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If I had a pound for every time someone asked, “How do you know if the culture in your school is a safe one?” I’d be writing this from a sun lounger in the Maldives, not my desk on a rainy day in Berkshire. The truth is, it’s a feeling—a gut sense, an atmosphere. It’s not just about policies or inspection outcomes, but about what you see and feel in the corridors, the staffroom, the playground. It’s in the way colleagues talk to each other, how pupils interact, and whether everyone—staff and students—has the potential to thrive and feel safe.
A culture of safeguarding is not a static achievement; it’s a living, breathing thing. When it’s right, it oozes from the walls and underpins every decision and conversation. It’s when everyone lives out the organisation’s values, and when those values are misaligned, people feel comfortable having a gentle, supportive conversation. It’s about vulnerability and being non-judgmental. The moment we think our environment is “safe enough,” we risk slipping into complacency—moving from consciously competent to unconsciously incompetent, and that’s dangerous.
Values as the bedrock
In my book, Beyond Compliance: The DSL’s Guide to Creating a School-Wide Culture of Safeguarding, I explore the pivotal role of values in shaping safeguarding practice. If values form the bedrock of our work, then culture is the dynamic landscape that rises above it—ever-shifting, shaped by the people within it, and reflective of how those values are lived day to day. A school’s culture reflects how everyone works and interacts, and what behaviours are valued or tolerated. The core values—whether explicitly stated or woven into a mission statement—guide decision-making and a sense of what’s right. But culture is the current embodiment of those values, shaped by the ever-changing cast of staff and students, by external events, and by the rhythms of school life.
When we recruit people whose values align with the school’s, we build a team with a shared set of ethics. But values alone aren’t enough. We need to make safeguarding interesting, relevant, and even fun for staff, or it becomes a topic that prompts an eye roll or an excuse to skip training. Pupils are the reason schools exist, but the DSL’s role is right up there in significance. We have the privilege—and responsibility—to shape a culture that can change lives.
Adding the Velcro…
Reducing opportunities for adults to cause harm is vital, and it requires a whole-school effort. Erooga, Allnock, and Telford’s research describes the “slippery slope”—how cultures can support poor behaviour and facilitate abuse or boundary violations. Once boundaries are crossed, it’s harder to restore them, and more staff may feel they can get away with small indiscretions. The culture is what adds “Velcro” to the sides of the slope, making it harder to slide down. Our job is to ensure those Velcro hooks are present and sticky.
Why are schools vulnerable?
Schools are institutions, and the amount of time young people spend in them is a risk factor for abuse. Studies show that when young people spend significant time together in institutional settings, their vulnerability to victimisation increases. But every school has its own unique safeguarding DNA. Identifying these unique factors is fundamental to building a sustainable safeguarding culture.
Parkinson and Cashmore identify four dimensions of risk:
- Situational risk: Opportunities for abuse that the environment offers (e.g., one-to-one interactions, residential settings).
- Vulnerability risk: Characteristics of the children cared for (e.g., age, SEND, socio-economic factors).
- Propensity risk: Clustering of individuals with a propensity to abuse (e.g., staffing profile, gender balance).
- Institutional risk: Features of the institution that make abuse more likely or less likely to be dealt with properly (e.g., culture, policies, leadership).
The Importance of Us
We need to stop thinking of ourselves as “leads” and more as “leaders.” In safeguarding, “good enough” is never good enough. Complacency is the forerunner of mediocrity. Quality leadership prompts performance excellence and, in our line of work, leads to a safer culture and better lives for young people. But it’s hard to be strategic when the day can be thrown into disarray by a single phone call. Still, if safeguarding culture is to be enduring and exciting, we need to plan, enact, and evaluate—while listening to feedback from the ever-changing world around us.
Measuring Culture
Schools are experts at measuring academic performance, but how do you measure something as intangible as culture? Focus on what you can see: the behaviours culture generates. These are trackable and can be used to measure the impact of leadership or new initiatives. Inspection teams will ask: “What evidence have you got? How do you know it’s working? What impact measurements are you using?”
Key indicators of a positive safeguarding culture include:
- Strong leadership: Willingness to receive feedback and be open to scrutiny.
- Open communication: Everyone knows who the DSL is, what safeguarding means, and how to raise concerns.
- Staff well-being: Schools that look after their staff foster engagement, reduce bystander apathy, and make it more likely that staff will notice and act on concerns.
- Professional development and agility: Willingness to learn, listen, and adapt. A culture survey can help assess alignment between beliefs, behaviours, and goals.
Institutional Risk: The Culture We Can Change
Every school has its own risk profile based on Parkinson and Cashmore’s ‘Four dimensions’ mentioned above. Residential schools, for example, have higher situational and vulnerability risks. However, institutional risk is where we can make the biggest difference. It’s about identifying and addressing enablers (factors that provide opportunities for abuse) and veils (factors that cause people to turn a blind eye). This includes:
- Prioritising safeguarding: Ensuring it’s given adequate time, resources, and training.
- Educating pupils and staff: About healthy relationships, boundaries, and what to do if something feels wrong.
- Listening to complaints: Seeing them as valuable feedback, not threats.
- Addressing racism, prejudice, and misogyny: Promoting diversity and inclusion.
- Ensuring policies are lived, not just written: Avoiding “drift into failure” where minor deviations become normalised.
- Encouraging openness: Staff and students must feel safe to speak up, and leaders must model this behaviour.
More practically, what should DSLs be doing? Embedding safeguarding into the fabric of school life requires a thoughtful and proactive approach. Begin by assessing your school’s unique risk profile—considering situational, vulnerability, propensity, and institutional factors—to understand where safeguarding efforts are most needed. Involve everyone in the process, reinforcing the principle that safeguarding is a shared responsibility across the whole school community. Lead by example: be visible, approachable, and consistent in your actions to model the culture you want others to adopt. Make time to reflect on what’s working and where adjustments are needed, remaining agile and open to change. And crucially, look after yourself—sustainable safeguarding starts with the wellbeing of the DSL and their team, ensuring you have the support and space to continue leading effectively.
There’s no magic potion for safeguarding, but if there was, school culture would be the elixir that comes closest. It’s something bigger than any one person, yet it’s shaped by the actions and attitudes of every individual. As DSLs, we have the privilege of leading this work—of making a difference not just for today’s pupils, but for the generations that follow.
Delyth Lynch has over 25 years’ experience of teaching and senior leadership in education and is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading experts in safeguarding, particularly in the independent sector. She speaks regularly about the issue of culture within schools and the work that she has pioneered at Wellington College around values, behaviours and attitudes. Her work has been cited by IICSA, and she has been recognised on the national stage by being awarded the Safeguarding and Child Protection Association’s ‘Outstanding initiative award’ for 2 consecutive years. She is co-author of the Farrer & Co guides, Developing and implementing a low-level concerns policy: a guide for organisations which work with children and Addressing child-on-child abuse: a resource for schools and colleges. Delyth is also an independent expert for Words Matter, an active member of the NADSL and is on the Executive Board of SACPA (Safeguarding and Child Protection Association). She is an NSPCC accredited trainer and trained in supervision and in the delivery of Safer Recruitment Training.
