Love protects: Why Safeguarding Sunday matters for you and your children

By starting honest conversations and supporting Safeguarding Sunday, Thirtyone:eight think that families can ensure church is a place where every child is seen, heard and protected

When you hear the word safeguarding, what comes to mind?

For many of us, it’s policies, paperwork, or training sessions. Something for church leaders to deal with. Something important, but maybe not something that feels close to everyday life.

If you’re a parent, safeguarding is already part of who you are – that instinct to protect your child, the quiet awareness of what’s going on around them and the care you take to make sure they’re safe and supported.

And at its heart, that’s exactly what safeguarding is.

Safeguarding starts with love

The Bible puts it simply: “love always protects.” (1 Corinthians 13:7)

That’s something parents understand better than anyone. When you love someone, protecting them becomes an instinctive part of your relationship. With your children, you don’t assume someone else will take care of protecting them, you do it because you love them.

The safest churches aren’t the ones that assume nothing will ever go wrong. They’re the ones who are aware, open, and equipped to know what to do

Safeguarding in church life is simply that same love, lived out together. It’s how we make sure every child, young person, and adult feels ……