1.Our Commitment

Educa International School Versilia is committed to providing a safe, caring and supportive environment for every student in our community — whether they attend as a day student or live with us as a boarder. The welfare of the child is, and will always remain, our paramount consideration.

We recognise that having a policy does not by itself eliminate risk. What matters is that every member of staff, volunteer, contractor and partner working with our students understands their responsibility to notice, respond to, and report any concern about a child's safety or wellbeing.

This policy applies to all staff, boarding staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors who have contact with students at EIS Versilia, across both the day school and the boarding house.

2.Legal Framework

As a school operating in Italy, EIS Versilia's safeguarding practice is grounded in:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), in particular Articles 3, 19, 34, 36 and 37;
• The Italian Codice Penale, including Articles 609-bis and following (sexual offences), Articles 570 and 571 (mistreatment of family members or minors), and Article 609-quater (aggravating circumstances for offences committed by teachers or persons in a position of authority);
• Article 331 of the Codice di Procedura Penale, which obliges public officials and public service employees to report offences prosecutable ex officio that come to their attention in the course of their duties;
• Law 184/1983 on the child's right to a family, and Laws 66/1996 and 172/2012 implementing the Lanzarote Convention against sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

This policy should be read alongside the school's Behaviour Policy, Use of Technology Policy, Boarding Service Regulations, and Whistleblowing Policy.

3.Definitions

Safeguarding means the processes by which the school protects students from harm, prevents impairment of their health and development, and ensures every child has the best possible chance to thrive. This includes students who are 18 years of age or older.

Child protection is the core element of safeguarding: the responsibility to protect children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, harm as a result of abuse or neglect.

Abuse can take several forms, most commonly recognised as:

• Physical abuse — hitting, shaking, throwing, burning or otherwise causing physical harm to a child;
• Emotional abuse — persistent maltreatment causing severe and adverse effects on a child's emotional development;
• Sexual abuse — forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening, including online/non-contact forms;
• Neglect — persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical or psychological needs.

Staff should also be alert to peer-on-peer abuse, bullying (including cyberbullying), self-harm, and signs of exploitation, and should never assume that abuse cannot occur within our own community.

4.Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 Head of School

The Head of School holds overall responsibility for ensuring this policy is implemented and followed by all staff, and for ensuring the Designated Safeguarding Lead is given the time and authority to carry out their role effectively.

4.2 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

EIS Versilia has appointed a Designated Safeguarding Lead: Francesco Giuseppe Strignano, Legal Representative, contactable at admin@eisversilia.it. The Deputy DSL / Safeguarding Coordinator is Federica Puccetti.

The DSL:

• acts as the first point of reference for any member of staff who has a concern about a child;
• decides, following any report, what action should be taken and whether external agencies need to be involved;
• ensures all staff understand their responsibilities and receive appropriate training;
• maintains secure, confidential records of all concerns raised;
• is familiar with local safeguarding agencies and reporting routes in the Camaiore / Lucca area.

4.3 All Staff, Volunteers and Contractors

Every adult with access to students — including boarding staff, teachers, coaches, catering and maintenance staff, and third-party contractors — must:

• be familiar with this policy;
• be subject to safer recruitment checks appropriate to their role;
• listen to and take seriously any concern raised by a child;
• never investigate a concern themselves, but report it promptly to the DSL;
• never promise a child confidentiality if what they disclose relates to abuse.

5.Safeguarding in Boarding

As EIS Versilia provides residential accommodation for boarding students, we recognise that shared living spaces, overnight supervision and extended peer interaction bring specific safeguarding considerations in addition to those of the day school. We are committed to:

• maintaining active staff presence and appropriate supervision in the boarding house, including at night, proportionate to students' age and needs;
• communicating clear behavioural expectations to boarders on arrival, in line with the school's Boarding Service Regulations;
• considering age, developmental stage and any known safeguarding information when allocating rooms;
• providing boarders with multiple, accessible ways to raise a concern — directly with boarding staff, the DSL, or a wellbeing contact;
• treating any allegation, disclosure or concern relating to peer-on-peer conduct in the boarding house with the same seriousness and procedure as any other safeguarding concern;
• keeping parents/guardians informed, in accordance with the school's Boarding Service Regulations, of authorisation requirements for students leaving campus, visitors, and overnight arrangements.

Boarding staff receive additional training on recognising early indicators of child-on-child abuse, coercion, and misuse of digital devices in a residential context.

6.Training

All staff receive safeguarding induction training before having unsupervised contact with students, and refresher training at least annually. The DSL and Deputy DSL undertake additional, more advanced training appropriate to their role, refreshed at least every two years. Boarding staff receive training specific to residential safeguarding, including overnight supervision and peer-on-peer risk.

7.Safer Recruitment

EIS Versilia applies safer recruitment principles to every member of staff, volunteer and regular contractor who will have contact with students. This includes verifying identity and qualifications, obtaining references, and requesting criminal background checks (Certificato del Casellario Giudiziale / equivalent for staff who have lived or worked abroad) before any unsupervised contact with children begins. Records of these checks are kept in a central register.

8.Procedures for Reporting a Concern

If a member of staff is concerned that a student may be at risk of harm, or a student discloses something to them, they should follow these steps:

1. Receive — listen calmly, without showing shock or disbelief, and do not promise confidentiality.
2. Reassure — tell the child they have done the right thing by speaking up, without making promises you cannot keep.
3. React — ask only open, non-leading questions if further clarification is genuinely needed.
4. Record — write down what was said, in the child's own words, as soon as possible and in any case within 24 hours, noting the date, time, and place.
5. Report — pass the record to the Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay, using admin@eisversilia.it.

Staff must never attempt to investigate a concern themselves. It is the DSL's responsibility to decide on next steps, including whether external agencies must be informed.

9.Reporting to External Authorities

Where information emerges suggesting the possibility of serious mistreatment or abuse, the school is required to activate the appropriate external services without delay, in line with Italian law:

• Servizi Sociali / ASL competenti — for the initiation of protective and social-health assessment interventions, in accordance with the 2017 Ministry for Family and Disability guidelines on child victims of abuse or maltreatment;
• Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale per i Minorenni / Forze dell'Ordine — where facts constitute an offence prosecutable ex officio, staff have a duty to inform the Head of School, who is responsible for forwarding a signed, written report to the competent authority without delay.

While awaiting the outcome of any external assessment, the school will take all reasonable steps to protect the student from further harm or pressure, including facilitating access to counselling or specialist services where appropriate.

10.Online Safety

EIS Versilia's approach to safe and responsible use of technology, school devices and the internet — including rules for boarders' personal devices — is set out in the school's separate Use of Technology and Rules for the Use of School Devices and the Internet Connection policies, which form part of our wider safeguarding framework. Any offensive, inappropriate or concerning content encountered online, whether intentional or accidental, must be reported immediately to a member of staff.

11.Confidentiality and Record Keeping

All safeguarding records are treated as strictly confidential, stored securely and separately from general school records, and are accessible only to the DSL, Deputy DSL and senior staff on a need-to-know basis. Information is shared with external agencies only where necessary to protect a child or to comply with a legal obligation.

12.Review

This policy is reviewed at least every two years, or sooner following any significant incident, change in legislation, or update to best practice. It is made available to staff, parents and students via the school website and, on request, in hard copy.