Safeguarding Policy

1. Purpose and scope

EyeQBoost keeps every child safe in everything we do, and this policy sets out how. EyeQBoost Sdn. Bhd. is a holistic education company based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. We have no physical centre: we teach children and young people through online classes, assessments and workshops, run programmes with schools, and offer free Brain Games and printable worksheets on eyeqboost.com.

In this policy, a child is anyone under 18, in line with Malaysia’s Child Act 2001.

The policy applies to:

• everyone who works with or for EyeQBoost: founders, coaches, tutors, contractors, volunteers and partners who deliver our programmes
• every activity we run: online classes and one-to-one sessions, student assessments, family engagement programmes, workshops and seminars, in-school and after-school programmes, and our website, accounts, Brain Games and worksheets
• children and families anywhere in the world who use our services, while our reporting steps follow Malaysian law

If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999 straight away.

2. Our commitments

The welfare of the child comes first, always. We commit to:

• treat every child with respect, whatever their age, background, ability, religion or gender
• listen to children and take every concern seriously
• keep adults’ contact with children open, observable and limited to the learning we provide
• check the people who work with children before they start, and train them
• collect only the personal data we need, and protect it
• act quickly when we are worried about a child, and report to the authorities when the law or the child’s safety requires it
• work in partnership with parents, carers and schools, and be open with them about how we keep children safe

3. Who is responsible

One person, our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), handles every safeguarding concern. A deputy covers when the DSL is unavailable.

Parents, carers, schools and children can reach the DSL at info@eyeqboost.com (subject line “Safeguarding”) or on WhatsApp at +60 11-1651 3098, starting the message with “Safeguarding”. We reply within one working day.

4. Safer recruitment and conduct

No one works with children for EyeQBoost until we have checked them. Before a coach, tutor or contractor starts, we:

1. Verify their identity and qualifications.
2. Take up at least two references, one from a recent role working with children where possible.
3. Check them against Malaysia’s Child Register (Daftar Kanak-Kanak), kept by the Social Welfare Department (JKM) under the Child Act 2001, or an equivalent working-with-children or police check from their home country, such as a Queensland Blue Card in Australia.
4. Ask them to read and sign this policy and our code of conduct. Schools and parents can request a copy of the code by emailing info@eyeqboost.com.

Everyone who works with children must:

• keep all contact with a child within EyeQBoost sessions and our official channels
• contact families through a parent’s or school’s details, not a child’s personal phone, social media or messaging account
• never share personal contact details, give gifts, or arrange to meet a child outside our programmes
• use language, examples and materials suitable for the child’s age
• never use physical punishment, humiliation or threats, online or in person
• report to the DSL the same day if they break any of these rules by accident, or see someone else do so

5. Online classes and sessions

All our teaching happens online, so every session follows these rules:

• Booked through a parent or school. A parent, carer or school enrols the child and receives the session link. We never send links to a child’s personal account.
• Our official account only. Sessions run on our company video account, with a waiting room and the coach as host.
• Visible and in an open space. Coaches teach with cameras on, against a neutral background, and dress as they would in a classroom. We ask that children join from a shared space at home, such as a living room, not a bedroom.
• One-to-one sessions. A parent or carer stays nearby and may join at any time. In group sessions the coach is present from start to finish, and children are never left in a breakout room the coach cannot see.
• Recording. We record sessions only with a parent’s written consent, keep recordings on our company account, and delete them once they are no longer needed, unless they must be kept as part of a safeguarding concern.
• Chat. Where the platform allows, chat is set so children can message the coach or the whole group, but not each other privately.
• Ending sessions. The coach is the last to leave and closes the meeting for everyone.

6. Our website, accounts and Brain Games

Our free Brain Games and worksheets are built so children can use them without contact with strangers:

• No chat or messaging. The games have no chat, friend requests or ways for players to contact each other. Two-player modes are turn-based on one shared screen in the same room.
• Accounts made with a parent or teacher. Free accounts ask for a name, email address and password. We ask parents and teachers to create the account with the child, using a parent’s or teacher’s email address for younger children.
• Leaderboard privacy. The leaderboard shows only a first name and last initial (for example “Aisha R.”), never an email address, photo, age or location.
• Limited data. We store scores, points, time played and badges to show progress. We do not show advertising in the games or sell any data.
• Daily limits. Each game caps the points and time counted per day, so there is no reward for playing for hours.
• Content. Every game and worksheet is written for children and checked before it is published.

Parents can ask us to correct or delete their child’s account and data at any time by emailing info@eyeqboost.com.

7. Programmes with schools

When we work with a school, in person or online, the school’s own safeguarding policy applies alongside this one, and its staff stay responsible for pupils. In practice:

• a member of school staff is present or within reach for every session
• our coaches sign in and follow the school’s visitor and safeguarding rules
• any concern about a pupil goes to the school’s safeguarding lead the same day, and to our DSL
• we use pupil information only for the programme, as agreed with the school

The same applies to programmes we deliver with partner organisations.

8. Responding to a concern

Anyone who is worried about a child acts the same day. Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual, or neglect, and online it includes grooming, sharing sexual images and cyberbullying. Warning signs include unexplained injuries, sudden changes in behaviour or mood, a child seeming frightened of someone, or a child telling you something directly.

If a child tells you something:

• stay calm, listen, and let them talk in their own words
• do not promise to keep it a secret; explain that you will tell the people who can help
• do not ask leading questions or investigate yourself
• write down what was said, in the child’s words, with the date and time, as soon as the session ends

What happens next:

1. Immediate danger: call the police on 999 straight away, then tell the DSL.
2. Report to the DSL the same day, by phone or in writing. If the concern is about the DSL, report to the deputy or a founder.
3. The DSL decides the next step within 24 hours, and records the concern, the decision and the reason.
4. Sexual abuse: in Malaysia, anyone who knows of a sexual offence against a child must report it to the police; failing to do so is an offence under Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. The DSL makes the police report, and anyone may report directly.
5. Other abuse or neglect: the DSL reports to the Social Welfare Department (JKM) through Talian Kasih (call 15999 or WhatsApp 019-261 5999, 24 hours a day) or to the police.
6. Children outside Malaysia: the DSL contacts the police or child protection service in the child’s country, and the child’s school where appropriate.
7. Parents: the DSL tells the child’s parents or carers, unless doing so could put the child at greater risk or the authorities advise against it.

Concerns about someone who works with us go straight to the DSL, or to a founder if they concern the DSL. The person is removed from contact with children while the concern is looked into, and we report to the police or JKM where the law requires.

We will never penalise anyone who reports a concern in good faith.

9. Privacy, data and photos

We handle children’s personal data under Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and its 2024 amendments.

• We collect a child’s data only with a parent’s, carer’s or school’s consent, and only what we need for the programme.
• Safeguarding records are kept securely and separately from other records, and only the DSL and deputy can see them.
• We never publish a photo, video, full name or school of a child without a parent’s written consent for that specific use. We use first names only, and never pair a child’s name with their photo.
• Coaches do not keep photos, recordings or contact details of children on personal devices.
• If a data breach affects children’s information, we act at once to contain it, inform the families affected, and notify the Personal Data Protection Commissioner where the law requires.

Our privacy policy explains in full what we collect and how to ask us to see, correct or delete it.

10. Training and review

• Everyone who works with children completes safeguarding training before their first session, and a refresher every year.
• The DSL completes more detailed child protection training.
• We review this policy every year, and straight away after any serious incident or change in the law.

This policy works alongside our privacy policy, terms and conditions and our staff code of conduct.

11. Contact us

If you have a question about this policy, or a concern about a child, please get in touch.

• Email: info@eyeqboost.com (subject line “Safeguarding”)
• WhatsApp (messages only): +60 11-1651 3098

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. You can also call Talian Kasih on 15999, 24 hours a day.