The purpose if this AISA (Association of International Schools in Africa) Child Protection Handbook is to provide impetus and support for AISA and all international schools to embrace Child Protection as an essential responsibility of the school in their community and to embrace the school’s role and responsibility to ensure systems and programs are in place to support children and families in need.
Major Components
This AISA Child Protection Handbook is divided into two major components:
- An Administrative Handbook that provides an overview of the major elements of a comprehensive Child Protection Program including:
- • The various components that should be in place in a comprehensive program;
- • The responsibilities of schools and school personnel with regard to child protection;
- • Sample policies, procedures and appendices to provide a hands-on means to begin a Child Protection Program at your school;
- • How-to information about forming Child Protection Teams and connecting your school with local communities and local authorities/resources; and
- • Suggested training agenda for teachers, parents and nurses.
- A Child Protection Curriculum Framework that provides a starting point and spring board for implementing a school-wide Child Protection Program including:
- • Sample lessons that can be implemented and adapted at your school to engage teachers, students and parents in learning about child protection; and
- • A sampling of resources that your school can review and expand to support the curriculum you design and implement at your school.
Much of this handbook does not provide new information. In fact, much of this document will look like child protection programs from organizations that include independent and western public schools. We have found, however, that many schools are over-sensitive to the topic of child protection because they tend to focus on the worst-case scenarios that have at times created deep rifts in our communities. This appears especially worrisome when our school is a guest in the country.
Objectives
- Assist AISA schools and all international schools in creating a Child Protection Program that is appropriate and applicable to all international schools in their local setting.
- Provide all of the necessary definitions and assessment tools for clear identification and recognition of abuse/neglect situations.
- Ensure a high standard of child protection in every AISA school and in all international schools.
- Ensure that prompt and adequate assistance is provided to a child in need of special care and protection.
- Define procedures for staff members and establish clear reporting guidelines and mechanisms.
- Outline processes and protocols for AISA schools and all international schools in connecting to their local community, and to agencies for child protection support.and
- Provide sample personal safety/abuse prevention lessons, curriculum modules, and resources to educate both adults and children about the dangers of child maltreatment, its recognition, and its prevention.
You can download this toolkit for free here.
