Safeguarding and Child Protection

Commitment

At The International School of The Hague, we believe that every student has the right to grow up in a safe, secure, and nurturing environment. Our commitment to safeguarding and child protection is not just a legal obligation—it is a moral imperative that sits at the very heart of our educational philosophy.

Context

ISH operates within a national and international context, conforming to legislation in the Netherlands, regulations from Stichting Het Rijnlands Lyceum (SRL), and international standards.

All staff have a responsibility to follow the Dutch Meldcode for reporting suspicions of abuse or domestic violence.

Reporting and Responding

Dutch Meldcode

➤ Step 1 (Identification): Recognising and interpreting signs of concern.
➤ Step 2 (Consultation): Staff report concerns to the DSL. The DSL may consult with the Strategic Safeguarding Lead (SSL) or Veilig Thuis (Safe Home) for advice.
➤ Step 3 (Assessment): The DSL/SSL assesses the nature and severity of the risk.
➤ Steps 4 & 5 (Action): The school decides whether to organise help or make a formal referral to Veilig Thuis.

Concern about a child - disclosure

Report directly to the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) via the Child Protection Concern Form within 24 hours.

dsl@ishthehague.nl

Disclosure form

Emergencies: If a child is in immediate danger, do not wait. Call 112, Veilig Thuis, or the police, then inform your DSL/SSL as soon as possible.

Primary School

Caroline Lapierre
(Lower School Assistant Principal)

Email: c.lapierre@ishthehague.nl

Ingrid McKenna
(Upper School Assistant Principal)

Email: i.mckenna@ishthehague.nl

Secondary School

Beth Alpert
(School Counsellor)

Email: b.alpert@ishthehague.nl

Simon Teal
(Student Wellbeing Coordinator)

Email: s.teal@ishthehague.nl

Adult Conduct Concerns

Adult conduct concerns refer to behaviour on the part of a staff member towards students that is considered inappropriate in line with the SRL ‘Code of Conduct’ and ‘Integrity Code’ and Professional Boundaries Expectations. Whilst adult conduct concerns are, by their nature, less serious than concerns which meet the harms threshold, the school understands that many serious safeguarding concerns, e.g. child sexual abuse, often begin with adult conduct concerns, e.g. being overly friendly with children.

All Adult Conduct Concerns must be reported to the Strategic Safeguarding Leads (SSLs).

SSL@ishthehague.nl

Primary School