By Willow Duffy, CEO, Safeguarding Children
November 2025
Let’s not soften this. What we’ve seen in recent reporting is deeply disturbing. A Stuff investigation revealed that a person with serious sexual convictions was allowed to work in a school, in direct contact with children. Policies were bypassed. Vetting wasn’t completed. Someone decided their “sixth sense” was enough to keep children safe.
It’s not. And it never will be.
This isn’t just about one school or one person. It’s a systemic failure of leadership. When safeguarding breaks down at the top, it ripples through everything. It puts children at risk. It damages public trust. It shakes what families should be able to count on: that when they send their children to school, those children are safe.
Safeguarding starts and fails with leadership
Safeguarding must be led from the top, applied consistently, and enforced without exception. That means every adult with access to children, including teachers, volunteers, contractors and family members, must go through proper checks. No shortcuts. No exceptions.
When vetting isn’t done or policies are applied selectively, that is not an admin slip. It is a leadership failure.
The Children’s Act 2014 is clear. The workforce restriction and Schedule 2 offences exist to stop people who pose a known risk from working with children. Even where an exemption applies, safeguards must be strict and situational, not based on trust or personal judgement.
Because systems protect children. Instinct does not.
“I know them, they’d never hurt a child.” Really?
We all want to believe that. But safeguarding is not about trusting your gut. It is about humility. It is about knowing that risk is not always visible, and that policy, not personality, must guide decisions.
Vetting, supervision and clear boundaries are not bureaucracy. They are prevention. They protect children, and they also protect leaders from making catastrophic mistakes.
Culture starts at the top
Boards and principals set the tone. When leaders cut corners, others learn it is okay to do the same. When leaders do the right thing, even when it is uncomfortable, they build cultures where safety comes first.
Good policies mean nothing if they are not lived every day with integrity and courage.
It’s time to stop, reflect, and act
If you lead a school, early learning service or organisation that works with children, ask yourself:
- Do our vetting checks cover everyone, including relatives, contractors, volunteers and one-off helpers?
- Are we applying the Children’s Act workforce restriction properly, every single time?
- Do our board and senior leaders actively monitor safeguarding compliance, or do we assume it is happening?
- And the most important one: Would this be the standard I would accept for my own children?
If the answer is no, or even “I’m not sure,” that is your sign. It is time to review, rebuild and recommit.
Safeguarding is not about blame. It is about bravery. The courage to ask hard questions, to fix what is broken, and to lead from the front.
Safeguarding is leadership in action
Safeguarding is not optional. It is leadership. It is values. It is humanity.
Children deserve leaders who act, not just hope. Leaders who uphold every policy, every time, without fear or favour. Leaders who remember that other people’s children matter too.
Let’s make sure that when we talk about protecting children, it is not just words on paper. It is action in every classroom, every camp, every decision we make.
Take action
At Safeguarding Children, we help schools and organisations build confident, capable safeguarding cultures. Explore our training courses and resources to strengthen your team’s knowledge and embed best practice at every level.
Together, we can make safeguarding leadership the standard our children deserve.