2–3 October 2025
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Child Protection & Well-being
CIS is committed to child protection & well-being
CIS educates and supports international school communities to address child protection challenges through our services and resources.
Together, we educate and support international communities to:
- ensure a shared understanding of the signs and risks of child abuse
- know what steps will be taken when allegations and disclosures of abuse are raised
- support and guide educators to work within diverse communities and cultural contexts to prevent and address abuse
- interpret and implement new accreditation standards, developing new policies and practice to strengthen child protection
- learn new recruitment strategies to use when hiring new staff
CIS International Accreditation protocol includes standards that evaluate the school’s child protection policy and practices. A set of comprehensive international standards developed by the International Taskforce for Child Protection provides a framework for the implementation of policies and procedures.
Our team of CIS Affiliated Consultants also help school communities navigate all aspects of child protection—from education and prevention to managing allegations and recovery.
Child Protection & Well-being Workshops
We bring together a team of experts, world-renowned in child protection and mental health & well-being in schools, to deliver in-person and online workshops to support educators learning about critical steps to protect students.
15–16 October 2025
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28 October 2025
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11–12 November 2025
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20 January 2026
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5 February 2026
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12–13 February 2026
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10–11 March 2026
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21 April 2026
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19 May 2026
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Resources
- View the International Taskforce on Child Protection resource page for more information to support your school.
- Stay up to date with the latest developments and guidance related to student well-being and child protection on the CIS Perspectives blog.
- CIS members can log in to the CIS Community portal and access a library of member-only webinars to support them with a variety of safeguarding and well-being topics.
CIS International Safeguarding Toolkit
The CIS International Safeguarding Toolkit is an online developmental tool to help CIS member schools monitor current practices, understand opportunities for development and growth, track progress, and create a common understanding with school communities on how a school safeguards the students in their care. The toolkit will support a school at any stage of development to improve and manage safeguarding in a school.
Schools will use this toolkit to:
- Identify areas of strength and areas for development. The toolkit content applies to schools in any legal or cultural context, and indicators will point out where schools need to confer with in-country laws.
- Explore resources available exclusively within the toolkit for guided learning within your school.
- Create reviews for each element for communications and reporting within the school community.
- Prepare information and evidence for any accreditation process.
The toolkit is a subscription service available to all CIS member schools. The annual subscription fee is €1,050, which includes an admin login for the school, additional school user logins and two 1–hour virtual meetings during the year with CIS Safeguarding experts who developed the content for the tool.
CIS members can find more information about the toolkit in the CIS Community portal for schools. For schools interested in membership, download a flyer for more information or contact us at membership@cois.org.
Related content
Read more about child protection and student well-being on the blog.
In an era marked by unprecedented global mobility and shifting educational paradigms, the transition from secondary school to university has become increasingly complex, especially for internationally mobile students.
When faced with frightening headlines and ever-shifting policies, I’m reminded of Mr. Fred Rogers (a reassuring TV presence in my younger life!) who reminded us to “look for the helpers.” In international education, those helpers are the school counsellors, university representatives, and student services professionals who continue to show up for students—even when the path forward is anything but clear.
School leaders around the world are navigating educational challenges that test their resilience, adaptability, and leadership skills. 471 international school leaders working in 103 countries shared their experiences with us, responding to a confidential survey which asked for their open-ended responses.
Jane Larsson reflects on emerging role models and the importance of language and tone. How are we helping emerging leaders understand the power of their words and the importance of communicating effectively? How can we empower them to become thoughtful, effective leaders who act ethically, think critically, and lead with social responsibility?
We’re excited to hear Keynote Hector H Lopez in Bogotá. His initiatives for underserved communities have connected US $28 million in funding to students in Latin America. He brings a wealth of expertise in leadership development and cross-cultural collaboration to empower future generations.
Learn from Dr Spencer Striker in this short Q&A about digital literacy challenges and how interactive media and game-based education can enhance the university research and admission experience for secondary school students.
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.
It’s been a year of innovation here at CIS as we reviewed a fundamental part of our work: CIS International Accreditation. We’ve taken a bold step, and we’re proud of the approach that schools will experience when they pursue our new accreditation framework and process.
Jane Larsson reflects on three new realizations that emerged from our 2024 CIS Global Forum, including the digital transitions students experience when they head to higher education.
Announcing the recipients of our 2024 Recognition in Excellence. It’s that time of year when we have the pleasure of taking a moment to recognise the work of the professionals in our university admission, guidance, and future pathways community, and their significant impact on the lives of the young people they support.
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.
Whether you are a leader or teacher, whether you work in a school or a university, you are a role model who is watched closely by your students. Your actions and words matter. Learn more from Jane Larsson on why and how we must address the agency gap.
How do schools and universities support international students in their post-secondary pathways? What are the associated challenges? What does success look like? Read highlights from our research and common questions we receive.