What is child safeguarding and child protection?
Every five minutes, a child dies from violence1. Millions more suffer abuse, often unseen and unreported — especially girls. Child safeguarding is vital to prevent harm before it happens. Strong policies, trained adults, and child-centred systems can protect every child’s right to safety, dignity, and a future free from abuse. Child Protection is the prevention of, and response to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation against children.
What’s the difference between child safeguarding and child protection?
Child safeguarding and child protection both involve preventing harm and responding when it happens, but they focus on different sources of risk.
Child safeguarding focuses on preventing and responding to harm caused by staff, partners, volunteers, or anyone associated with the organisation. This includes creating safe environments, setting clear standards of behaviour, and taking action if concerns arise.
Child protection focuses on preventing and responding to harm that happens in a child’s wider environment, such as within their family, community, or society. This includes identifying risks like abuse or neglect and working with relevant services to protect the child.
The principles of child safeguarding
Every organisation that works with children must have strong rules and practices to keep them safe. At Plan International, safeguarding is guided by these key principles:
1. Every child has rights – All children have the right to be safe and protected from harm. Their views should be heard, respected, and considered in decisions that affect them.
2. Act on concerns – No safeguarding concern should be ignored. Everyone must act quickly and appropriately to protect children.
3. Survivor-centred approach – Children affected by harm should be supported and protected. Their safety, privacy, and wellbeing come first in any response.
4. Equality and inclusion – Safeguarding must consider every child’s background, identity, and situation. All forms of inequality or discrimination should be challenged.
5. Shared responsibility – Keeping children safe is everyone’s job. Staff, volunteers, partners, and communities must all understand and follow safeguarding rules.
6. Transparency and accountability – Organisations should be open about how they keep children safe. Concerns should be easy to report, and safeguarding processes should be regularly reviewed and improved.
Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility. Following these principles helps create safe environments where children can grow, learn, and thrive.
Keeping children safe
Keeping children safe from harm because of their association with the organisation is what safeguarding is all about. Below are some of the ways that safeguarding helps to protect children.
The International Child Safeguarding Standards
The International Child Safeguarding Standards are a set of globally-recognised guidelines designed to help organisations, in all parts of their work, protect children from harm, abuse, exploitation and neglect. They set out what organisations should have in place to prevent harm, respond appropriately to concerns, and ensure safe environments for children.
The Standards are structured around four key areas:
- Policy – the organisation develops and implements a clear child safeguarding policy, outlining its commitment to prevent and respond to harm.
- People – roles, responsibilities and expectations for staff and associates are defined, and people are supported to act in ways that protect children.
- Procedures – practical child safeguarding procedures are implemented throughout the organisation to create and maintain a safe environment.
- Accountability – systems are in place to monitor, review and improve safeguarding measures over time.
Put children first
Putting children first is fundamental in child safeguarding because it ensures that a child’s safety, wellbeing, and rights take priority over all other considerations. Here are the key reasons why it matters:
Children are vulnerable and dependent
Children often lack the power, confidence, information and ability to protect themselves and speak out about harm. Adults and systems have a duty to act in their best interests and protect them from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
It puts the child’s best interests first
All the actions, policies and procedures are designed to ensure the best interest of the child, that is to prioritise the child’s wellbeing and safety.
Early protection prevents long-term harm
Abuse and neglect can have lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, education, and relationships. Acting early and prioritising the child reduces the risk of long-term consequences and supports healthy development.
It upholds children’s rights
International frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasise that children have the right to protection, care, and to be heard. Putting children first respects these legal and moral obligations.
It encourages children to speak up
When children feel believed, listened to, and taken seriously, they are more likely to disclose concerns. A child-centred approach builds trust and makes safeguarding systems more effective.
It guides professional and ethical practice
International and national NGO staff, partners, volunteers, teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, and others working with children are ethically and legally required to act in the child’s best interests. Putting children first provides a clear framework for decision-making and accountability.
It reduces systemic failures
Many safeguarding failures occur there is a lack of child-friendly feedback mechanisms (accountability), lack of and weak implementation of safeguarding policies, power imbalance (due to organisational culture), weak monitoring systems, inadequate trainings, A child-first approach helps prevent cover-ups and ensures concerns are acted upon promptly.
Recognise the risks
Recognising risks to child safety involves being alert to warning signs, understanding risk factors, and listening to children. A proactive, child-centred approach helps prevent harm before it escalates and lead to both child protection and safeguarding best practices.
1. Be aware of common risk factors
Certain situations increase the likelihood of harm, such as:
- Lack of supervision or unsafe environments
- Domestic abuse, substance misuse, or mental health issues in the home
- Children with disabilities or additional needs
- Online access without appropriate safeguards
- Stressful life events (bereavement, family breakdown, poverty)
2. Notice changes in a child’s behaviour or appearance
Sudden or unexplained changes may indicate a problem, including:
- Withdrawal, fearfulness, aggression, or anxiety
- Regression (bed-wetting, clinginess)
- Poor hygiene, inappropriate clothing, or frequent injuries
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Decline in school attendance or performance
3. Recognise signs of abuse or neglect
Possible indicators include:
- Unexplained bruises, burns, or injuries
- Sexualised behaviour or language inappropriate for their age
- Lack of basic care (food, warmth, medical attention)
- Reluctance to go home or fear of certain adults
- Frequent exposure to risky situations
4. Listen carefully to what children say
Children may not disclose abuse directly. Signs to look out for include:
- Hints, jokes, or partial disclosures
- Expressions of fear, discomfort, or feeling unsafe
- Statements that suggest secrecy, threats, or control
Always take concerns seriously and never promise confidentiality.
5. Observe adult behaviour and environments
Risks come from adults or settings:
- Adults who ignore boundaries or seek excessive alone time with children
- Poor safeguarding practices or lack of supervision
- Unsafe physical environments (hazards, poor security)
- Cultures where concerns are dismissed or not reported
6. Trust your professional judgement
If something feels “not quite right,” it may be. Safeguarding often relies on patterns rather than single incidents. Early reporting is always better than waiting for proof.
7. Follow safeguarding procedures
Know how and where to report concerns:
- Record observations factually and promptly
- Share concerns with the designated safeguarding lead or appropriate authority
- Act immediately if a child is in danger
Child safeguarding globally
Child safeguarding is a global responsibility, which is embedded in international law and standards. The International Child Safeguarding Standards (ICSS), published by Keeping Children Safe, sets out practical standards for organisations worldwide.
International child safeguarding frameworks share common principles:
Best interests of the child – all actions prioritise the child’s welfare (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC, 1989).
Prevention first – policies must focus on preventing harm before it occurs.
Accountability – organisations are responsible for safeguarding policies; staff conduct and reporting concerns.
Participation – children’s voices should be heard in decisions affecting them.
Non-discrimination – every child has the right to protection, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, or status.
Protecting children requires multi-sector, multi-level cooperation from governments to communities and organisations.
Where are children the least safe?
Children are the least safe in active war zones and conflict-affected countries. The extreme threats that they face are being killed, maimed, displaced, sexually abused, recruited into armed groups, or denied basic services like education and healthcare.
World Vision has identified the below 10 countries as the most dangerous for children in 2025:
- Afghanistan
- Central African Republic
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
- Gaza & the West Bank
- Haiti
- Myanmar
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
These countries are marked by widespread violence, displacement, hunger, health crises, and collapse or severe disruption of child protection systems.
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are also areas where children are the least safe. UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2025 report highlights that severe child deprivation (in areas like nutrition, sanitation, health, education and housing) is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
How poor child safeguarding can impact children and girls
Poor child safeguarding has serious, long-lasting impacts on children, with girls often facing heightened and gender-specific harms.
When child protection systems are weak or absent, children are more likely to experience physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect. This can occur in families, schools, institutions, humanitarian settings or online.
Girls are particularly affected by poor safeguarding due to gender inequality, social norms, and power imbalances. Girls face higher risk of sexual violence, exploitation, gender-based violence and child marriage — in conflict, displacement, poverty, and humanitarian crises.
Poor safeguarding can also lead to unsafe learning environments, lack of reporting or protection mechanisms in schools and school dropout due to abuse, fear, pregnancy or marriage.
Child protection system in the UK
The child protection system in the UK is the set of laws, organisations, duties, and procedures designed to safeguard children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation and to promote their welfare. It is a multi-agency system, which requires partners to work together to safeguard vulnerable people
It comprises key organisations, such as local authorities (which are the lead agencies for child protection), the police, health services (such as the NHS) and education settings (such as schools, colleges and early years providers).
Child protection in the UK is underpinned by legislation. The core laws in England include:
- Children Act 1989 – establishes the duty of the state to protect children from significant harm and the principle that the child’s welfare is paramount.
- Children Act 2004 – strengthens multi-agency cooperation.
- Working Together to Safeguard Children (statutory guidance) – explains how organisations must work together.
- Education Act 2002 – safeguarding duties for schools.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own legislation and guidance, but the principles are the same - child welfare is paramount, and safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
How Plan International UK supports child safeguarding globally
At Plan International UK we’re striving for a fairer world. And we won’t stop until everyone is equal. As a charity that works with children, we take their safeguarding very seriously.
We have well established systems and policies, including training for all our employees, to ensure that we do everything we can to safeguard the children and young people we work with, and that we provide a safe working environment for everyone.
We have a number of policies and initiatives to help safeguard children and adults, such as our Code of Conduct, access to an independent whistleblowing service, a Safeguarding Children and Young people Policy and a Safeguarding Oversight Group. Safeguarding is also a core pillar of our programming, the best example of which is the Safer Cities programme which supported girls to feel safe in the street and public spaces around.
Child safeguarding FAQ’s
Is child safeguarding an international standard?
Child safeguarding is grounded in international human-rights law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Because most countries have ratified the UNCRC, child safeguarding is recognised internationally as a foundational duty of states. However, the implementation and legal details differ from country to country.
Beyond legalities, there are internationally recognised standards and guidelines that organisations around the world adopt to ensure child safeguarding. They are the International Child Safeguarding Standards, and they serve as widely accepted best practice.
My organisation would like to develop a child safeguarding policy, where do we start?
The first Child Safeguarding Standards were launched in 2002 by a coalition of charities that later became known as Keeping Children Safe. They have a comprehensive guide, and toolkit called the International Child Safeguarding Standards that not only lays out the standards but also how you can implement them. This would be a good basis for your policy.
You can also find policies online, which you can use as a template to write your own. For example, UNICEF’s policy on safeguarding is publicly available to download.
Main banner image caption: In 2021, escalating gang violence forced 31-year-old Marie* to flee Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, with her two children, Junior*, 15, and Teta*, 13. Teta* (pictured) went on to experience sexual harassment and exploitation.
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