What safeguarding means at the College
Safeguarding means taking all reasonable steps to protect people from harm when they are involved in the College’s work. This includes protecting children, young people, parents, carers, staff, volunteers, members, donors, partners and the public.
We want to protect people from harm caused by others, by themselves, by our activities or by mistakes the College might make.
How the College takes safeguarding seriously
We work hard to make sure safeguarding is part of everything we do. This means:
- Putting safeguarding into all our policies and ways of working
- Encouraging people to speak up if they are worried about someone’s safety
- Having clear leadership and guidance around safeguarding
- Making sure everyone gets proper safeguarding training
All of this helps us to protect people, act quickly if something goes wrong, and build a safe and positive culture.
We believe safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, no matter what job they do. Every team at the College must play a part and make sure they are helping to keep people safe.
We follow the laws and rules about safeguarding in the UK (and in other countries when needed). We recognise these rules apply to everyone who has contact with the College.
Safeguarding principles
We commit to keep people safe by following these principles:
- Participation – Working together with anyone who is being harmed or could be harmed, so they feel involved and supported
- Accountability – People in charge of safeguarding being open and responsible about how safeguarding is managed
- Proportionality – Responding in a way that is suitable for the level of risk, using professional judgement
- Partnership – Working with local services, experts, and other organisations when needed
- Prevention – Acting early to stop harm before it happens by reducing risks
- Safer reporting – Making sure people feel safe to share concerns without being worried about negative consequences
- Robust responses – Taking all concerns seriously and dealing with them quickly and clearly
- Non-discrimination and equity – Understanding and addressing power differences and treating everyone fairly
- Shared understanding – Helping everyone at the College, and the organisations we work with, understand how we manage safeguarding
For members
RCPCH members can log in to see further information about our approach to safeguarding.
This page was published in April 2026.