The guide contains practical information and templates on how international education institutions can approach managing student safety.
2019 -2020
Safety for International Students is a huge topic and the English Australia ‘Guide to Best Practice in International Student Safety’ covers many important areas from working with vulnerable cohorts to cyber bullying to water safety. The Guide can help international education institutions create a safe space for their students, giving them an even better experience.
As well as sections on specific safety issues, the Guide contains practical information and templates on how international education institutions can approach managing student safety. Areas such as: creating a safety plan, working with third parties and critical incidents are all included. We hope that this Guide makes it easier for international education institutions to meet any challenges that arise in student safety.
Supporting this information are numerous examples and case studies taken from ELICOS colleges and scrutinised by the Guide’s steering committee, consisting of professionals from English Australia member colleges. The Guide highlights practical examples of what best practice looks like in international student safety.
Building on English Australia’s 2017 publication of a Guide to Best Practice in International Student Mental Health, the Guide to Best Practice in International Student Safety gives ELICOS colleges another tool to ensure the mental and physical well-being of their students is supported.
‘Student safety is an absolute priority for the English language teaching sector of international education’, said English Australia’s CEO, Brett Blacker, ‘this Guide highlights the fantastic programs and practices that our colleges use to make students feel safe and secure while studying in Australia’.
Australia’s high rating in personal safety and security is one of the reasons why many international students choose to study here. By developing this Guide, English Australia wants to see this reason reaffirmed as international students continue to select Australia as their study destination.
Brett Blacker said, ‘with the Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan, expanding a national consultation on international student mental health in June 2019 to include physical safety, we believe that our Guide reinforces the student-centred approach that our English language colleges take’.
This guide highlights the fantastic programs and practices that our colleges use to make students feel safe and secure while studying in Australia - Brett Blacker, CEO English Australia
The process of collating data and best practice examples in student safety from ELICOS colleges throughout NSW and Australia via survey, follow-up interviews with ELICOS staff and at Guide steering committee meetings was a highlight of this project. The publication of the Student Safety Guide and follow-up presentations at international education events have helped to start a robust conversation about International Student safety in our sector and beyond. Brett Blacker, CEO English Australia, said: “This guide highlights the fantastic programmes and practices that our colleges use to make students safe and secure while studying in Australia. We wanted to look at the whole student experience and see what safety issues may arise and how best to manage these. This way, we ensure colleges cover as many eventualities as possible and each student gets the support they need.”
The Guide to Best Practice in International Student Safety gives colleges a resource to ensure the mental and physical well-being of their students is supported.
The Guide includes sections about: understanding safety in international education; creating a safe environment for students; developing a safety support network; understanding safety issues that students face; and managing safety threats.
In addition to this, English Australia ran sessions about the Safety Guide at the 2019 English Australia and AIEC Conferences and promoted the Guide and specific issues related to student safety via social media, sector newsletters, international education conference sessions, media release and international education media outlets. This promotional activity helped to create robust ELICOS sector discussion around student safety and promoted the sharing of best practice and resources among ELICOS centres.
One of the main challenges for ELICOS centres uncovered during the research phase of the Guide was cybercrime targeting international students. ELICOS institutions reported that the increasing sophistication of cybercrime and frequency with which their students are being targeted in these types of crimes makes it difficult to educate their students around cyber safety.
English Australia recommends further research international student internet habits and responses to cybercrime followed up with a targeted campaign for ELICOS students raising awareness of cybercrime and how to have safe internet habits.
‘Student safety is an absolute priority for the English language teaching sector of international education’, said English Australia’s CEO, Brett Blacker, ‘this Guide highlights the fantastic programs and practices that our colleges use to make students feel safe and secure while studying in Australia’.
