Recent failures in child safeguarding highlight more than ever the need for strong governance within organisations responsible for the care and education of young children. These incidents serve as a stark reminder that safeguarding in childcare cannot be viewed as a “tick-box” compliance exercise, nor can it be delegated without strong, ongoing oversight. Effective governance begins at the top, with management committees, boards, and service directors all playing a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining a culture where child safeguarding and wellbeing are prioritised.

Asking the Right Questions

Leaders in childcare settings must provide clear, evidence-based responses to critical safeguarding questions.

Is child safeguarding a standing item in leadership discussions?

Safeguarding should not be treated as an occasional agenda item. It needs to be embedded into leadership discussions, from committee meetings through to board reviews. Leaders should be regularly monitoring issues such as supervision, safe environments, educator training, and family communication. Making safeguarding a standing agenda item signals to everyone in the service that safety is non-negotiable.

Are policies being lived by staff every day?

Policies on paper are not enough. Leaders must ask: are our educators and staff consistently applying safeguarding requirements in practice? This includes everything from child supervision ratios to safe transportation to the use of digital technology. Policies must be reinforced through ongoing training, reflective practice, and lived behaviour, not just compliance checks.

How do we know how our culture is tracking?

Understanding safeguarding culture requires more than assumptions. Leaders should be drawing on surveys, staff feedback, incident reviews, and external audits to assess whether the culture genuinely supports child safeguarding. Without measuring culture, services risk missing patterns or blind spots that could put children at risk.

Do we understand our safeguarding risks?

Childcare services carry inherent safeguarding risks, from supervision gaps to physical environments to digital exposure. Boards and directors should ask whether these risks are clearly identified, monitored, and mitigated. A proactive risk framework helps leaders act before harm occurs, rather than after.

Are we receiving and reviewing safeguarding reports?

Regular, detailed reporting on safeguarding incidents, concerns, and near misses is critical. Reports must be timely, comprehensive, and recorded properly. Leaders must also review data for patterns, repeated behavioural concerns, unexplained injuries, or unsafe practices, and ensure that action is taken. Without reliable data, safeguarding becomes reactive instead of preventative.

Would we be ready to respond to a safeguarding crisis tomorrow?

Safeguarding failures can happen in any organisation, no matter how committed. Leaders must be confident that if an allegation, breach of supervision, or unsafe conduct occurred tomorrow, the service could respond effectively. This means having clear, trauma-informed protocols and ensuring transparent communication with families, along with a commitment to learning and improving every step of the way. A service’s response to a crisis reflects its authentic culture and values.

By asking these questions and working through any gaps, boards can move from passive oversight to active stewardship of child safeguarding.

Families place enormous trust in childcare services, expecting their children to be cared for in safe, nurturing environments. Continuous reflection, strong leadership, and genuine prioritisation of child protection are essential to honouring that trust.