What’s the Difference Between Child Safeguarding and Child Protection?
You’ve probably heard the terms child protection and safeguarding before. But do you know the difference between them?
Many people think they mean the same thing as both focus on child safety. But in reality, they have different meanings and approaches. Even though they share a common goal of ‘keeping children safe’.
In this blog post by Wihkum, we’ll explore the key difference between child safeguarding and child protection, discussing how both strategies create a safe and sound environment. Additionally, we’ll show how Wihkum’s innovative safety solutions help schools stay prepared and protect students every day.
Let’s get started.
What is Child Safeguarding?
Child safeguarding is a proactive measure taken to limit or prevent direct or indirect harm to children. (Source: UNICEF)
All children, regardless of age, gender, ability, race, or sexual orientation, deserve to feel safe. Safeguarding includes creating policies and procedures that promote child safety and well-being. This allows them to learn and grow in a safe environment. It aims recognise and prevent the risks before they lead to harm.
Child Safeguarding policies include following actions:
- Identifying risks to children.
- Creating and maintaining a child-safe culture.
- Protecting children from abuse and neglect.
- Promoting children’s health and well-being.
- Ensuring children have a voice in decisions that affect them.
- Empowering children to reach their full potential.
- Encouraging the inclusion and participation of children.
- Training representatives to recognise and address concerns.
- Establishing strong reporting and complaint systems.
- Ensuring effective care for children and young people.
Remember, children are determined as anyone under the age of 18.
Moreover, if we talk about who’s responsible for safeguarding children. This includes all the organisation having children and young people because it’s a collective responsibility. Everyone—from leaders to volunteers—should play a role in creating a safe environment, prioritising children’s safety and well-being.
This child safeguarding approach covers various sectors. Such as:
- Schools and Colleges
- Faith-Based Groups (churches, temples, mosques)
- Community Councils
- Disability Support Groups
- Youth Sports Associations
- Youth Development Programs (e.g., scouts, mentoring)
- Tutoring Centers
- Medical Clinics and Hospitals
- NGOs
- Employment Services
- Gyms and Sports Facilities
- Social Media Companies
- Corporate Businesses
- Arts and Museums etc.
As Wihkum is focused on school safety concerns, let’s explore some of effective safeguarding measures to ensure children safety in schools. You can also incorporate them in other organisations accordingly.
Effective Child Safeguarding Policies and Safety Measures at Schools
- Creating a Safe Physical Environment
To ensure children’s safety, schools should improve their physical security.
This involves using advanced safety tools like surveillance cameras, restricted access systems, and clear lockdown procedures to handle emergencies effectively.
- Developing Clear Policies and Procedures
It’s important for organisations to have well-defined, easily understandable safeguarding policies.
These should be accessible to children, young people, and their families. For schools, this includes implementing a lockdown policy to prepare for emergencies like active shooters or natural disasters.
Explore more about:Security Lockdown Procedures & Policies for Schools
- Training Staff and Volunteers
Providing training for staff and volunteers is important. They need to know how to:
- identify any risk or warning sign
- implement child safeguarding frameworks
- understand relevant laws
- respond to any issues
Teachers, in particular, should be trained to follow proper reporting protocols.
- Encouraging Child Participation and Feedback
It’s important to create opportunities for children and young people to voice their opinions. Research shows they feel safer when they are empowered and taken seriously, which helps them feel valued.
- Conducting Regular Safety Reviews
Carrying out child safety reviews can help identify strengths and weaknesses in current safeguarding measures. This assessment provides a baseline for measuring progress over time.
- Building Strong Partnerships with External Agencies
Collaboration with local child protection agencies and law enforcement is vital. Schools should establish partnerships to ensure a quick and coordinated response during child protection cases.
Explore more about child protection policies:
- Ensuring Teacher Safety in Schools | Wihkum’s Safety Measures
- School Safety Plan: Proven Policies and Practices for Keeping Students Safe
Now, moving towards the other approach, let’s explore what it covers:
What is Child Protection?
Child protection refers to a reactive approach that addresses situations where a child is at risk of harm or has already been harmed.
It focuses on taking immediate action to ensure the safety of children from further abuse, neglect, or danger.
According to UNICEF Australia,
“Child protection includes programs, measures, and structures to prevent and respond to abuse, exploitation, neglect, and violence affecting children in all sectors, contexts, and environments.”
This involves a network of laws, policies, and services that support prevention and response to child protection risks. In schools, effective child protection policies are essential for managing emergencies or incidents that threaten a student’s well-being. The key elements of child protection include:
Child protective measures include:
- Identifying and assessing situations involving abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children.
- Taking steps to protect a child from further harm (e.g., removing them from unsafe environments).
- Collaborating with law enforcement and social services to investigate abuse reports.
- Providing counseling or therapy to help children heal from trauma.
- Advocating for children’s rights during legal processes.
- Offering educational programs about safety and healthy relationships.
- Training professionals to recognize and report abuse.
- Creating hotlines for reporting concerns.
- Conducting research to improve protective measures for children.
- Developing coordinated response plans for incidents.
Child Protection vs Child Safeguarding | Easy Comparison
| Aspect | Child Safeguarding | Child Protection |
| Definition | Preventative measures to create safe environments for children within an organisation. | Actions taken to address individual case, protecting child from harm or abuse. |
| Approach | Proactive – Preventing harm before it occurs | Reactive – Responding to children already at risk or in danger |
| Scope | Internal structures; such as organisations, systemic safety measures | External systems; as country or institution systems |
| Focus | Keeping children safe in school or any other organisation | Addressing a specific cases of child abuse or neglect |
| Key Players | Schools, childcare centers, community groups, families | Social workers, law enforcement, healthcare professionals |
| Examples | Establishing child protection policies in schools, training staff on abuse prevention | Removing a child from an abusive home, investigating neglect |
| When It Happens | Before harm occurs, as a preventive strategy – Ongoing approach | After harm or risk has been identified – Immediate actions |
Bottom Line
Both concepts aim to ensure safety in schools, they differ in their approach:
- Proactive vs. Reactive:
Safeguarding focuses on preventing child abuse before it occurs, while protection steps in once a risk is identified.
- Whole-School Approach vs. Individual Cases:
Safeguarding measures, such as emergency procedures in school, are designed to protect all children. Whereas protection focuses on individual children already in harm’s way.
Wihkum’s Contribution to Child Protection & Safety in Schools
We are committed to making schools safe for every student and staff member. Our innovative mobile app provides a comprehensive safety solution that helps schools protect and safeguard children, offering immediate, discreet, and effective emergency responses.
Here’s how Wihkum helps schools stay prepared:
- Discreet Activation: Teachers can trigger silent alerts during dangerous situations, avoiding escalation while still summoning help quickly.
- Real-Time Location Tracking: With GPS technology, Wihkum ensures that first responders can reach the scene immediately, providing critical help when and where it’s needed most.
- Multi-Channel Communication: Wihkum enables communication across multiple platforms, ensuring that school leaders, security personnel, and staff are informed instantly during emergencies.
Is your school ready to protect students with the best security measures?
Empower Your School’s Safety with Wihkum’s Innovative Solutions
Make sure your school is prepared for any emergency.