A new e-learning module on Contextual Safeguarding is available on Fife Council's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
What is Contextual Safeguarding?
Contextual safeguarding is an approach to identifying and responding to risks and harm experienced by young people beyond their family home. Traditional child protection processes focus on risks within the household, but many young people face significant dangers in their wider environments, including peer groups, schools, neighbourhoods, and online spaces.
This approach recognises that:
- Young people can be vulnerable to exploitation, harm, and abuse in their communities.
- Safeguarding interventions should address both individual risks and wider contextual influences.
- Effective safeguarding requires multi-agency collaboration beyond the home.
