CIS Perspectives Blog

This article addresses the most frequently asked questions we receive from schools in our membership community about safer recruitment. As we receive so many questions on this topic, we are facilitating a deep-dive workshop on 3 November, with insights and guidance on international safer recruitment practices.

As schools begin a new academic year, safeguarding leaders have an important opportunity to review child protection systems, strengthen staff training, and prepare for emerging risks affecting students. We asked Dan Furness, CIS Head of Safeguarding & Well-being, what school leaders should prioritise now.

Learn how to strengthen digital safety, communication, reporting pathways, AI use, and well‑being support to keep students safe in virtual learning environments.

AI presents opportunities and risks for young people. Dan Furness highlights the challenges, school pressures, benefits, and guidance for educators and families to foster safe, responsible, and supportive AI use.

This article reveals crucial insights from a review that are highly relevant for international schools aiming to enhance their safeguarding practices. Discover practical recommendations that require minimal funding but a significant shift in mindset. Learn how your school can create a safer environment and protect every child’s well-being.

As 2025 draws to a close, we recognize the CIS global community’s legacy of bold ambition, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to guide and support the young people we educate. Read the highlights.

Discover why international schools are shifting from ‘low-level concerns’ to ‘adult conduct concerns’ in safeguarding. Learn how clear terminology, proactive monitoring, and a culture of trust help protect students and empower educators, and how to achieve safer school communities through practical steps.

Curious about how schools tackle identity-based harm? This blog walks you through the ways communities can support everyone involved—those who caused harm, the witnesses, and families—using restorative practices and cultural shifts. While international schools are making promising strides, the real change comes from keeping equity, inclusion, and well-being at the heart of everything we do.

When we picture students at risk for substance use, we may think of visible hardship: poverty, instability, or trauma. Still, risk doesn’t always look like struggle. What about the students who seem to have it all? Explore practical tips for schools and parents addressing the link between affluent neglect and adolescent substance abuse.

Eating disorders are among the most fatal mental health disorders, and their impact on students' physical and emotional health, as well as their academic and social development, can be profound. As international school staff, it is crucial to understand how to effectively support students who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

It’s been a remarkable year for the CIS community, filled with new initiatives and significant changes. Read our reflections as we celebrate the great strides we're taking forward together.

The prevalence of AI is accompanied by safeguarding concerns facing international schools around online harms. Online sexual extortion is one of these concerns. We’ve outlined seven key actions to prevent and respond to online sexual extortion yourself or when supporting those affected by it.

School safeguarding specialist, Leila Holmyard, explains how identity-based harm and the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion intersect with child protection and safeguarding. She also shares student feedback and how schools can take action to support and protect them.

There’s been huge progress over the past 10 years in the ways we protect and safeguard children in our care. However, international schools still face significant child protection risks, and mitigating them can be difficult. Jane Foster, a specialist in managing allegations, outlines eight key priorities for schools.

'I often hear from those who wish to achieve a sense of belonging for every student but are worried that their initiatives will inadvertently stoke division or backlash within the community.' Learn more from Dr Emily Meadows and see how her framework can help you and your school.

The international education world was rocked by the revelation of child abuse by a trusted member of the community in 2014. Existing policies and practices within international education were insufficient to effectively protect young people in international schools from exploitation and abuse. A global collaboration took action to move from reactive to proactive safeguarding.  

This blog draws from the CIS Model: Whole-School Approach to Safeguarding and shares how schools can take a comprehensive approach to protecting children from risks related to the use of generative AI. It's packed with links to resources and guidance.

An essential part of Dan Furness' role is answering our member questions about safeguarding and well-being. Low-level concerns is a common topic. Here's some guidance.

How do international schools maintain high-quality records of safeguarding and behaviour concerns while protecting and upholding students’ right to privacy and secure data protection? The International Task Force on Child Protection invites international school colleagues to contribute to a survey on practice in this area.

‘Every generation's experience of youth is different. And ours is framed by social media.’ The quote is from a speech by a 14-year-old keynote speaker at a Childnet Safer Internet Day event in 2023. It makes it clear that young people have a unique experience to share. It's vital that we promote student agency and include their voices in our work to ensure they have the skills to navigate the online world safely, especially in the context of a rapidly changing tech world.