Safeguarding international schools in Taiwan: country guide

Taiwan has two legal routes for international schooling. Article 83 of the Private School Act allows private schools at senior high level or below that take only students with foreign nationality. Article 84 lets a private school open a foreign-curriculum department or class for such students.

The Ministry of Education holds authority at national level, and the municipal or county (city) government holds it locally (Article 2 of the 2013 regulations). Local officials carry out annual inspections, regular or random. Schools send them yearly lists of teachers, staff and students (Article 37).

Article 83 also frees these schools from the rest of the Private School Act and from other laws that govern schools, apart from supervision, merger and closure rules. The Teachers Act does not cover their teachers. Ask counsel which education laws still reach your school.

Public school websites in Taipei list the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). They also list International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes and membership of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA).

Yes. Article 53 of the Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act (the Child Act) lists educators among the people who must report. They report to the municipal or county (city) authority, immediately and within 24 hours of learning the facts at work.

The duty covers acts listed in Article 49, such as abandonment and physical or mental abuse, and other injuries. The Child Act treats anyone under 18 as a child or juvenile.

The authority must sort the case within 24 hours, then investigate and write a report. The Child Act says it must keep the reporter's identity confidential. Anyone else who knows of such a case may report too.

Two other laws add reporting lines. The Domestic Violence Prevention Act (Article 50) tells educational personnel to report suspected domestic violence within 24 hours. Under the Gender Equity Education Act (Article 22), staff report campus sexual assault or harassment to a named school contact, who has 24 hours to alert the authorities.

These laws speak of educators and schools in general terms. Article 83 of the Private School Act frees schools for foreign nationals from some education laws, so ask counsel how each duty reaches your staff. Until you have the answer, treat each duty as binding, and read about mandatory reporting laws in international schools.

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

The Child Act leaves the reporting form and process to rules set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Article 53). Ask your municipal or county (city) authority for its current form, contact point and language options. Child Helpline International lists no Taiwan helpline, so this guide gives only the government lines below.

• 110: the police emergency line, run by the National Police Agency.
• 113: the Women and Children Protection Hotline, staffed by trained police 24 hours a day.
• Your local social welfare authority: the body that receives reports under Article 53.
• Your DSL: tell them the same day, every time.

Taiwan gives the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child the force of domestic law. The Implementation Act (Articles 2 and 3) also tells officials to consider the spirit of the Convention and the UN committee's interpretations.

Your accreditor adds standards on top. The International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) sets practice for schools, and Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) is guidance for England. Neither has legal force in Taiwan, and both expect staff to pass concerns on to a named lead.

The time limit is the main gap to close. The Child Act says "immediately", with 24 hours as the outer limit. Make staff tell the DSL at once, so the DSL has time to act.

The Child Act puts the duty on each listed worker, such as a teacher. If your policy sends every report through one DSL, a teacher could be left waiting on an absent colleague. Name a deputy, let any staff member report directly when no lead can be reached, and check the wording with counsel.

The Personal Data Protection Act governs how schools collect, process and use personal data. Article 6 sets stricter rules for sensitive data such as medical records, health checks, sex life and criminal records. Safeguarding files often hold several of these.

Under Article 6, you may handle such data where a law requires it, or where it meets a legal duty and you apply proper security. Written consent is another basis. A report under Article 53 of the Child Act is a legal duty, so note the legal basis each time you share a file.

Article 8 asks you to tell people the purpose, the data types, how long, where and with whom you will use their data, with some exceptions. Under the Civil Code, a minor over seven has limited legal capacity (Article 13). Ask counsel when a parent must consent.

On sending data abroad, the Act lets the competent authority restrict a transfer in four cases (Article 21). One is a receiving country with weak data protection law. The Act's text holds no general rule that safeguarding records must stay in Taiwan, so ask counsel to check sector rules and your contracts.

An amendment promulgated on 11 November 2025 adds a duty to report some data breaches to the authority. It builds on a 2023 change that names a Personal Data Protection Commission as the competent authority. The Executive Yuan sets the start dates, and the government database listed none on 19 October 2026.

Yes, in law. Article 8 of the Fundamental Act of Education protects students from corporal punishment and bullying. The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children (GIEACP) reports that the ban dates from 2006 and covers public and private schools.

Whether the ban binds a school for foreign nationals is a question for counsel. Your policy should ban physical punishment either way. Article 49 of the Child Act already bans physical or mental abuse of anyone under 18.

Article 1085 of the Civil Code says parents may punish their children "within the limit of necessity", and GIEACP lists the home as a setting where punishment is still lawful. GIEACP also cites 2011 and 2018 surveys that found corporal punishment or abuse still reported in schools after the ban.

Staff and parents may hold different views on discipline. If a child says they were hit at home, staff listen, record the facts and tell the DSL the same day. The DSL decides with counsel whether it reaches the Article 49 line.

The National Police Agency issues the police criminal record certificate. Citizens with household registration can apply online. Citizens without it, and foreign nationals, must apply in person at an authorised police office with a passport or residence certificate, according to its FAQ.

A Taiwan certificate comes from Taiwan's police. Ask also for certificates from each country where the candidate has lived, and keep copies on the staff file. Read more on safer recruitment.

Taiwan's Development of National Languages Act treats the natural languages of its ethnic groups as national languages, all equal (Articles 3 and 4). Drivers, guards, cleaners and families may speak Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka or an Indigenous language.

Do not assume that a local office or a call will be handled in English. Ask your authority which languages it supports, and put the reporting route on one page in English and Chinese. Plan training in the languages your staff use.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm current law with local counsel and the relevant authority. Use the list below in your first month.

• Find out which authority oversees your school and who your local officer is.
• Get the reporting form and contact point from your municipal or county (city) authority.
• Post 110 and 113 on staff and student boards, with your own name and room.
• Write one reporting route, in English and Chinese, that meets the 24-hour limit.
• Ask counsel which Taiwan education laws reach your school, and record the answer.
• Map where safeguarding records are stored and who can read them.
• Check certificates from Taiwan and from each earlier country for every staff member.