Shaping the future of international education

International Taskforce on Child Protection

The International Taskforce on Child Protection (ITFCP) was formed in 2014, after its members recognized that in order to affect any real change, organizations needed to work together and not in isolation, to set new standards and raise awareness about abuse within international school communities.  

The ITFCP’s mandate is to apply the collective resources, expertise, and partnerships of its members to help international school communities address child protection challenges. Now a coalition of 90+ volunteers, ITFCP includes leaders of international education organizations, school leaders, counsellors and teachers, working collaboratively across professions with law enforcement officials and the medical community.

 

10-year anniversary of the International Taskforce on Child Protection

This year, we recognize and thank all the incredible educators and professionals who have spent the last decade helping international schools be more informed and prepared to prevent and detect the abuse of children in its many forms.

Hear from Jane Larsson, Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and Chair of the ITFCP, about the history of the Taskforce and some of the important resources now available.

Ray Davis explores how expectations have changed for school communities as they evaluated their safeguarding and child protection practices in our recent blog post.

Map the Taskforce's journey over the last 10 years in this visual poster created by artist and IB teacher, Gary Goodwin.

 

Ongoing Work

The ITFCP now meets regularly to discuss and share good practices and to raise awareness of the challenges facing the international school community in this area, and to help schools to meet these challenges, including through:

  • the design and implementation of international agreements and standards; 
  • the development of tools and resources for schools to use to strengthen their own child protection and student well-being systems;   
  • the identification of experts who excel in providing support and training to school communities,and the design and delivery of high quality training tailored to the specific needs of international school communities;
  • establishing a continuing link with Accreditation, Inspection, Law Enforcement and Recruiting agencies to identify areas of challenge that need continuing focus to strengthen school practices;
  • working alongside and lobbying government agencies around the world to ensure that laws and regulations in their jurisdiction protect children to the greatest extent possible; and  
  • thought leadership and innovative practice, working alongside academics, law enforcement agencies, international charities and experts in a range of disciplines including the law, child protection, child safeguarding and student well-being, medicine and mental health, in order to increase awareness of and protect children against harm and abuse in international school communities. 
 

Founding Members 

  • Jane Larsson, Executive Director, Council of International Schools (Chair)
  • Colin Bell, Executive Director, Council of British International Schools
  • Jeff Paulson, Executive Director, Academy of International School Heads
  • Tim Stuart, Regional Education Officer for Europe, U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools
  • Laura Light, Executive Director, Association for the Advancement of International Education
  • Liz Duffy, President, International Schools Services
  • Kam Chohan, Executive Director, ECIS-Education Collaborative for Schools