School Safety Trust Mark and School Safety Trust Mark Plus are Certification Schemes exclusively owned by School Safety Assurance International (SSAI) (Exclusive Global Licensee of Accreditation Commission For Conformity Assessment Bodies Private Limited (ACCAB). ACCAB is legally established corporate entity in India and provides its accreditation services according to the established objectives as per the Memorandum & Articles of Association with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs – Registrar of Companies, India. ACCAB operates as per ISO/IEC 17011, general requirements for bodies providing assessments and accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. ACCAB quality system deploys policies that support our credibility and transparency.

School Safety Trust Mark is a simple but effective, independent scheme that aims to promote systematic and evidence-based School Self Evaluation (SSE) in accordance with school-based safety management system, complimented by External Assessor Review (EAR) to facilitate continual improvement as well as enhance their accountability with respect to the school safety and security. School Safety Trust Mark is designed to assist schools in reviewing systematically their student safety priorities and the effectiveness of major tasks conducted in order to refine the school safety plans continuously for the enhancement of student’s safety. School Safety Trust Mark consists of fourteen Elements, which are described below. 

School Safety Trust Mark score are determined based on its maturity for these aspects:

•    Framework                 •    Access Control & Security                                      •   Governance  

•   Equipment Space       •    Infrastructure and Environment                            •   Transportation

•   Financing                     •    Staff                                                                           •   Human Resource

•  Safety                            •   Architectural Design – Indoor & Outdoor             •   Hygiene

•  Compliance                  •   Maintenance

SSAI assumes that the approach to the School Safety Trust Mark is most effective  when the  standards,  systems  and  technology  aspects are properly aligned with behavioural and cultural factors. The School Safety Trust Mark, therefore only relevant for schools that meet a number of specific criteria related to the management system, appropriate technology deployment and involvement of people. The  SSAI  |  School Safety Trust Mark is voluntary School Health, Safety and  Security Assessment Certification Scheme based  on  the  first  private  sector  standards and rating systems exclusively owned by Accreditation Commission for  Conformity Assessment Bodies. These are perhaps the first   sector  private school safety standards and rating systems that have been granted copyright by the Indian Copyright office  of  the Government of India. 

The SSAI | School Safety Trust Mark is a paid service to assess how well your educational institutions’ school safety and security framework, initiatives and actions are performing based on related evidence and data. 

•  Schools, colleges, universities and education & training institutions •  Management & staff •   Statutory & regulatory bodies •  Parents’ associations •  Social workers and interested parties •  May use these Certifications to eliminate or minimize risk related to health, safety & security of its students,        staff and other interested parties within the school domain.

ACCAB has published two standards

ACCAB’s Safe School Standard: SS10000 is a voluntary Health & Safety Standard for Schools, Colleges, Universities and Other Education & Training Institutions (School). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC, CROC, or UNCRC) is a human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of student. The Convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation. These standard endeavours to support all those who are concerned about the Right of the Child. 

ACCAB’s In Loco Parentis is a voluntary Quality, Health & Safety Standard For Early Education & Child Care Centres (EECCC). The Latin term In Loco Parentis means “in the place of a parent". ACCAB’s “In Loco Parentis Standard” is inspired by this doctrine that the child care institutions shall act in the best interests of the children being minded by them as they consider fit, while not allowing what would be generally considered violations of the child's personal individuality and autonomy.

These standards are not a substitute for the prevailing requirements or legal requirements of a national or regulatory body, but rather a collaborative effort to provide an effective and timely response to the changing needs of society and the times in which we live.

These standards are available free of cost from School Safety Assurance International’s portal or upon request.

ACCAB's Standards are currently available in English. And may be translated into additional languages if sufficient demand exists.

School Safety Trust Mark Certification

This self-assessment option protects your school against the most prevalent school safety hazards and vulnerabilities. This is critical because exposure to simple hazards can expose your students to unintended consequences.

Certification provides assurance that your defenses will protect students against the vast majority of common school safety risks, simply because these hazards and vulnerabilities target schools that lack School Safety Administrative and Technical Controls. 

The process of obtaining the School Safety Trust Mark is straightforward and costs approximately USD 990 which will recur every 365 days. Schools self-assess against the School Safety Rating System,  and the information provided is verified by a qualified assessor. The self-assessments for the School Safety Trust Mark Certification are accessible via a secure hosted platform powered by the School Safety Assurance International assessment platform. Through an intuitive user interface, assessments can be accessed and answered quickly and easily.

School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification

School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification retains the School Safety Trust Mark simplicity of approach and the school safety controls required remain the same, but this time an assessor will conduct a technical audit of your systems to ensure the School Safety controls are implemented.

This higher level of assurance entails completing the online assessment and then conducting a technical audit of the School Safety-related systems. Your assessor verifies your system, including conducting interviews with key personnel, using a suitable random sampling technique, and then recommends School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification.

 

It is not necessary to advance from School Safety Trust Mark Certification to School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification if you have already obtained School Safety Trust Mark Certification.

 

However, if you wish to upgrade to School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification on the first anniversary of receiving School Safety Trust Mark Certification, you may do so.

 

Schools are not eligible for the School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification until they have successfully completed the first year of School Safety Trust Mark Certification.

 

The SSAI-approved assessor does not visit your school physically but conducts the audit remotely via information and communication technology.

 

Please contact us at info@school-safety.orgto know the pricing for the School Safety Trust Mark Plus certification.

All new certificates issued by SSAI will have a 12-month expiry date. And shall be renewed on or before the expiry date. 

School Safety Assurance International is a global certification body and any school from any part of the world will be able to avail these certifications.

The School Safety Trust Mark and School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification schemes are made possible by the SSAI's technology-based School Safety Rating System. SSAI Technology, which consists of the SSAI portal, the Audit-Tool, and the database, provides the necessary tools for awarding and maintaining the SSAI Certification scheme, as well as assisting schools with audit preparation.

The SSAI portal is located at www.school-safety.orgWithout registering with the system, visitors can access a section of the portal where they can find general information about the SSAI Certification scheme, read news, and view SSAI Certified schools. The majority of the SSAI portal, on the other hand, is restricted to registered schools and SSAI-approved certification auditors, providing an online platform for monitoring and storing data, as well as exchanging audit information.

The SSAI database is a component of the SSAI portal, which contains all of the necessary information about audits. Each successfully completed audit report accompanied by an SSAI certificate will be added to the online database. The audited school's name and address, as well as the scope and validity of the certificate, are published. By granting specific access to their stakeholders, the audited school can choose to make additional details about the audit available to them. Otherwise, this information is treated with the utmost confidentiality.

The SSAI Audit-Tool is a critical component of the SSAI Certification system because it is used to collect and evaluate data as well as generate standardized reports for SSAI Certification audits. It is critical for schools to utilize the SSAI Audit-Tool in order to improve their internal school safety performance.

Performance Standards for School Safety

All SSAI Certified schools earn school safety performance levels in order to improve overall effectiveness by focusing on school safety performance. There are three different levels of quality performance – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – of which only Bronze and Silver are available to School Safety Trust Mark Certified Schools. To achieve a higher level of performance, namely Gold Standard, schools must apply for School Safety Trust Mark Plus Certification. The School Safety performance level is available in the SSAI portal, along with other data about all SSAI Certified schools. School Safety performance levels attest not only to the implementation of a school safety management system, but also to its application and quantitative analysis for stakeholders. 

If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with SSAI info@school-safety.org

The certification and medal hierarchy of the School Safety Trust Mark are determined by the School Safety Rating System/Balance Score Card, which evaluates the maturity of the School Safety Management System adopted by the institution. We firmly believe that achieving maturity in such a system cannot be rushed within a brief timeframe, such as six months. Despite the school's diligent implementation of the School Safety Management System, coupled with ongoing enhancements and initiatives, it requires time for systemic thinking and adaptation to take root within the school's environment. Consequently, we advise that schools should ideally wait for a minimum of one year to complete at least one certification cycle.

The School Safety Rating System comprises 15 criteria, encompassing a total of 249 requirement questions. Upon initiating the application process for the School Safety Rating System, access will be granted to a user-friendly platform featuring a comprehensive, jargon-free Help Menu. This menu clarifies the intention or rationale behind each criterion and requirement, detailing the specific actions and intentions expected from the school to meet these requirements. Schools are encouraged to consult the Help Menu, comparing it with their current safety practices, and provide honest responses and explanations accordingly. It is imperative to maintain alignment between the school's declarations and actions, ensuring there are no disparities between stated intentions and operational realities.

Indeed, you are eligible. The School Safety Trust Mark certification is available to educational institutions of all levels, operating in both physical and hybrid learning environments, encompassing areas such as early childhood education, primary, middle, and secondary schooling, as well as universities and other educational establishments.

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