AISA to Launch Expanded 10th Anniversary Child Protection & Safeguarding Handbook
This year marks an important milestone for child protection in international education: the 10th anniversary of the Africa International Schools Association (AISA) Child Protection & Safeguarding Handbook. To honor this milestone—and to meet the evolving needs of international schools—AISA is releasing a substantially expanded new edition of the handbook, created in close collaboration with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS).
When the first edition was launched in 2014, its primary focus was clear and urgent: to help schools respond effectively when a child protection concern or incident occurred. Over the past decade, however, our collective understanding of child safety has broadened. International schools now recognise that safeguarding extends well beyond reacting to harm; it includes creating environments where risks are reduced, protective factors are strengthened, and all children feel safe, supported, and able to thrive.
The upcoming edition reflects this shift. It is intentionally preventative in focus, incorporating global research, lessons learned from international case reviews, and insights gathered from AISA member schools. It also aligns closely with the core safeguarding expectations set by ICMEC and CIS—ensuring that schools adopt systems and cultures that place the best interests of children at the centre of decision-making.
What’s New in the 10th Anniversary Edition
While maintaining the essential components from the first edition, this expanded handbook introduces several new, much-needed chapters that reflect emerging challenges and the evolving contexts in which international schools operate. Among the key updates:
1. A Stronger Emphasis on Prevention and Whole-School Culture
New sections outline how schools can embed safeguarding into everyday practice—through student curriculum, staff, parent and community education, student voice, and community engagement. This moves safeguarding from a set of procedures to a lived experience across the whole school.
2. Mental Health, Trauma-Informed Practice & Staff Well-being
With mental health concerns rising globally among children and adolescents, the new edition recognizes emotional and psychological safety as a core safeguarding priority. New chapters include guidance on building trauma-informed school environments—settings where staff understand the impact of trauma on learning, behavior, relationships, and help-seeking. It also offers practical strategies for recognizing early signs of distress, responding in ways that reduce shame or re-traumatization, and coordinating support across student support teams.
Importantly, this edition also addresses vicarious trauma and staff well-being. Child protection teams, educators and support staff working closely with students can be deeply affected by the stories and situations they encounter. The handbook provides recommendations for promoting staff resilience, establishing supportive supervision structures, and ensuring that those who care for students are themselves cared for. By strengthening well-being across the whole school community, schools are better positioned to uphold a culture of safety and trust.
3. Student Voice & Agency
Embedding student voice and agency is an essential component of a safe, inclusive, and safeguarding-responsive school. When young people feel heard, respected, and involved in shaping the policies and practices that affect them, they are more likely to speak up early when concerns arise and to trust the adults responsible for their protection. Meaningful participation also reinforces students’ sense of belonging and strengthens the protective factors that support well-being and resilience.
4. Managing Allegations and Concerns About Adults
In partnership with ICMEC and CIS, AISA has broadened guidance on managing concerns or allegations involving staff, volunteers, contractors, and visitors. This chaper reflects emerging international best practice and the need for transparent, fair, and child-centered processes.
5. New Templates, Checklists, and Audit Tools
Practical resources—including sample policies, reporting flowcharts, safer recruitment checklists, and school-wide audit tools—are expanded to support schools at every stage of implementation.
Why an Expanded Edition Matters Now
International schools today face increasingly complex safeguarding challenges: digital risk, cross-cultural considerations, transient staff and student populations, mental health needs, and pressure to maintain strong community trust. Schools must not only respond well to incidents but must also create robust systems that prevent harm from occurring in the first place.
This 10th anniversary edition of the AISA Child Protection & Safeguarding Handbook is designed to help schools do just that. By offering clear guidance, practical tools, and a shared framework built on global best practice, the handbook supports schools in building cultures where children feel safe, valued, and supported—and where staff have confidence in their roles and responsibilities.
AISA, ICMEC, and CIS look forward to sharing the updated handbook with the international school community. Its release marks not just a decade of progress, but a renewed commitment to protecting the children and young people entrusted to all of us.
Chanel Worsteling
Developed in partnership with ICMEC and CIS