Today I delivered a safeguarding training to a group of professionals working in a school and one aspect stood out for me. This was the concept of safeguarding being child-centred. Many times as professionals we are more concerned about what our colleagues think and how they might judge us and this affects the way we respond to issues around safeguarding.
For example in Nigeria as a teacher who has maybe grown up around a culture of corporal punishment you might not feel confident to challenge or report a colleague who might be melting out corporal punishment even when you are not comfortable with it.
Remember safeguarding is not about you it is about the child. It is about making decisions in the best interest of the child. It is about securing the best outcomes for a child. It is the responsibility of every professional to ensure that the child is at the heart of their decision-making.