3.1 Ethics & Safeguarding

Understanding the responsibilities of educators to protect learners’ safety, dignity, rights, and wellbeing. Emerging Educators develop the knowledge and practical skills to maintain appropriate professional boundaries, recognise safeguarding concerns, and respond appropriately according to relevant procedures.

Sub-topic	Keep / change	Rationale	Research/search keywords
Child Protection & Safeguarding	Keep / core	Fundamental competency for anyone with regular responsibility for children and young people.	child safeguarding, child protection, safeguarding in education, child protection education
Professional Boundaries	Keep / strengthen	Emerging Educators may have limited formal preparation for navigating power relationships and appropriate adult–learner interactions.	professional boundaries in education, teacher professional boundaries, educator conduct, teacher-student boundaries
Power & Responsibility	Keep, but integrate	Helps educators understand the power imbalance inherent in their role and its ethical implications.	power dynamics in education, teacher power, educator ethics, teacher-student power relationships
Recognising Safeguarding Concerns	Keep	Practical recognition of signs and situations that may require action is more useful than safeguarding theory alone.	recognising safeguarding concerns, child protection indicators, identifying abuse and neglect, safeguarding awareness
Reporting & Responding	Keep / strengthen	Educators need to know what to do when concerns arise, while procedures will need to be adapted to local organisational and legal contexts.	safeguarding reporting procedures, reporting child protection concerns, safeguarding response, child protection referral
Ethical Teaching Practice	Keep, but secondary	Provides a broader foundation for responsible conduct, dignity, respect, and learner rights beyond specific safeguarding incidents.	ethics in education, teacher ethics, ethical teaching practice, rights-based education