Safe Schools hotline reports bullying

The Western Cape Education Department's (WCED's) Safe Schools hotline has received almost 10 000 calls this year.

It says the hotline is part of its attempt to become a more responsive organisation. “An important element of this is to be readily available in order to address the needs of our schools, educators and our learners.”

The WCED says it has various contact centres which play an important role in helping it meet this objective.

The Safe Schools hotline is available to schools, educators and learners to report all school crime and abuse, and aims to contribute to a safe and crime-free school environment.

“The Safe Schools call centre can be reached at toll-free number 0800 45 46 47, and provides immediate, free, online communication to learners, parents and teachers needing help, guidance or information regarding education-related safety issues,” says the department.

It adds that the call centre is open Monday to Friday, 07h00 to 16h00, and is situated at its head office.

It provides a service in the three official languages of the Western Province: Afrikaans, English and Xhosa; and serves as a coordinating centre from which referrals are made to appropriate agencies and from which important information is disseminated to the relevant parties.

This year, the Safe Schools call centre received a total of 9 890 calls, 1 727 of which required further assistance and support, according to the department.

Of the 1 727 calls, 496 dealt with reports on burglary and vandalism, 292 on crime-related incidents, 255 on abuse such as bullying, and 219 for counselling and psychological support.

“In 2011, a total of 12 267 calls were made to the Safe Schools call centre. 3 235 of the calls required further support or assistance. The majority of these calls dealt with burglary and vandalism (784), crime-related incidents (670) and governing body enquiries (622). The majority of governing body enquiries mainly dealt with disciplinary matters such as misconduct.”

The WCED explains that when members of the public call the call centre, they immediately receive online debriefing during crisis calls and, during non-crisis calls, are directed, when necessary, to the counselling agencies of the department, non-governmental organisations and community organisations.

“In some instances, the call centre will require the support of the South African Police Services or the applicable emergency service. For instance, during an incident of gang violence and/or trespassing, the call centre will ensure that the relevant authorities are alerted to deal with gang intimidation and threats, gang shootings and gang killings in and around the school.

“The call centre will also provide immediate assistance in the event of any traumatic incidents, such as suicides, hijackings, missing persons and the discovery of weapons or drugs on the school premises.”

The call centre also provides information or advice on, among others, teenage pregnancies, HIV and AIDS, school fees, and the registration of learners.

“The call centre is linked with an extensive network of service providers that support the work of the call centre. This includes inter- and intra-dependent non-governmental organisations, community organisations and faith-based organisations.”