WE HEAR YOU
Safeguarding Surveys
We help schools across South Africa identify grooming, abuse and unsafe behaviour through anonymous student surveys.
1
We design your tailored WHY Survey
2
We discuss the sample & protocols
3
We administer the Survey at your school
4
We analyse the information & provide a report
Hearing Students' Voices
WHY surveys help students to speak up against unsafe practices. The survey methodology incorporates all four elements of the Lundy Model of Participation, an internationally recognised framework for hearing student voices. These four elements are Audience, Voice, Space, and Influence.
Through one-on-one interviews the student feels heard and assured that their input will be conveyed to the Principal.
The questions are designed to give the student an opportunity to give their own narrative with protection from risk of being identified and exposed.
The interviews are held in a space away from the classroom in a private setting with no visibility to those passing by.
By reporting the results of the survey to the Principal, the students can be assured that their input will be received and acted on at the highest level.
The power of WHY Surveys
WHY Surveys address the concerns of Principals when they ask themselves:
1. Can I assure parents that we do enough to safeguard their children at our School?
2. Are there sufficient workable mechanisms in place in our School to uncover unsafe practices, particularly those that can get pupils to speak up when there is a ‘code of silence’?
3. How can we properly investigate allegations of grooming, bullying or racism made against a teacher or fellow pupil?
4. When an incident arises will I be able to say that I did enough to safeguard pupils at my School?
What are WHY Surveys?
WHY Surveys are an effective tool for gathering information on School Safety. The surveys target specific areas of unsafe practices namely sexual grooming and sexually offensive behaviour, bullying and racism.
Why use WHY Surveys?
1. WHY Surveys are useful to audit the school (annually or more frequently) to uncover and deter unsafe practices. The audit can be targeted to certain sectors (sport, academic, music) or can be applied across all sectors in the school.
2. WHY Surveys are useful to investigate an allegation of grooming, racism or bullying and the methodology is then designed to align with the nature of the complaint.
Why are WHY Surveys effective?
The design and implementation of WHY Surveys makes them effective in getting pupils to speak up. The use of one-on-one interviews that adhere to strict research protocols protecting the anonymity of the learner and confidentiality of the information shared is vital to uncovering incidents of sexual misconduct, racism or bullying in schools.
What is our WHY process?
For your annual safeguarding audit or in response to an allegation we guide you through our easy and effective process
Dr Lisa Dancaster
Lisa has a combination of legal, dispute resolution, research and school governance expertise that combines to make her ideally placed to design and implement WHY surveys for Schools.
Her academic qualifications include a Master of Laws from UKZN and a PhD from Sydney University. She has been an academic and a CCMA Commissioner for over 25 years and has published widely on various aspects of labour law. She has served on School Boards and worked in Human Resources at an Australian School.
Mr Elwyn van den Aardweg
Elwyn has 38 years of teaching and Management experience in South African State and Independent boarding schools, including 9 years as a Housemaster of a boys Boarding House and 22 years as Headmaster of an Independent Boys Boarding school.
Academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pretoria and Geography Honours, a Higher Diploma of Education and Bachelor of Education obtained from Natal University. He is also the co-author of A Dictionary of Educational Psychology prescribed for PGCE and graduate level students.
Who are we?
Meet the people behind the WHY surveys who help to make your Safeguarding process easy and effective.
Book a Survey
Get in Touch
If you wish to get more information or you would like a quote or to make a booking for a WHY Survey please leave a message below or contact us and we will get back to you
By creating safe, confidential ways for learners to speak up, we support a culture of protection, trust, and student wellbeing. Our goal is to give schools clear insight into what students are experiencing – and help protect them before harm occurs.