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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Working with Families and Safeguarding

Safeguarding

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/ˈseɪfɡɑːdɪŋ/nounCore term

In child development & early education, safeguarding means: Everything an organisation does to protect children from harm, abuse and neglect and to promote their health, safety and well-being.

In Turkish: çocuğun korunması, çocuk koruma ve esenlik, koruma

How it is used

A key word in UK childcare and schools, usually uncountable. Staff do safeguarding training, follow the safeguarding policy and report safeguarding concerns. It is broader than child protection, which means responding when a child is at risk of serious harm.

Example sentences

  1. All new staff complete safeguarding training before they start.

  2. If you have a safeguarding concern, speak to the designated lead the same day.

Common collocations

  • safeguarding policy
  • safeguarding training
  • safeguarding concern
  • safeguard children
  • child protectionThe procedures and actions taken to protect a particular child who is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm from abuse or neglect.
  • designated safeguarding leadThe trained member of staff who leads on safeguarding in a school or setting, receives staff concerns and decides when to contact children's social care.
  • disclosureThe moment when a child tells an adult, directly or indirectly, that they have been harmed or are at risk of harm.
  • neglectA form of abuse in which a child's basic needs, such as food, clothing, hygiene, safety, health care or affection, are not met over a period of time.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Working with Families and Safeguarding

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