Safeguarding in Education: A Conversation with Jonah Rosenfield

Jonah Rosenfield is an experienced educational leader and safeguarding expert, currently serving as the Secondary School Deputy Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Luanda International School in Angola. With over two decades of experience in international education, Jonah is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Global Safeguarding Collaborative, an organisation dedicated to promoting student safety worldwide. His career spans multiple roles, including science teacher, curriculum leader, and school improvement chair across institutions in Argentina, India, and the United States. Jonah is recognized for his leadership in creating safe, inclusive environments for students and staff and has been instrumental in implementing effective safeguarding frameworks globally. In this podcast, Jonah discusses the importance of building relationships with students to notice behavioural changes that could indicate potential abuse. He explains the systems schools should have in place to report concerns, ensuring that safeguarding actions align with local laws and work within different cultural contexts. Finally, he explains exactly how his upcoming course will equip educators at any stage of their safeguarding journey to make decisions regarding their own school’s safeguarding processes and implement positive change in their communities. Timestamps [02:31] Jonah Introduces Himself [04:00] Jonah’s Journey from Science to Safeguarding [06:21] What symptoms can we watch for in students? [09:36] The Importance of a Framework & Transparency [12:22] Technology, Data & Current Capacity [14:50] Safe Adults; Who do Students Turn To? [18:35] How Systems Support Students & Teachers [24:45] Reporting “Tricky Cases” [26:30] Jonah’s Course & Contact Information Notable Quotes “But really at the heart of it, it’s knowing the students; I could talk forever about this! Those relationships, knowing the students, being able to identify changes in them over time and noticing those changes and ideally having systems in place and people in place that can engage in conversations about those changes to get at what is behind them.” “[...] just this week we [the Global Safeguarding Collaborative] had a really in depth conversation with members around the proactive components of an effective safeguarding program; the things that mitigate risk before anything happens, or reduce the possibility of something happening; reactive components; actions or policies protocols that you do after the fact; and then those mitigative components, that you know over the course of a year are trying to reduce any possible harm to the lowest level it can be.” “[...] you are never going to prevent 100% of individuals within a community from doing harm. You need to change the thinking, as individuals have said, away from, ‘What If you're wrong to what if you're right?’” More Resources The Global Safeguarding Collaborative Framework, GoogleDoc ICMEC, “Overcoming Barriers to Child Protection in International Schools” Summary of Report Head over iss.idu to check out ISS website for events and more. Sign up for Moreland University to elevate your career as an educator at www.moreland.edu Join the community of professional educators considering the role of inclusion in the classroom culture at seniainternational.orgCheck out inspirecitizens who inspire schools to live their mission of global citizenship at inspirecitizens.org