Safeguarding international schools in Belgium: guide

Belgium has no single national school regulator. The three language Communities, Flemish, French and German-speaking, are responsible for education. Only a few matters stay federal, such as when compulsory schooling starts and ends.

The European Commission's Eurydice network says freedom of education is a constitutional right and that any (legal) person may organise education and set up schools. It also says a small number of private schools are not recognised by the government and receive no funding.

In Flanders, Eurydice lists sending a child to a private school as one form of home teaching. Parents then declare it to the Agency for Educational Services, and the child sits Flemish exam board tests. The page does not say how this applies to international schools.

Ask a Belgian lawyer whether a Community recognises your school and which Community's rules apply. The answer decides which of the rules below reach you.

School websites in Brussels show the Council of International Schools (CIS), the Middle States Association (MSA), the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and the International Baccalaureate (IB). Check each accreditor's own directory before you rely on a logo.

The UK government's list of British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection reports includes a school in Belgium.

The European Schools in Brussels and Mol are a separate network. This guide does not cover them.

The provisions reviewed for this guide set no general duty for teachers to report suspected abuse to the police or a child protection body. Two federal rules still matter. Both sit in the new Criminal Code, which has been in force since 1 September 2026.

Article 299 makes it an offence to fail deliberately to give or get help for a person in serious danger. Article 353 lets a person bound by professional secrecy tell the prosecutor about certain offences against a minor.

Article 353 sets conditions, such as a serious and imminent threat to the child when the person cannot protect the child alone or with help. Ask your lawyer who in your school is bound by professional secrecy, such as a school doctor.

Older guides cite Articles 422bis, 458 and 458bis of the 1867 Criminal Code. The new Code replaced them on 1 September 2026. An act of 30 March 2026 replaces references in other laws to old Article 458 with Article 352, and to old Article 458bis with Article 353.

The French Community also has a decree of 12 May 2004 on aid to child victims of maltreatment, which Yapaka, its prevention programme, cites. The decree names anyone who helps with children's education, guidance or care, including volunteers and temporary staff. Ask a Belgian lawyer whether it reaches a school that no Community recognises.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 112 for an ambulance or the fire service, or 101 for urgent police help. Then follow your school's child protection procedure and tell your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) the same day.

The right service depends on the caller's language and Community. Yapaka's service map lists SOS Enfants teams and youth aid services in the French Community. Check each number again before you print it.

• 112 and 101: the official 112 site lists 112 for ambulance and fire, free across Europe, and 101 for urgent police help.
• 102: Awel, a free and anonymous line for children, in Dutch.
• 103: Ecoute 103, a free call and chat line open 10:00 to 24:00 every day, in French.
• 1712: a helpline for questions about violence, abuse and child abuse, listed by Opgroeien, the Flemish government agency.
• 116 000: Child Focus, a free emergency line open 24 hours for a missing minor or sexual exploitation.
• Your DSL: tell them the same day, every time.

Your accreditor expects a clear procedure for noticing, recording and passing on concerns. CIS says its accreditation standards assess a school's child protection policy and practice. It points schools to the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP).

Belgian federal law, as read here, sets no general reporting duty for teachers, so much of the decision rests with the school. Accreditors expect that decision to be made, recorded and reviewed. Write it into your procedure.

Staff tell the DSL the same day. The DSL decides on any outside referral with a Belgian lawyer and the right helpline, and records the reason.

Many policies also borrow from Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), the guidance for schools in England. It has no legal force in Belgium, so say so in your policy. See which parts of KCSIE travel abroad and mandatory reporting laws for international schools.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies in Belgium, and the Data Protection Authority supervises it. The Authority says schools hold much personal data about pupils, parents and staff, and must follow the GDPR.

The Act of 30 July 2018 adds national rules. Article 7 sets 13 as the age at which a child can consent to online services offered directly to them. Below that age, a parent or legal representative must consent.

Data about criminal convictions has stricter rules under GDPR Article 10, so ask counsel what a school may keep from a police certificate. If a breach is likely to put people at risk, GDPR Article 33 gives you 72 hours to tell the Authority, where feasible.

The Authority's page on international data flows says the rules differ for transfers inside the EU, to countries with adequate protection, and to countries without it. The pages checked here show no Belgian rule that keeps safeguarding records inside the country. Ask each supplier where it stores data, and read what to ask when choosing safeguarding training software.

Belgium has three Communities with their own languages. Child Helpline International lists Awel as Dutch only, and the 103 site is in French. Ask each service whether it takes English calls, and name staff who can speak Dutch or French.

Corporal punishment is lawful at home in Belgium, and End Corporal Punishment reports that case law treats it as unlawful in schools. A 2023 decree also bans it in institutions authorised, accredited, funded or run by the French Community. Write a clear ban into your staff code of conduct, whatever the gap in the law.

Belgium's criminal record extract for work with minors is model 596-2, under Article 596, paragraph 2, of the Code of Criminal Procedure. FPS Justice says it covers education, youth aid, child protection and the supervision of minors. The employer completes a request form, and the person applies to their local commune.

Someone no longer registered in a Belgian commune applies to the central criminal records office instead. FPS Justice says some convictions are erased or may not show on an extract requested for work, so treat it as one check. Also ask for police certificates from other countries where the person lived (see safer recruitment in international schools).

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm current law with a Belgian lawyer and the relevant authority. The sources cited here were read on 19 October 2026.

• Ask your Head whether a Community recognises your school, and which Community's rules apply.
• Ask a Belgian lawyer what the new Criminal Code and any Community decree ask of you.
• Write the reporting route on one page, naming the DSL, the deputy and the board contact.
• Save 112, 101, 102, 103, 1712 and 116 000 where staff can find them.
• Ask each helpline which languages it takes, and name staff who speak them.
• Check where your safeguarding records are stored and who can read them.
• Add the Belgian record extract and certificates from other countries to your hiring checks.