Comment
Making our schools more secure Focus on safety and child protection We wish to extend our thanks to all who have so far responded to our invitations, offered in the columns of earlier issues of this publication, to write to us on a wide range of topics. We would like to encourage even more readers to send their views on issues and events that are relevant to all involved in the promotion and implementation of international education in schools. One of the themes to emerge from the contributions we have received concerns aspects of the security of international schools, and the responsibilities that each of us bears in ensuring that the environment in which staff and students work together in our schools is as safe as it can possibly be. Readers may already be aware of the work of The work of the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) has been undertaken by a coalition of 90+ volunteers, leaders of international education organisations, school leaders, counsellors, business and security managers, teachers, and school accreditation, inspection and recruitment professionals, working collaboratively across professions with dedicated law enforcement officials and the medical community. It is this broad collaboration and diverse perspective from a variety of roles which has enriched our discussion and, now, our results. From our origin in May 2014, our charter has been to apply our collective resources, expertise, and partnerships to help international school communities address child protection challenges. Significant outcomes of our work, now completed by three volunteer committees are as follows. Child Protection website launched in cooperation with ICMEC Our partnership with the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) has resulted in the creation of an Education Portal at the new ICMEC website (www.icmec.org/ education-portal/), where school communities can access child protection resources, and report suspected or known abuse. This is a significant step forward as we now have a reliable site for trusted resources. In an advisory role, the ITFCP will continue
Mary Hayden and Jeff Thompson Editors Jonathan Barnes Editorial Director James Rudge Production Director Alex Sharratt Managing Director For Editorial enquiries contact Mary Hayden and Jeff Thompson Email: editor@is-mag.com Website: www.is-mag.com International SchoolŠ is published by John Catt Educational Ltd, 12 Deben Mill Business Centre, Old Maltings Approach, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1BL, UK Company registration 5762466
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the International Task Force on Child Protection, led by Jane Larsson, Executive Director of the Council of International Schools, which recently published the outcomes of the latest stage of its work. Since child protection is a key feature of school security we have, with permission, reproduced below the June 2016 statement of outcomes from the Task Force as a prelude to a number of articles in the first section of this issue, including one by Jane Larsson herself, written by those with direct experiences relevant in different ways to the theme of security in international schools. Mary Hayden and Jeff Thompson
to curate resources for the site, and provide guidance and access to reliable experts in law enforcement so that school communities can confidentially seek advice when they suspect or detect abuse. Chair of the School Policies and Resources Committee, Greg Hedger, emphasized a significant finding of the committee: while resources are important, each school must ensure it is asking the right questions about behaviour. The Committee also cited the importance of having a Code of Conduct as a reference point, and its use to change school culture in detecting and reporting abuse. Accreditation and Inspection agencies agree on recommendations to enhance standards for Child Protection Demonstrating strong collaboration, Accreditation and Inspection agencies evaluating international schools have now officially agreed and signed their names to a document which commits us all to the implementation of enhanced standards for child protection in schools. It was an historic morning in Atlanta on Sunday, 7 February as all of the U.S. regional accreditation agencies and CIS came together and signed the new standards for child protection as recommended by the International Task Force School Evaluation Committee. Adoption Continued
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