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

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 safe. It’s not just policy, and it’s not the role of just one person. It’s love in action, for all believers.

“It wouldn’t happen here”… would it?

Sometimes people are reluctant to engage with safeguarding because they feel harm or abuse would never happen in their church. It’s natural to feel like your church is different because you know people, you trust them, and it feels like family.

But sadly, we know that harm can happen anywhere, even in places that feel safe. 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.

As a parent, the places we take our children must be safe. And safe, not just because they know how to respond to harm, but because they also know how to prevent it.

Read more:

6 ways to raise respectful rather than abusive youth

Social media isn’t going away. Here’s how Christian parents can keep teens safe

Your voice matters

You might think safeguarding is a matter just for church leaders or safeguarding leads. But while they have specific responsibilities, creating a safe church isn’t down to one person. It’s a responsibility we all share.

As a parent, you see things from a different angle. You understand what children need. You notice details others might miss. And your voice must be heard by the wider church – even if it’s not you speaking from the front.

If you don’t have answers to questions like:

• “Who’s our safeguarding lead?”
• “How would people raise a concern here?”

Safeguarding is what it looks like to love our neighbour well

Then chances are, other people don’t know either, and that can be a risk factor for harm. Perhaps, it’s time for safeguarding to become a more open subject in your church, and an easy way to start that process is to ask your leaders…

“Are we doing anything for Safeguarding Sunday this year?”

You don’t need to lead anything yourself, just asking can be enough to start a conversation that might benefit everyone.

That’s exactly what Safeguarding Sunday is about - helping churches see safeguarding as part of their faith, not just a requirement

What is Safeguarding Sunday, and why does it matter?

Safeguarding Sunday is an annual campaign from independent, Christian charity Thirtyone:eight, that helps churches across the UK focus on creating safer places for everyone. This year it falls on Sunday 15 November.

Each year, thousands of churches take part, setting aside time to talk openly about safeguarding, share what they’re doing well, and help people understand how to get support. Over 5400 churches took part in 2025, from a wide range of traditions and denominations.

Safeguarding Sunday doesn’t have to be complicated

For parents, it can be incredibly reassuring. It helps you see:

• that your church takes safeguarding seriously
• what practical steps are in place to keep people safe
• who to speak to if you ever have a concern
• that there’s an open, honest culture around safety

One church shared:

“The day brought greater awareness and understanding… we framed it in a positive light grounded in theology, rather than just saying ‘you have to do this because it’s the law.”

That’s exactly what Safeguarding Sunday is about - helping churches see safeguarding as part of their faith, not just a requirement.

Safeguarding is part of our faith

Sometimes it can feel like safeguarding sits outside of “real” church life – worship, ministry, evangelism. But actually, it’s right at the heart of it.

Jesus consistently cared for those who were vulnerable, overlooked, or in need of protection. He spoke about justice, compassion, and responsibility.

Safeguarding can feel like a serious topic, but when it’s handled well, it’s actually empowering and inspiring

At its heart, safeguarding is about loving people well. Real people, children, families, and individuals are all made in the image of God. And love protects (1 Corinthians 13:7). Safeguarding is what it looks like to love our neighbour well. To protect those who need it and create communities where people are safe and valued. It’s about making sure the church is a place where they can belong without fear.

When we understand that safeguarding is part of our ministry and not outside of it, that in fact, it is just love, as God intended, then safeguarding stops being something we have to do and becomes something we can’t help but do.

What if your church isn’t taking part?

Even though many churches love Safeguarding Sunday, some are still unsure.

You (or your leaders) might be thinking:

• “There’s no space in the calendar”
• “It might feel too heavy for a Sunday”
• “It’s not an appropriate subject for a service”
• “We wouldn’t know how to approach it”

All of those concerns are understandable.

This week, consider starting a conversation in your church

But the good news is Safeguarding Sunday doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to take a whole service, and in fact, taking part can be very simple.

It could be as simple as:

• a short prayer for your safeguarding team, victim-survivors or leaders
• a brief moment of reflection
• introducing your safeguarding lead to the whole church
• preaching on a theme that unpacks safeguarding as part of the everyday Christian life.

Even a small moment helps make safeguarding visible.

“I don’t think my leaders will find that a good Sunday subject”

Safeguarding can feel like a serious topic, but when it’s handled well, it’s actually empowering and inspiring.

Churches that take part often say it leads to:

• greater understanding of safeguarding across the whole church
• more people feeling able to talk about concerns or past experiences
• stronger support for safeguarding teams
• increased confidence that the church is a safe place

One participant shared:

“It was very helpful and important to be open and talk about the church’s role in safeguarding.”

Another said:

“Two people came to me to talk about abuse they had experienced as children.”

Creating space for these conversations can be life-changing.

A small step can make a big difference

If your church isn’t already planning to mark Safeguarding Sunday, you don’t need to make a big deal of it.

You could simply say:

“I’ve been reading about Safeguarding Sunday and wondered if we’ve ever done anything for it? It seems like a really positive way to show how seriously we take keeping people safe, especially for families.”

Take the next step

This week, consider starting a conversation in your church. Ask the question and be part of creating a safer place.

Because when churches take safeguarding seriously, everyone benefits, especially our children.