What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the umbrella term for everything you do to protect children from abuse and neglect, prevent harm to their health or development, and ensure they grow up in safe circumstances. For children's activity businesses, safeguarding is not optional — it is a legal and moral duty that underpins every aspect of your operations.

At minimum, your safeguarding framework should include: a written safeguarding policy that is reviewed annually, a designated safeguarding lead (DSL), DBS checks for all staff and relevant volunteers, safeguarding training for everyone in contact with children, clear procedures for reporting concerns, a code of conduct for staff behaviour, and a whistleblowing policy. Your safeguarding policy should be visible to parents and shared proactively during enrolment.

The key legislation underpinning safeguarding in England includes the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018), and Keeping Children Safe in Education (updated annually). While the last of these is aimed at schools, its principles are widely adopted as best practice by children's activity providers. Your local authority's safeguarding partnership can provide specific guidance and training relevant to out-of-school activity providers.