Safeguarding and child protection

Our commitment

Every boy at Olgun has the right to be safe and to be treated with respect. His welfare comes first in every decision we make about him.

Because our boys board, the adults at school stand in for their parents for most of the year. We take that seriously, by day and by night.

This policy applies to everyone who works at or for the school: teachers, boarding staff, support staff, volunteers, contractors, visitors and the school's owners and board. It applies on campus, on trips and online.

Who is responsible

What we mean by abuse

A child is anyone under 18, as the Zanzibar Children's Act 2011 sets out. Abuse can be:

• Physical: hitting, shaking, burning or any other deliberate harm to the body.
• Emotional: threats, humiliation, constant criticism, or making a boy feel worthless or afraid.
• Sexual: any sexual activity with a child, or showing a child sexual material.
• Neglect: failing to give a boy the food, care, medical help or supervision he needs.
• By other boys: violence, sexual harm, threats or initiation rituals by older or stronger boys. In a boarding school this needs particular care, and it is never treated as "just part of growing up".
• Online: abuse, threats or pressure through phones, messages or social media.

Signs that may worry us

None of these proves abuse, but each is a reason to tell the DSL:

• Injuries that are not explained, or explanations that change.
• A sudden change in mood, sleep, eating or schoolwork.
• Fear of a particular person or place, or not wanting to go home or come back to school.
• Gifts, money or a phone from an unknown source.
• Something a boy says, or hints at, about how he is treated.

What staff do when a boy tells them something

1. Listen calmly and take him seriously.
2. Do not promise to keep it secret. Explain that they must tell the person whose job it is to help.
3. Do not ask leading questions or investigate. That is for the DSL and, where needed, Social Welfare or the police.
4. Write down what he said, in his words, with the date, time and their name, and sign it.
5. Tell the DSL the same day, or at once if he may be in danger.

How the school reports

Under section 20 of the Zanzibar Children's Act 2011, a teacher, school counsellor or nurse who reasonably believes that a child's rights are being seriously violated, including through abuse, must report it to the Director of Social Welfare, a Welfare Officer, a police station or the Sheha. The school follows this duty. The DSL makes the report as soon as possible, and within 24 hours, and the staff member who raised the concern is told that it has been passed on.

The same section protects the identity of anyone who reports in good faith. We keep the name of the person who raised a concern confidential.

We tell parents what is happening unless doing so could put a boy at risk, or Social Welfare or the police ask us not to.

Concerns about a member of staff

Any worry about how an adult at the school behaves towards a boy goes to the DSL, even if it seems small. The Principal is also the DSL for now, so a worry about the Principal goes to the school's owners, The Institute of Holistic Education Zanzibar, or straight to Social Welfare.

While a concern about a member of staff is looked into, that person is kept away from boys. No member of staff is allowed to leave quietly to avoid an inquiry, and a reference never hides a safeguarding concern.

Rules for staff

• Staff do not contact boys through personal phone numbers, personal WhatsApp or social media.
• Staff avoid being alone with one boy behind a closed door. If a private talk is needed, the door stays open or another adult knows.
• Staff go into dormitories and bathrooms only when their duties need it, and never stay alone with one boy behind a closed door.
• Photos of boys are taken only on school devices and deleted from any personal phone the same day.
• We do not use corporal punishment.
• Gifts and favours to individual boys are not allowed. School prizes, given openly, are the only exception.

Safeguarding in boarding

• Ten adults stay on campus every night. A member of the boarding staff is on duty and can be reached at any hour on +255 704 008 932.
• The campus is fenced and guarded, and has CCTV.
• All visitors sign in at the gate, and are never left alone with boys.
• Each boy can speak to any teacher he trusts, or to the Principal, if he does not want to speak to the boarding staff.
• If a boy cannot be found, staff search the campus at once and tell the Principal straight away. If he is not found quickly, we call his parents and the police.

Photos and publication

Section 33 of the Zanzibar Children's Act 2011 makes it an offence to publish information or a photo that could identify an abused child, without the court's permission. The DSL keeps a list of boys who must not be photographed or named, and staff check it before anything is published.

All other photos follow the consent rules in our privacy policy: consent for each use, no full names next to faces, and removal from the website within 1 working day on request.

Online safety

The Cybercrimes Act 2015 applies in Zanzibar. Publishing or sharing sexual images of a child is a crime under it, and so is cyber bullying.

If staff come across a sexual image of a boy, they do not delete it, copy it or forward it, not even to a colleague. They tell the DSL at once, and the DSL tells the police. Boys hand in their phones to the boarding master, who keeps them until the holidays. Boys do not bring laptops or tablets, and do not use the internet at school.

Records and confidentiality

Every concern is written down, with what was done and why. Safeguarding records are kept apart from ordinary school files, in a locked place or a protected account, and only the safeguarding leads can open them. They are shared only with people who need them to protect a boy. They are kept securely, also after a boy has left the school.

Safer recruitment and training

Every new member of staff is checked before they start. See the safer recruitment statement on our careers page.

New staff are told how to recognise and report a worry when they join, and the school goes over this with all staff every year.

Who to contact

You can go to any of these people or services directly. You do not need the school's permission.

The law behind this policy

• Zanzibar Children's Act 2011 (Act No. 6 of 2011), in particular section 20 (duty to report) and section 33 (no publication that identifies an abused child).
• Cybercrimes Act 2015.