This study investigates how pre-service (undergraduate) education in Australia prepares early career registered nurses to recognise and report child maltreatment.
Previous research shows nurses report these concerns less often than other professionals, due to barriers such as limited foundational knowledge and personal attitudes toward mandatory reporting.
This research explores whether nursing education offers opportunities to reflect on and challenge these preconceptions.
Key questions include:
Mrs. Sarah Stenson, RN, BN, MN(CFHN), PhD Candidate
Lecturer in Nursing
School of Nursing, Paramedicine, and Healthcare Sciences
Charles Sturt University
sastenson@csu.edu.au
Professor Julian Grant
Associate Dean Research
School of Nursing, Paramedicine, and Healthcare Sciences
Charles Sturt University
jugrant@csu.edu.au
Dr. Angela Fenton
Associate Head of School (Learning & Teaching), Senior Lecturer
School of Education
Charles Sturt University
afenton@csu.edu.au
Professor Alison Hutton
Professor of Nursing
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Western Sydney University
a.hutton@westernsydney.edu.au
This study is recruiting participants from two groups: early career registered nurses and nurse managers or clinical educators. Interviews will explore experiences and perspectives on pre-service (undergraduate) education relating to child protection and mandatory reporting, as well as attitudes and ideas around these topics.
Please read the relevant participant information below to find out more.
The study is seeking early career registered nurses to take part in an interview about their pre-service (i.e. undergraduate) education on child protection and mandatory reporting, as well as their attitudes and ideas around these topics.
Participants do not need to have any prior experience or education in child protection or mandatory reporting to take part.
To be eligible, participants must:
The study is seeking nurse managers and clinical educators to take part in an interview about pre-service education on mandatory reporting and child protection, as well as early career registered nurses attitudes and ideas around these topics.
To be eligible, participants must:
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to attend an interview of up to 60 minutes with the primary researcher, Sarah Stenson. Mrs. Stenson will ask you some questions about your experiences around mandatory reporting and child protection, and your perceptions of their knowledge, attitudes,
and preconceptions.
You will also have the opportunity to email through any “additional thoughts” to Mrs. Stenson after the
interview, should you wish to.
There are no anticipated benefits to you in participating in this research.
As we will be asking questions around mandatory reporting of child maltreatment, there is a risk that this may cause distress to some participants. You will be able to request to pause or cease the interview at any time if you feel distressed and we will support you to access a suitable counselling service if required.
This study is being supported by funds from a Charles Sturt University scholarship.
There is no reimbursement for participating in this study. There will be no cost to you to participate in this study.
Participation in this research is entirely your choice. Whether or not you decide to participate is your decision and will not disadvantage you. Only those who give their informed consent will be included in the project.
You can withdraw from the study up until analysis of your interview has been commenced. This will occur two weeks after your interview has taken place. Should you wish to withdraw from the study, please email Mrs. Stenson at sastenson@csu.edu.au.
All names and identifying information will be kept confidential. You will be assigned a pseudonym so that your name/identity is not associated with your interview answers, and neither your name nor any other identifying details will be printed in any subsequent publications.
Any information that might identify you, including visual images or video (if interviewing over Teams), will be stored securely and only accessed by the researcher and/or supervisors unless you consent otherwise. Should you decide to email Mrs. Stenson with any additional/later thoughts or ideas after the interview, these comments will be de-identified and stored with interview data on a secure server.
Data will be retained for five years after final publication date and stored securely within Charles Sturt
University servers.
The information collected in your interview will be included in a thesis to go towards Mrs. Stenson’s PhD qualification, as well as being submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The information published may include direct quotes and/or paraphrasing of answers given in your interview. Any quotes or records from your interview will be de-identified to project your privacy and confidentiality.
Data gathered in the interviews will not be used for any purpose other than that described here.
You can request to receive the results of the research study as well as copies of any publications that come from the study. If you would like to receive the results of the study and/or any publications, please indicate this on the consent form. You can also email Mrs. Stenson at any time to request that you receive copies of the results and/or publications.
You can choose to conduct your interview with Mrs. Stenson face-to-face or via teleconference using
Microsoft Teams. Your interview will be recorded and transcribed. You will be able to review your interview transcript before it is used in the research project.
If you opt to have the interview face-to-face, only audio will be recorded.
If you opt to have the interview via Microsoft Teams, then both audio and video will be recorded as Teams does not allow the recording of audio only. You may choose to have your camera off if you wish. Any visual representations of you (i.e., video) will be stored securely and only viewed by the researchers and the transcriber. No images of you will be published. You may request a copy of the interview recordings if you wish.
If you choose to email any additional comments to Mrs. Stenson after the interview has concluded, this
information will be securely stored and viewed only by the researchers listed here. These additional
comments will be de-identified and saved with interview transcripts, in a separate document, on a secure server.
If you would like further information, please contact Sarah Stenson at sastenson@csu.edu.au or 02 6338 4376.
Charles Sturt University’s Human Research Ethics Committee has approved this project. If you have any complaints or reservations about the ethical conduct of this project, you may contact the Committee through the Research Integrity Unit via the following contact details:
The Presiding Officer
Human Research Ethics Committee
Research Integrity Unit
Locked Bag 588
Wagga Wagga NSW 2678
Phone: (02) 6933 4213
Email: ethics@csu.edu.au
Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated thoroughly, and you will be informed of the outcome.