Safeguarding adults at risk in school communities

Your school community includes parents, carers, grandparents, staff, volunteers, contractors and sometimes students aged 18 and over. Any of them can meet a crisis, such as abuse at home, a mental health emergency, serious illness or sudden money trouble.

The term "adult at risk" has a legal meaning in some countries, and the tests differ. Most adults in your community will not meet a legal test, yet they may still need help. Ask local counsel what applies where you work.

In England, the Care Act 2014 sets three tests before a local authority must make enquiries. All three must apply:

• The adult has needs for care and support
• They are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect
• Because of those needs, they cannot protect themselves

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026 covers children, meaning everyone under 18. Many international schools use this English statutory guidance as a model. It does not set out adult safeguarding duties.

The Council of International Schools (CIS) publishes child protection resources for member schools. Reporting laws differ by country, so read mandatory reporting laws for international schools.

Your duty stops short of an adult's private choices. You do not investigate, give legal or medical advice, take sides in a couple's dispute, or force anyone to accept help. An adult with capacity decides for themselves.

Your duty is clearest when:

• A child may be hurt or neglected because of what is happening to the adult
• The adult is your employee, so employer duties and local labour law apply
• Harm, threats or stalking happen on your site, at an event or on a trip
• A visitor, volunteer or contractor is hurt or threatened on your site
• Local law says you must report

No single sign proves a crisis. Look for a change that lasts, or for several small signs together. KCSIE lists adult mental health issues and domestic abuse among family circumstances that can create challenges for a child.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says people who cause harm can act very differently when others are around. A calm family at the gate can still be a family in trouble. Many signs also fit other causes, such as grief or a move to a new country.

These are examples to watch for:

• Missed or late pickups, or sudden changes in who collects the child
• A parent who seems afraid of a partner's reaction, or must check in with them often
• Unexplained injuries, or a parent who never attends meetings alone
• Confusion, or distress that is out of character
• Sudden money trouble, or fear of losing a job or visa
• Seeming unwell or under the influence when collecting a child

Treat it as a child protection concern. Follow your school's child protection procedure and tell your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) the same day. If anyone is in immediate danger, call local emergency services first.

If a parent seems unsafe to collect a child, stay calm and do not argue at the gate. Keep the child with a trusted adult and find the DSL or a senior leader at once.

If you think the child lives with abuse at home, read domestic abuse and children: signs and school response. Keep to these steps:

• Write down what you saw or heard, with the date and time
• Stick to facts and leave out guesses about diagnosis or blame
• Do not confront the adult, or call a partner or relative to check
• Do not promise to keep it secret
• Do not investigate yourself

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists conflicting home and work demands, bullying and job insecurity among the risks to mental health at work. Staff abroad may also face distance from family, a new language and a visa tied to the job.

WHO says managers can be trained to recognise distress and talk about it well. You can help without being a counsellor. Notice, ask and connect the person to help.

If a colleague talks about wanting to die or to harm themselves, take it seriously. Stay with them, listen without judging and call local emergency services or a crisis line. Then tell the Head the same day.

For wider staff safety, read staff safety and wellbeing at school. These words can open the conversation in a private place:

• "I have noticed you seem low this week. How are you doing?"
• "You do not have to give me details. What would help most today?"
• "If you are in danger, I cannot keep that secret. I will only tell people who need to know."
• "Who can I call for you?"

Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, whatever their gender, age or background. KCSIE says so. The NSPCC lists coercive control, stalking and control of money among the forms it can take.

WHO's 2023 estimates say nearly one in three women worldwide have faced physical or sexual partner violence, or sexual violence from someone else, in their lifetime. People of all genders can be victims.

At work, the person causing harm may call the school, wait at the gate or track a phone. If that person is also a member of staff, tell the Head the same day. Private-life behaviour can raise questions about suitability to work with children, so use your allegations process and take local advice.

Let the person lead, and do not tell them to leave their partner. That can raise the risk, and they know their situation best. Offer practical help:

• Agree a safe way to reach them, and a code word that means they need help
• Tell reception not to share their timetable, location or leave plans with callers
• Offer flexible hours, time off or a different parking space
• Review with the DSL who may collect their child
• Share a specialist domestic abuse helpline
• Keep notes private, in a limited-access HR file

An adult with mental capacity decides who knows about their life. Tell them what you will do with what they say, and share only what is needed with the people who need it.

You may have to share when a child is at risk, when someone is in immediate danger, or when local law says so. Data laws differ by country, so check yours. See information sharing in international schools.

Keep these habits:

• Keep notes on adult wellbeing apart from child files, unless a child is affected
• Record facts and the person's own words, not labels or opinions
• Limit access to the Head, the DSL and one HR contact
• Keep it out of staffroom talk, group chats and open email threads
• Check who can read a message before you send it, because a partner may see the phone
• Record who you told, when and why

In a crisis you will not have time to search. Build a one-page list this term, keep it with the DSL and the Head, and check every number twice a year.

Find A Helpline lists verified helplines in over 175 countries, and you can browse it by topic. Check each service's language, hours and fees before you add it.

Take care with domestic abuse services, because in some places the local response may put the victim at more risk. Ask a trusted local specialist, or DSL peers in your country, before you refer. Your list should hold:

• Local emergency numbers and the nearest hospital with mental health care
• A domestic abuse helpline or shelter, and whether it takes foreign nationals
• A crisis helpline in a language your staff speak
• The embassies or consulates of your staff and families
• Your staff counselling line, if you have one
• A local lawyer who knows employment and family law

Start small. Pick two or three steps and put a date against each.

After your first real case, review the page and fix what did not work.

• Write one page that says when the school acts for adults and when it does not
• Build the local help list and share it with the Head and HR
• Brief reception on a calm first reply to a worried or distressed caller
• Tell staff who they can go to if they are struggling themselves
• Add a short adult-in-crisis scenario to your next staff training