Safeguarding @ ICS

Code of Conduct & Policies

Child Safeguarding
Statement and Commitment

ICS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. Safeguarding is a moral responsibility, a legal duty, and central to our identity as a Christ-centered learning community. 

In alignment with our vision to continuously excel as a Christ-centered learning community and our mission, “Based on the Bible, in partnership with parents, to teach the whole student to know and apply wisdom for the good of our world and the glory of God,” safeguarding is understood as a faithful expression of honoring God through the protection, dignity, and care of every child.

Safeguarding Policy Handbook
ICS Child Safeguarding Report Form

Scope of the Policy

The ICS Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct apply to all individuals who work or volunteer at ICS, regardless of their role. Throughout this document, these individuals are collectively referred to as “ICS staff,” including teachers, support staff, security personnel, custodial staff, cafeteria staff, coaches, club sponsors, interns, and volunteers.

*Short-term contractors and vendors will abide by the Visitor Code of Conduct. 

Key Principles

Honoring God

We believe every child is created in the image of God and is worthy of dignity, care, and protection. Safeguarding is an act of faithful stewardship.

Child Safety a High Priority

The safety and well-being of children God has entrusted to our care will take precedence over our institutional reputation, convenience, or individual interests.

Shared Responsibility

Safeguarding is the responsibility of the entire school community (parents, volunteers, students). Every adult has a duty of care to act when concerns arise.

Appropriate Separation of Roles

Separation between operational response, strategic leadership, and governance oversight reduces conflicts of interest, supports child-centered decisions, strengthens ethical safeguarding, and reflects power-aware leadership.

Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability

Clear documentation, ethical decision-making, and honest reflection strengthen trust and protection.

Learning and Continuous Improvement

Reflecting on practice - what has gone well and what can be strengthened - is essential to growth, wisdom, and faithful leadership.

Whole-Child Care

Safeguarding extends to students’ physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.

Safeguarding Leadership and Governance Structure

ICS maintains a three-tier safeguarding structure, aligned with the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) expectations and the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC). 

Safeguarding is most effective when operational expertise, strategic leadership, and governance oversight work in partnership, each contributing their distinct responsibilities toward a shared commitment to child safety. Safeguarding is complex, and roles are intentionally differentiated so that no one carries it alone. 

  • All board members have a responsibility regarding child protection and safeguarding. The board provides safeguarding governance and oversight. They are not, however, involved in the day-to-day management of child protection, nor do they manage individual cases. The school identifies a board member as the Designated School Board Member (DSBM). 

    Designated School Board Member

    The DSBM links the governing body to the school's Child Safeguarding Team so the Board can fulfill their responsibility. The DSBM should not be the Board Chair and should not be a member of the school staff. The DSBM should be interested in safeguarding, have local knowledge, and receive training in safeguarding.

  • The Head of School serves as the Strategic Safeguarding Lead, responsible for embedding safeguarding into the school’s vision, culture, strategy, and resourcing.

    The Head of School provides strategic leadership and oversight, while operational safeguarding responses are led by the response team.

    Our Head of School is Mr. Stephen Ladas

  • Appointment of DSL

    The school appoints a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to provide operational leadership for child safeguarding and protection. The DSL is appointed based on appropriate training, experience, available time, professional capacity and authority to lead safeguarding responses and systems.

    More information on the Safeguarding Handbook

  • A Deputy DSL is appointed to ensure continuity, accessibility, and independence within the safeguarding system. The DDSL supports the DSL with their roles and responsibilities. 

    All safeguarding leadership roles are exercised with humility, wisdom, and faithfulness to the school’s Christ-centered mission.

  • The Safeguarding Response Team is a small group of school staff that support the DSL in safeguarding operations. They ensure concerns are addressed in a God-honoring, child-centered, trauma-informed, and ethical manner. 

    The team:

    • Includes safeguarding and student-support professionals, with clear role differentiation to ensure thoughtful, child-centered decision-making

    • Conducts initial assessment and information gathering 

    • Consults safeguarding policies and local child protection laws

    • Coordinates responses, consultations, and referrals

    • Documents actions and develops clear written safeguarding recommendations

    • Keeps the Senior Leadership Team appropriately informed

    • Receives and logs safeguarding concerns

    • Seeks external advice or referrals when required 

    • Receives additional safeguarding training

  • The Senior Leadership Team retains organizational accountability and decision-making for safeguarding and is responsible for:

    • Ensuring safeguarding recommendations are implemented

    • Managing operational decisions (e.g., staffing actions, resourcing, communication)

    • Supporting staff involved in safeguarding responses

    • Ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

    If the Senior Leadership Team determines that it is necessary to diverge from the Safeguarding Response Team’s safeguarding recommendations, the following steps must occur:

    • The rationale for the decision is clearly documented

    • External consultation is sought where appropriate

    • The decision prioritizes child protection and risk mitigation

    • Documentation for this decision is retained in the safeguarding file

    • Child safety remains the primary consideration

Protocols in visiting the Campus

ICS is responsible for protecting the welfare of all children at our school. We are committed to applying child safeguarding practices that reflect statutory and international regulations. Visitors must adhere to the ICS’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. 

While visitors are on the ICS campus, they MUST:

  • Have the visitor pass visible at all times

  • Only enter learning spaces if you have permission or an appointment 

  • Use the adult-designated toilets

  • Report any inappropriate behavior of adults in the school to a staff member

ICS visitors must NOT: 

  • Be alone on campus with any child (unless he/she is a member of their family)

  • Ask for any child’s contact details

  • Post photos/videos on social media of children other than your own