Protecting Children Requires Strong Safeguarding Systems and Urgent Action on the National Child Protection Register (NCPR)
Pretoria, 17 August 2026- Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) welcomes the recent Gauteng High Court developments concerning the effective implementation and maintenance of South Africa's National Child Protection Register (NCPR). We view the court’s findings as a critical turning point for national safeguarding practice and a call to action for every institution that serves children.
The matter, brought by the Teddy Bear Foundation and represented by SECTION27, has brought important attention to the responsibility of government and institutions to ensure that people who are unsuitable to work with children are reported, recorded and prevented from occupying positions that could place children at risk. The case underscores systemic gaps in reporting, coordination and enforcement that must be addressed to prevent repeat harm.
While the case has focused attention on the functioning of the NCPR, it also raises a broader question for every organisation that works with children: are our safeguarding systems robust enough to prevent, detect and respond to abuse and exploitation?
Schools, healthcare facilities, NGOs, sporting clubs and associations, community and faith-based organisations, and other institutions working with children all have a responsibility to put appropriate safeguarding measures in place. This responsibility includes proactive prevention, clear accountability, and transparent public reporting on progress.
This includes ensuring that people working with children are appropriately vetted, but safeguarding cannot end there. Vetting must be embedded in a wider system of prevention, training, monitoring and survivor‑centred response.
"Vetting is an important safeguard, but it is only one part of protecting children," says Megan Briede, Programme Director at Save the Children South Africa. "We need clear safeguarding policies, safe recruitment practices, ongoing staff and volunteer training, accessible reporting and referral procedures, and leadership that treats child safeguarding as a non-negotiable."
The scale of the challenge remains significant. In March 2025, only approximately 49,000 educators – around 12% of educators – had been vetted against the National Child Protection Register. This low coverage demonstrates why the Register alone cannot protect children unless it is paired with active reporting, resourcing and enforcement. The court proceedings have highlighted wider concerns around reporting, coordination, vetting and the effective use of the Register.
Helping organisations strengthen safeguarding
Save the Children South Africa has extensive experience in child safeguarding and works with organisations to translate safeguarding requirements into practical systems that work. We combine technical expertise with on‑the‑ground implementation support so that policies become practice.
Through our social enterprise, we provide specialist safeguarding support to organisations that work with or come into contact with children. This includes:
• developing and reviewing child safeguarding policies, procedures and codes of conduct;
• providing child safeguarding training for staff, management, volunteers and others working with children;
• strengthening safe recruitment, reporting, referral and response procedures;
• helping organisations understand their responsibilities relating to the National Child Protection Register; and
• supporting the completion and submission of the required NCPR documentation.
Our social enterprise has a wider purpose. Income generated through these services is reinvested into Save the Children South Africa's work for children. It extends safeguarding support to vulnerable children, schools and community partners in rural and under-resourced communities that would otherwise lack access to specialist safeguarding expertise.
This means that an organisation investing in strengthening its own safeguarding systems is also contributing to stronger protection for children beyond its own doors. Every investment in prevention multiplies protection across communities.
"We want good safeguarding practice to become the norm wherever children learn, play, receive services or participate," says Briede. "Our aim is not simply to help organisations meet a requirement. It is to help them put practical systems in place that prevent harm, identify concerns early and ensure that people know what to do when a child needs protection."
The renewed national focus on the Child Protection Register is an opportunity for organisations to review their own arrangements and identify where they may need support. SCSA stands ready to partner with government, civil society and the private sector to scale effective safeguarding solutions.
Every organisation working with children should be able to answer three basic questions: Are the people working with our children appropriately vetted? Do our people understand their safeguarding responsibilities? Do we have a clear system for responding when a concern is raised?
If the answer to any of these questions is unclear, now is the time to strengthen those systems. Delays increase risk; practical steps taken now reduce harm later.
Organisations wishing to strengthen their safeguarding policies, practices, training or NCPR processes can contact Save the Children South Africa for further information on our safeguarding support.
ENDS
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About Save the Children South Africa
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In South Africa and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
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