The 6 Principles of Child Safeguarding
Children of all backgrounds have an equal right to protection from danger. The 6 principles of
safeguarding as defined by The Care Act 2014 are:
Accountability: Everyone is accountable and has a part to play when it comes to safeguarding and
protecting those who are vulnerable. If you are responsible for protecting vulnerable children and
young people, you are legally obliged to keep your child safeguarding training certificates updated.
Empowerment: It is important for any person who has been a victim of abuse to feel that they have
control over their situation. It is your job to ensure that those individuals feel empowered to make their
own decisions. As such, support and encouragement are key to effective working with a victim of
abuse or neglect.
Protection: Support needs to be provided for those who require it and organisations should be able to
show that measures are in place to prevent abuse or neglect from occurring and provide support and
help for those who are at risk.
Prevention: Caregivers need to ensure that they prevent neglect, abuse, or harm of any kind from
occurring to children under their care. Organisations that have a sound safeguarding policy in place
will be able to do a lot when it comes to identifying risks before they become an issue. Accordingly, it's
crucial that organisations thoroughly train staff, raise awareness, and make child safeguarding
information easily accessible.
Proportionality: There is no one-size-fits all approach to safeguarding, particularly as many elements of
it are hugely sensitive in nature. When a safeguarding incident occurs, you should report your concerns
in a manner that is appropriate for the risk presented.This ensures that each individual is taken into
account when dealing with safeguarding issues.
Partnership: It is important to work in partnership with your local authority and all services or
organisations in your community that might be able to assist in detecting and reporting abuse.
What are some examples of safeguarding measures?
Child safeguarding measures guard them against mistreatment or any form of physical, sexual, mental,
or emotional abuse. It gives children safety and a sense of security.