THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD SAFEGUARDING PRACTICES UTILIZED AND CHILD PROTECTION OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS OF EMBAKASI SOUTH SUB-COUNTY, NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Child protection is essential for children’s safety, wellbeing and overall development. Children in informal settlements face increased risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation and other protection concerns. Despite the enactment of legislation and policies, child protection practices in primary schools remain inconsistent, particularly in informal settlements where poverty, overcrowding, unemployment and high crime rates further constrain safeguarding efforts. This study will analyze child safeguarding practices and child protection outcomes in primary schools in informal settlements of Embakasi South Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya, with a focus on the types of safeguarding practices implemented. The study will be guided by Travis Hirschi’s Social Control Theory and will adopt a Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Design, incorporating a descriptive survey and case study. The target population will comprise 666 respondents, including headteachers, teachers, Parents Teachers Association representatives, Board of Management representatives, support staff, counsellors, the Children Officer, the County Education Officer and representatives of non-governmental organizations implementing child safeguarding programmes. A sample of 249 respondents will be selected using Yamane’s (1967) formula, through stratified simple random and purposive sampling. Structured questionnaires will be used to collect data. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS Version 29, while qualitative data will be analyzed thematically. The study will establish that child safeguarding practices positively and significantly contribute to child protection outcomes, with effective safeguarding practices emerging as the strongest predictor. The study will conclude that coordinated and integrated safeguarding is essential for safe learning environments. It will recommend periodic staff training, adequate resources, appropriate reporting systems, multi-sectoral collaboration, regular safeguarding audits and strengthened school-parent, school-community and school-child protection service partnerships.