Safeguarding international schools in Germany: country guide

Each of Germany's 16 states, called Länder, runs its own school system. The Basic Law (Article 7) puts the whole school system under the supervision of the state and protects the right to set up private schools.

A private school that replaces a public school is an Ersatzschule. It needs approval from the education authority of its state. Eurydice, the European education information network, reports that approval depends on aims, facilities and teacher training that are not inferior to public schools.

Schools that offer courses public schools do not, mostly vocational ones, are Ergänzungsschulen and mainly need to notify the authorities. In almost all states, approval alone does not give a school the right to hold state examinations, and state recognition does. Ask your state education office which status your school holds.

Accreditors and curriculum bodies are separate from state approval. Examples are the Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the International Baccalaureate (IB). Ask which of them your school holds.

British-curriculum schools may also join the UK government's voluntary British Schools Overseas (BSO) accreditation scheme. Check what each accreditation your school holds expects on child protection.

Section 4 of the Act on Cooperation and Information in Child Protection (KKG) covers teachers at public and state-recognised private schools. It gives them the power to tell the youth welfare office, called the Jugendamt, after set steps. It does not make that a duty.

Your school may fall outside this text. It names public schools and state-recognised private schools. An approved school without recognition, or a complementary school, should ask counsel whether section 4 covers its staff.

State school laws add to this, and they differ.

In Bavaria, Article 31(1) of the school act (BayEUG) says schools should inform the youth welfare office. The trigger is facts showing that a pupil's welfare is seriously at risk or harmed and that youth welfare measures are needed. Article 92(5) applies that rule to state-approved private schools.

A teacher who sees weighty signs that a child is in danger follows these steps under section 4.

• Talk with the child and the parents, and encourage the family to accept help, if that does not weaken the child's protection.
• Ask an experienced child protection specialist for advice, with identifying details removed. The public youth welfare authority provides one.
• If the danger cannot be removed this way, or the steps fail, and the Jugendamt needs to act, you may tell it.
• Tell the family before you do, unless that would put the child at risk.
• The Jugendamt should tell you whether it confirms the concern and whether it has acted.

If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 110, or 112 for an ambulance or the fire service. Then follow your school's child protection procedure and tell your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) the same day.

The Jugendamt is the main local child protection authority. Under section 8a of the Social Code, Book VIII, it assesses risk, offers parents help and applies to the family court when a court decision is needed.

Each city or district has its own Jugendamt. Find yours and save its contact before you need it.

• 110: the police, for acute danger, crimes and threats, at any hour (Polizei-Beratung).
• 112: ambulance and fire service, free from landlines and mobile phones (Federal Office of Civil Protection).
• 116 111: the Nummer gegen Kummer youth helpline. It is free and anonymous, in German, Monday to Saturday 14:00 to 20:00.
• 0800 111 0550: the Elterntelefon, a line for parents run by the same organisation.
• 0800 22 55 530: the sexual abuse helpline. It is free and anonymous, advises professionals and offers interpreters on request.

Policies built on England's Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) ask staff to report concerns to the DSL without delay. German law adds a family step. Section 4 asks staff to talk with the child and parents first, unless that puts the child at risk.

The reason is the place of the family in German law. Parents hold the first right and duty to raise their children, and the state watches over it (Basic Law, Article 6).

One procedure can fit both. Staff tell the DSL the same day, and never promise a child that you will keep a secret. The DSL then decides whether to talk to the family, ask a specialist for advice, call the police or inform the Jugendamt, and writes down why.

KCSIE is statutory guidance for England, so it has no legal force in Germany. The federal laws reviewed for this guide do not name a DSL, so that role comes from your accreditor and your own policy.

The International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) publishes expectations for school safeguarding programs that accreditors and inspectors can use. Read which parts of KCSIE apply abroad and how mandatory reporting laws differ.

Some states also ask schools for a written protection concept (Schutzkonzept). The Berlin education department says a 2021 law change requires every Berlin school to write one, and the education ministers' conference (KMK) published a national guide in March 2023. Ask your education office whether your state requires one for private schools.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has applied in Germany since 25 May 2018. The Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) of 30 June 2017 adds national rules. For sharing concerns with other schools and agencies, read information sharing in international schools.

A private school is likely a non-public body under section 1 of the BDSG. Public bodies of a state follow state data protection law where it exists. Ask counsel which rules apply to your school.

The GDPR does not require data to stay in Germany. Personal data may leave the European Economic Area only on set conditions. The European Data Protection Board lists an adequacy decision, safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, and narrow exceptions such as explicit consent.

Safeguarding files often hold health information and other sensitive data. Where the BDSG allows such data under section 22, subsection 2 lists safeguards such as access limits and encryption. Ask each supplier where your data sits and which transfer safeguard it uses.

Expect the Jugendamt, the police and the family court to work in German. Name a staff member who can make the first call, or arrange an interpreter. Add the German names to your procedure: Jugendamt, Polizei (police) and Familiengericht (family court).

The Jugendamt first offers help to parents when help can remove the risk. It applies to the family court when a court decision is needed. Tell staff this, so they know what can follow a report.

Section 1631(2) of the Civil Code gives every child a right to upbringing free of violence, physical punishment, psychological injury and other degrading measures. End Corporal Punishment reports that schools have banned corporal punishment since the 1970s, but its report does not discuss private schools. Put a plain rule in your staff code of conduct and repeat it at induction.

The Federal Office of Justice issues a certificate of good conduct, the Führungszeugnis. An extended version, the erweitertes Führungszeugnis, shows entries that matter for work with children.

Section 30a of the Federal Central Register Act allows the extended certificate when a role supervises, cares for, educates or trains minors. The candidate hands in a written request from the school that confirms this.

The Federal Office of Justice charges 13 euros. People can apply online with an ID card that has its online function active. Applicants living abroad apply to the office directly, and it warns of longer processing times for them.

A German certificate does not replace checks in other countries where the candidate lived or worked. Combine certificates with references and an interview about gaps, as set out in safer recruitment for international schools.

This guide gives general information, checked against the sources below on 19 October 2026. It is not legal advice. German and state rules change, so confirm the current law with local counsel and the relevant state authority.

Work through this list in your first term.

• Ask your state education office whether your school is approved, recognised or complementary.
• Save your local Jugendamt's contact in the procedure, and name a German speaker for the first call.
• Write who decides whether to tell the family, ask for advice or inform the Jugendamt.
• Post 110, 112 and 116 111 where staff and students can read them.
• Check where each supplier stores safeguarding records and which transfer safeguard it uses.
• Decide which roles need an extended certificate, and add the written request to your hiring steps.
• Add a no-physical-punishment rule to the staff code of conduct.