大部分英国学校都会要求国际学生拥有一个居住于英国的教育监护人,在家长看来,这的确是一个必要之举。当家长身在远方难以照料孩子时,教育监护人将替代履行家长的责任,给予孩子细致入微的照顾。举一个简单的例子,若孩子生病抑或是于学校出现意外需要进行短期休假时,监护人将会为孩子提供安居之所并照料其起居饮食。
假日里,当孩子无法回家时,教育监护人会给予悉心照料;此外,他们亦会较好地维系家长-学校-学生三方关系,参加家长会议与学校保持紧密联系,关注学生在校情况及学习状态等。
作为家长,我们理所当然地想为孩子寻找一位优秀的教育监护人,但问题是我们可以在哪些方面做出努力呢?
许多家长往往倾向于让家庭成员担任孩子的监护人,乍一看,这不失为一上策。但转念一想,问题可不少:家庭成员或许并不没有足够的时间及精力看管孩子,再者家长欲开口要求亲戚按照他们预想的方式照顾孩子,这的确有些许难堪,尤其是在亲戚认为这仅是在帮个小忙的情况下。
更深一层来说,某些家庭成员或许并不懂得如何更好地充当孩子成长路上的引路人,不能给予孩子恰如其分的照料。众所周知,英国在安全监管方面颇具盛名,设立了一系列未成年人法律保护条款。除该家庭成员是直系亲属的情况外,教育监护人必须遵守私人抚养条款,所以在寻找家庭成员充当教育监护人之前,父母有必要进行法律咨询。
教育监护人最好的寻求途径是通过专业教育监护人机构。在选择监护人机构时,家长应当确保其是正当经营的,目前AEGIS(国际学生教育监护协会)网站是唯一的查询途径(www.aegisuk.net)。通过该网站,家长可以查询到符合英国政府监护标准的教育监护人机构,这些机构都是经过严格审查的。孩子的安危至关重要,丝毫容不得轻率,常规的检查将会确保国际学生的安全及健康是教育监护人的首要任务。
同时,家长应积极联系心仪的教育监护人,不该有所却步。他们或已在孩子的新学校照顾其他孩子,或就是他们心心念念的教育监护人,或是收到了值得信赖的推荐…无论是哪种情况,家长都应积极联系,为孩子寻觅最为合适的教育监护人。
教育监护人绝对值得我们投资,毕竟家长在孩子学费方面投资了一大笔的金钱,他们亦想确保孩子在英国的其他时间亦是安全的、有质量的、开心的。
本文作者Helen Wright博士是威廉·克拉伦斯教育(William Clarence Education)的高级咨询顾问及国际学生教育监护协会(AEGIS)的主席,颇具名望,在国际学生教育监护方面拥有丰富经验。
原文链接:https://williamclarence.com/about/resources/choosing-guardian-international-students-uk-what-parents-need-know
作者:Dr. Helen Wright
翻译:Evonne
编辑:Maverick
原文:
Choosing a guardian for international students in the UK: what parents need to know
The vast majority of UK schools will require their international students – ie their students who normally live outside the UK – to have a UK-based educational guardian, and from a parents’ perspective, it makes really good sense to have one in place too. Educational guardians fulfil the role of parents when the parents are not within easy travel distance; when a student is sick, for instance, or something goes wrong at school, and the student therefore has to take some time away from school, the guardian provides a home for them and should ensure that they are well looked-after.
Educational guardians look after students in the holidays when the students are not able to go home; many guardians will go to parents’ meetings at school in place of the parents, will keep in contact with parents, and provide a vital additional link in the parent-school-student triangle that helps support students throughout their time at school in the UK.
As a parent, therefore, you want to find a really good educational guardian. The question is: how do you go about it?
It is often tempting for parent to appoint a family member to be their child’s guardian, and sometimes this can be a practical option. Family members, however, do not always have the time or the lifestyle to be able to absorb the care of a young person into their lives, and it can also often be difficult for parents to require their relatives to do things the way they want them done, especially if their relatives feel that they are doing them a favour by acting as a guardian.
Moreover, family members are not always up to date on how best to look after children. The UK is renowned worldwide as being a leader in the field of safeguarding, and this means that there exist numerous legal frameworks to protect young people at home, at school and when they are staying with other people. Unless the family member is an immediate relative, the relationship will be subject to UK legislation on private fostering, so parents should take legal advice on this.
The answer, more often than not, lies in choosing an educational guardian through an educational guardianship organisation. When choosing a guardianship organisation, parents need to ensure that it is fully regulated, and currently the only way to check this is on the website of AEGIS, the Association for the Educational Guardianship of International Students (www.aegisuk.net). Here, parents will find details of guardianship organisations which meet UK government safeguarding guidelines and which are rigorously inspected. A child’s welfare is too precious to be left to chance, and regular inspection ensures that the safety and wellbeing of international students is the top priority for the guardians.
Parents will want to build a relationship with their child’s guardian, and should not be afraid to contact a number of accredited guardians in order to find the one with which they feel most comfortable – perhaps because they already look after students in their child’s new school, or because they offer exactly the services they require, or because the parents have received a recommendation that they trust.
Guardianship is worth investing in; after all, parents are investing in school fees, and they will want to protect that investment by making sure that for the rest of the time their child spends in the UK, they are happy, safe and well-looked after.
Dr Helen Wright is an Advisor to William Clarence Education and is Chair of AEGIS, the UK’s Association for the Educational Guardianship of International Students