The Difference Between Safeguarding and Child Protection?

If you work with children or manage people who do, it’s critical for you to understand the difference between safeguarding and child protection and the important functions they both have.

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Safeguarding vs. Child Protection

While safeguarding and child protection are often used interchangeably, the two terms have key differences that you need to know. Let’s break down their distinct definitions.

What Is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is a holistic approach that must be instilled in any place where children are cared for, for instance safeguarding for nurseries or childminders. While safeguarding can also refer to adults - for example vulnerable adults in care - in this case we’re focusing on how it relates to children.

The purpose of safeguarding is to protect the welfare of children, preventing harm from occurring and creating a safe environment for them to thrive in, governed by 6 core principles set out by The Care Act of 2014. This foundational piece of legislation lays out responsibilities within caregiving roles.

Of the 6 principles of safeguarding, child protection relates closely to the fundamental principle of protection.

What Does Safeguarding Involve?

Safeguarding aims to set out processes and foster a culture where harm is prevented before it occurs. With proper safeguarding in place all staff should understand their responsibilities in protecting the children in their care.

Key examples of safeguarding practices include:

Robust policies and procedures
Regular staff training
Conducting risk assessments
Promoting a safe and inclusive environment
Encouraging open communication with children and families

What Is Child Protection?

The key difference between safeguarding and child protection is that child protection is like a safety net within the broader context of safeguarding. It focuses on helping children who are facing, or are likely to face, significant harm. It involves taking specific actions to address serious concerns about a child's safety and well-being.

What Does Child Protection Involve?

Child protection measures are typically more reactive and targeted than general safeguarding practices. They come into play when there's a specific concern about a child's safety or well-being.

Identifying signs of abuse or neglect
Reporting concerns to appropriate authorities
Conducting child protection investigations
Implementing child protection plans
Working with families to address issues

Understanding the Key Differences Between Safeguarding and Child Protection

Now that we’ve explained what these two terms broadly mean and involve, let’s take a closer comparative look at the difference between safeguarding and child protection.

	Safeguarding	Child Protection
Approach	Safeguarding takes a broad preventative approach for all children.	Child protection involves targeted intervention specifically for children who flag as being at risk of harm.
Intervention Timing	Safeguarding involves ongoing proactive measures to create a safe environment.	Child protection is a reactive measure in response to specific concerns.
Responsibility	Safeguarding is collaborative and every member of staff’s collective responsibility.	Children protection is often only tackled by trained specialists within your organisation in collaboration with social services.
Purpose	Safeguarding exists to create a safe environment that supports the general welfare of children.	Child protection exists to respond to immediate risks to identify and help children in harm's way.
Legal Framework	Safeguarding is guided by policies and best practices.	Child protection is governed by laws and statutory guidance.

While there’s a clear difference between safeguarding and child protection in their approach, the interplay of the two helps to keep children in childcare settings safe in different ways.

When Does Safeguarding Become Child Protection?

Safeguarding shifts to child protection when there's a clear, serious worry about a child's safety that needs action.

Who Is Responsible for Safeguarding and Child Protection?

Everyone plays a part in safeguarding, but child protection is usually handled by specially trained staff working with outside experts. These designated safeguarding leads collaborate with social services and the local authority to get the best outcome for the child in question.

Bring Your Safeguarding Skills Up to Speed

If you’re responsible for staff training needs in a childcare setting. Our convenient online courses could be the right next step to bring awareness of safeguarding - including issues like understanding the difference between safeguarding and child protection as we’ve covered above.

Browse our full list of safeguarding training courses, including courses tailored towards safeguarding for children, adults and specific issues.