an overview of professional boundaries for families. This video is available to any school district to post on their website or share at school events. Our goal is for the video to help open discussions between school districts and families to raise awareness about the warning signs of boundary violations and how families can help prevent abuse. The more people we involve in this discussion, the more protection we have for our children!
The Professional Boundaries for Families video can be found here on the APEI website. At this site, you will also find information about additional services and resources available to school districts to assist in abuse prevention efforts. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to APEI to discuss these resources and other ways we may be able to assist with your professional boundaries program.
To access a downloadable version of the video, contact Carleen Mitchell or 907-523-9430, and she will provide a link to access.