Safeguarding children is action to promote the welfare of children and to protect them from harm. It has been defined in guidance in the UK (Working together to safeguard children 2023) as:

• Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
• Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
• Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
• Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• Promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

In Ireland, similar information is in their The Children First Guidance which promotes the protection of children from abuse and neglect. It sets out definitions of abuse, and signs for its recognition. It sets out what organisations need to do to keep children safe. Finally, it also describes the obligations under the Children First Act 2015 and who they attach to.