Safe Guarding in Madrasahs

In Leicester and throughout the UK, Madrasahs which are run outside school hours or on weekends, teach Muslim children Islamic education. Madrasahs have played a key part in continuing the faith of Islam for over 1400 years. They have been instrumental in the development of countless Islamic scholars and teachers who have helped to nurture and foster the spirit of Islam. Children from the age of four onwards learn to read the Qur’an and learn about Hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH), Seerah (the life of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH ), Aqaa’id (beliefs), Akhlaaq and Aadaab (manners and etiquettes) and Fiqh (basic Islamic rulings).

All Madrasahs are self-financed, voluntary and independent organisations, which are run either from  Mosques, local community centres or homes. Also more and more Madrasah classes are being provided in mainstream primary or secondary school premises.

Today Madrasahs aimsto enable children to become model citizens whilst maintaining their religious and cultural heritage. Madrasahs make a tremendous contribution to the community in general and children’s welfare in particular. Over the years, Madrasahs have developed better practices in managing and delivering Islamic Education. They are better structured and have more qualified teachers bringing experience from mainstream teaching methods into the Madrasahs.

However, there still remains work to be done in promoting better safeguarding standards especially in relation to discipline and behaviour management. Some Madrasah teachers are not familiar with the law therefore exposing themselves to allegations of abuse.

The Federation of Muslim Organisations Leicestershire (FMO) has identified over 65 Madrasahs in the county providing services to over 10,000 children. These services are provided by over 450 volunteers and staff usually for two hours a day, five days a week.

Background

In early 2007, the Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Local  Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) [setup as result of the Children Act 2004], held meetings with the FMO to take forward a proposal from the LSCB to work with the Madrasahs in Leicestershire. The proposal was to establish a project which aimed to create safer working practices and empower staff in Madrasahs for the benefit of young children in their care during Madrasah time.

Subsequently, the Safeguarding in Madrasahs Project was established with initial funding for a part time development worker. The project was launched in November 2007 and a delivery plan was developed in consultation with 55 Madrasah representatives. The delivery plan identified the following objectives:

1. Promote standards for a safe environment for children
2. Raise awareness for knowing what to do for concerns
3. Enhance joint working between agencies
4. Build capacity of Madrasah staff and volunteers

In meeting these objectives, a series of visits to Madrasahs were held to identify their support needs. The visits along with the delivery plan have formed the basis of the project’s activities has carried out in the last two years such as, training, advice and support, CRB checking and providing sample policies.