COBIS and its members worldwide are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. COBIS circulates regular Safeguarding Updates to keep schools informed about developments and encourage and support best practice with relation to safeguarding and safer recruitment in our member schools.

Please share this update with the Safeguarding Lead in your school.

If you have been forwarded this update and would like to register to receive these updates yourself, please join the mailing list here.

Online Safeguarding Courses for International Schools from COBIS and EduCare

An increasing number of EduCare's online Safeguarding courses have now been tailored for an international school context. COBIS worked with EduCare to update two of their most popular safeguarding courses to meet the specific needs of those working in the international education sector: Child Protection for International Schools and Safer Recruitment for International Schools. Other courses available as part of the EduCare for Education online learning service include: Online Safety for International Schools, An Introduction to Child Sexual Exploitation for International Schools, Preventing Bullying for International Schools, and more. COBIS Schools are eligible for an exclusive 10% discount on the EduCare for Education online learning licence and individual course registrations.

Training for Designated Safeguarding Leads

Designated Safeguarding Leads (and their deputies) should receive regular, advanced training to carry out their vital role effectively. The DfE guidance is that this training should be updated every two years.

COBIS is running one-day, face-to-face advanced training for Designated Safeguarding Leads in various locations in 2017/18.

• Madrid - 26 October 2017 - Book your place now
• Abu Dhabi - 6 November 2017 - FULLY BOOKED
• London - 15 May 2018 - Book your place now
• Hong Kong - 29 May 2018 - Book your place now

References for New Employees

Collecting references from a person's most recent employer is a vital part of the Safer Recruitment process. One reference should always come from the Head of the previous school. Unfortunately, there are still some COBIS member and non-member schools which are not following best practice in this area. This is a serious concern. Therefore, if one of your employees moves on to another school and you, as previous employer, are not asked for a reference, it is strongly recommended that you contact the new school to provide a reference and to challenge why this safer recruitment practice has not been implemented. It is in the best interests of all children and young people for us to encourage all schools to follow best practice in the area of Safer Recruitment. COBIS views this as the responsibility of all COBIS member schools. 

Background Checks for Overseas Applicants

Our colleagues at the Council of International Schools have put together an excellent briefing document that covers the appropriate checks to request from a prospective employee's current and previous countries of employment and residence. The document is the result of extensive research into governmental, law enforcement and embassy websites, and COBIS is grateful to CIS for compiling this invaluable resource. This guidance is another excellent example of the commitment of both organisations and others which constitute the International Task Force on Child Protection.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks (formerly CRB)

To support safer recruitment practices in international schools, COBIS offers a DBS service to member and non-member schools. COBIS has introduced a more effective and efficient online DBS checking system which allows registered schools to use the service with a higher level of access to the online system. Schools will now have significantly more control over the DBS administration and checking process and will be able to directly manage, track and monitor their DBS applications online. We have recently reviewed our user guidelines to help schools accessing the service understand exactly what they need to do to carry out a check online. For more information or to request a copy of these guidelines, please contact dbs@cobis.org.uk.

Prohibition Orders (in addition to DBS checks)

In addition to DBS checks, COBIS strongly recommends that all teachers undergo Prohibition checks. These checks are mandatory for schools in England, and it is considered best practice for international schools as well, particularly those preparing for inspection. Prohibition checks should be done as part of the pre-employment checking process and a record must be kept on the school's Single Central Record. 

The Prohibition checks include the following: 

• Prohibition from Teaching.
• Section 128 checks
• European Economic Area (EEA) online checks
• Teachers who have failed induction or probation
• General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) sanctions
  

Preventing Bullying (DfE) - July 2017

The DfE updated their guidance on Preventing Bullying in July 2017, including the addition of new information about how schools can support children and young people who have been bullied.

Primary Mental Health Films

BBC Learning have produced free educational videos to help introduce mental health topics to children aged 8-13. The short films cover eating disorders, OCD and depression, bullying, and panic attacks.

Additional Resources

  - Safeguarding in Schools

• Schools can register to receive a free weekly safeguarding briefing by email with up-to-date information and practical resources

  - International Child Protection Certificate

• This is a criminal records check for UK nationals or non-UK nationals who have lived in the UK and are looking to work with children overseas. Please note, schools that are able to access the DBS should do so rather than advising employees or recruits to obtain an ICPC

  - Education Portal - International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)

• Schools can access child protection resources and report suspected or known abuse. The Education Portal is a product of the partnership between ICMEC and the International Task Force on Child Protection.

  - Supporting Mental Health in Schools and Colleges

• Summary report from a research project commissioned by the DfE. 

If you would like to recommend other resources or information for inclusion in future safeguarding updates, please send them to cpd@cobis.org.uk.