We speak with Katie Rigg, the Head of Safeguarding & Student Well-being at the Council of International Schools. We discuss the difference between wellbeing and mental health, the state of mental health in schools before COVID-19 and what has changed now that we are living and working during this pandemic.
To learn more about the Council of International Schools and to explore the support that the Council of International Schools is providing schools and universities at this time, visit their website.
To find more support for schools and educators, visit www.seachangementoring.com/covid19
If you are feeling hopeless, this is an indicator that you need to seek professional help and you need to talk with your loved ones about your feelings. Here are some trusted professionals and organizations that you can turn to. Please don’t try to get through this alone.
Katie Rigg's bio
Katie’s primary responsibility is to help CIS and school and university members to keep children and young people safe and to support and strengthen their mental health and well-being. In this capacity Katie carries out and supports research into new areas, develops resources, provides guidance and oversees professional development.
Prior to joining CIS Katie worked as a safeguarding and employment lawyer in London, where she helped her law firm to establish its Safeguarding Unit in May 2015. In that role Katie helped schools, universities and other organisations to prevent and respond effectively to harm and abuse. Katie has also worked in the areas of human rights and public interest law in Argentina and Hungary.
Katie is currently undertaking a professional doctorate at the International Centre for Research into Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking, focusing on how schools can build effective responses to abuse and harm between students. After graduating with a first class degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, Katie studied international public law at the University of Cordoba, Argentina and subsequently completed a law degree in England. Katie speaks fluent French and Spanish.