Background
The initiative originated with the schools themselves, Van Duijn explains. “School principals approached the municipality with questions. They were dealing with groups of pupils they could not get a grip on, and did not really know who could help them with this. Other principals began raising the issue of alcohol and drug use at school, and also asked the municipality for help.”
“Schools have been struggling to survive for a very long time,” Van Duijn continues. “They have all these problems coming in, but were not supported in dealing with them. Not financially, but not with knowledge either.” Van Duijn believes that schools did not address the problem of subversion because otherwise it would have become too much. “If you do not name it, it is not there, and you do not have to do anything about it either.”
Approach
Van Duijn was commissioned to develop an approach that contributes to a safe learning and living environment at school. Her first step was to gain an understanding of the problems occurring at the schools. “And above all, to sharpen that understanding by involving the perspectives of various relevant partners. What is happening at school? What do we know, and what do we not know yet? And what is happening among young people?”
Forming core teams
At a number of schools, she therefore formed ‘core teams’ comprising the school, the social neighbourhood team, youth workers, the community police officer and the school attendance officer. Every four weeks, they discuss trends and developments and bring together signals and insights about young people.
Roles and responsibilities
Van Duijn facilitates these meetings and ensures that the discussion focuses primarily on the roles and responsibilities of the various parties. “What can the neighbourhood team do? When do you, as a school, call the police? What can you organise through school attendance services? By discussing these issues, lines of communication gradually begin to emerge that were not there before.”
Sometimes the discussion concerns specific information and professional expertise needed within the school. Van Duijn gives the example of a school where pupils were trading e-cigarettes. “A teacher saw this and took a pupil to an official within the school. But that person had no idea what to do. Is it a criminal offence? Should they call the police? Should they confiscate the e-cigarettes? Or call the parents? They had no answers to any of these questions. This creates a sense of insecurity among young people.”
School as a full-fledged partner
According to Van Duijn, it is therefore important that schools are supported and that they can show their vulnerability by being open about the problems occurring at school. She is pleased that schools are finally being regarded as full-fledged partners in matters concerning safety.
Points of attention for an approach to school safety
Take responsibility
“Professionals have a responsibility to create a safe environment for young people. We must assume that responsibility. Not only the teacher, but also the caretaker, youth worker and community police officer.”
Know what is happening among young people
“You must be aware that, as a professional, you have a role to play, including when it comes to knowledge of what is happening among young people. I know that the speed at which young people develop, with everything that happens online, is much greater than we can keep up with. But that does not absolve us of the obligation to continue developing professionally. Otherwise, we are abandoning children.”
Ensure awareness, willingness and a course of action
“Is the maths teacher aware that red eyes may mean someone is stoned? Is he then willing to do something about it? Or does he think: I am just going to teach the Pythagorean theorem and let someone else deal with those red eyes? And if that maths teacher is willing to act, does he know what to do? Does he know whom to contact, and what the consequences are for the pupil?”
Trust in the expertise of partners
“Municipalities must take on an active and directing role, without interfering too much with the substance of the work. As a municipality, you must be able to trust that a youth care organisation knows about youth care and that the police know about criminal investigation. So you direct the joint analysis and strategy, and the achievement of a shared result.”
Reach out to one another
“Consider which domain of the pedagogical triangle you are active in, and seek contact with professionals in the other domains. If they do not come to you, you must go to them. So if a school is annoyed that the community police officer never visits: get on your bike and ride to the police station yourself. Because it is also your responsibility to connect the street, school and home.”
You can read the full interview with Mette van Duijn in the NJi’s online magazine Juvenile Crime .