Safeguarding in international schools in Turkey: a DSL guide

The Ministry of National Education licenses private schools in Turkey. The rules sit in the Private Education Institutions Law, Law No. 5580 of 2007. A school cannot enrol students until it holds a permit to open.

The law names three groups: international private institutions, foreign schools and minority schools. An international private institution is one that only foreign-national students may attend. The consolidated text lists enrolling Turkish citizens in one as a ground for a fine and loss of the permit, added by Law No. 7590 on 24 July 2026.

Ask your Head or board which category your school holds. Then ask local counsel which rules apply to that category.

Accreditation is a separate layer that schools choose. International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes are offered in Turkey. Your school may also belong to bodies such as the Council of International Schools (CIS) or the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The legal texts were read on 19 October 2026. Confirm current law with local counsel and the relevant authority.

In practice, yes. The duty is spread across two laws. Article 6 of the Child Protection Law (Law No. 5395 of 2005) says education institutions must notify the social services authority about a child in need of protection.

The law defines that child as anyone under 18 whose development or safety is in danger, or who is neglected, abused or a victim of crime. The text names the Social Services and Child Protection Agency. Child protection now sits with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, so ask counsel which office takes notifications in your district.

The Penal Code adds a duty for everyone. Article 278 of Law No. 5237 punishes any person who does not tell the authorities about a crime in progress, or a crime whose harm can still be limited. The penalty is up to one year in prison, and it rises by half if the victim is a child under 15.

Article 279 adds a duty for public officials. Article 280 covers health professionals, including nurses, who see signs of a crime in their work. Whether Article 279 reaches staff at a private school is a question for local counsel.

The laws read for this guide do not name a designated safeguarding lead (DSL). That role comes from your accreditor and from good practice. See mandatory reporting laws across countries for the wider picture.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 112, the national emergency number, then tell your DSL. Otherwise follow your school's child protection procedure and tell the DSL the same day.

For a child who is not in immediate danger, the Ministry of Family and Social Services lists where to report violence. These are the governorship, the police station, the gendarmerie station, and the Chief Public Prosecutor's office or a family court judge.

The ministry says anyone who sees or hears of violence can report it, and it names teachers as an example. That page is about violence in general, so ask counsel which route fits a school case.

The ALO 183 Social Support Line is free and open 24 hours. It is a general support line, and the page does not call it a child helpline. Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centres (ŞÖNİM) also work 24 hours a day.

Post these contacts where staff and students can read them, in Turkish and English. Check them each year with the ministry.

Policies based on the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) and Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) usually ask staff to report every concern, however small. Turkish law speaks about crimes and children in need of protection. The two use different thresholds.

KCSIE applies to schools in England and has no legal force in Turkey. Copying its structure is a sound choice if your policy also names the Turkish duties. See KCSIE for international schools for what carries over.

One procedure can serve both. Staff tell the DSL the same day. The DSL decides whether the concern may be a crime or a child in need of protection, and makes the notification with counsel's help.

Article 278 speaks of any person. A rule that only the DSL may contact the authorities could clash with that. Say in the policy that any adult may call 112 when a child is in immediate danger or the DSL cannot be reached, and ask counsel to check the wording.

International policies often tell staff to inform parents. Article 31 of Law 5395 shows the limit. The police children's unit does not inform relatives suspected of abusing the child, and your policy should carry the same exception.

The Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 6698 of 2016), known as KVKK, makes your school the data controller for the records it keeps. Article 12 says the controller must take technical and administrative steps to keep data safe. After a breach, the school must tell the person concerned and the Personal Data Protection Board as soon as possible.

Safeguarding files often hold health data, data about sexual life or criminal convictions. Article 6 treats these as special category data. Processing is banned unless a listed condition applies, such as a basis in law or the need to establish or protect a right.

Article 9 covers sending data abroad, as rewritten by Law No. 7499 in March 2024. A transfer needs a legal ground under Article 5 or 6, plus an adequacy decision for the destination or safeguards such as a standard contract. A standard contract must be notified to the authority within five working days of signing.

Explicit consent works only as a fallback for occasional transfers. A cloud system that stores records abroad every day is not occasional. Ask counsel and your supplier how each transfer is covered.

The text read for this guide has no general rule that data must stay in Turkey. Other laws can set sector rules. Article 16 also asks data controllers to join a public registry, with exceptions the Board sets, so ask counsel whether your school must register.

Turkish is the language of the law, the authorities and many support staff. Keep your reporting route on one page, in English and Turkish. Drivers, security officers and cleaners may speak little English, and they often see children first.

The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children reports that corporal punishment has long been treated as unlawful in Turkish schools, although no law bans it by name. Article 232 of the Penal Code punishes misuse of disciplinary authority by anyone responsible for educating or caring for a person.

The same report says corporal punishment is still lawful at home, so families may hold different views. Explain your school rule at admission.

Law 5580 says staff of private education institutions must not have been convicted of listed offences, including sexual offences. The Constitutional Court has struck out parts of that wording, so ask counsel for the current rule. Teachers also need the governorship's approval before they start, and foreign staff need a work permit.

The Ministry of Justice criminal records site links to a criminal record certificate on the e-Government portal and has a page for applications from abroad. For candidates from other countries, ask for a police certificate from every country they lived in. The safer recruitment guide covers the full process.

Work through these in your first weeks. Give each item an owner and a date. The first 90 days as a DSL guide covers the wider plan.

• Find out which licence category your school holds and who keeps the permit papers.
• Write one reporting page in English and Turkish, with 112 and the DSL's name on it.
• Ask counsel which office takes notifications under Article 6 of Law 5395 in your district.
• Agree who may call 112 or the police if the DSL cannot be reached.
• Check where your safeguarding records are stored and how each transfer abroad is covered.
• Add Articles 4 and 8 of Law 5580 to your recruitment checklist.
• Set a yearly date to recheck every law and number in this guide.