By Kim Porter (Kooyoora Investigator and Capacity Builder)

Image: Mandy Hourigan (Deputy Director Professional Standards / Intake)

Could creativity be the missing piece in safeguarding?

Creating safer environments for children and young people requires more than just policies and protocols, it demands innovative, out-of-the-box thinking. By embracing creative solutions and fostering collaborative and interactive brainstorming, we uncover transformative approaches that go beyond the obvious, building cultures of safety, trust, and resilience.

I’m excited to guide teams towards a deeper understanding of child safety and safeguarding as a whole. At Kooyoora, we’re moving safeguarding practice forward one team at a time, helping to build cultures that prioritise trust, resilience, and safety.

In my work developing safeguarding cultures, I’ve seen how often we stop brainstorming just when the most meaningful solutions to complex challenges are about to emerge. This is something sectors focused on safety and protection need to move beyond—just as Silicon Valley did for innovation.

What I’ve learnt is that the most powerful solutions to safeguarding challenges rarely show up in the first handful of ideas. They appear when you push teams to go beyond fifty ideas. Early responses are predictable—they’re just the warmup. But as teams dig deeper, genuine innovation surfaces solutions that can transform practice and truly protect those most at risk.

This kind of deep thinking is just as vital in safeguarding as it is in high-tech industries. By refusing to settle for the obvious, we create space for new ideas in safety, trust, and culture. So, what gets safeguarding teams to that breakthrough level?

For me, interactive brainstorming is an essential approach I weave into every safeguarding workshop I run. Just as Silicon Valley has paved the way for tech breakthroughs, the safeguarding sector needs the same bold, rule-driven creativity: letting go of judgement, creating a genuine safe space for all ideas, and sticking to principles that unlock meaningful solutions for those we aim to protect.

Here’s how we do it:

No feedback during idea generation: This creates a safe space where every concern or creative solution can be voiced without fear.
One idea per post-it note: A simple rule that ensures every thought has its place and makes it easy to organise and build on ideas.
Focus on quantity over perfection: Generating as many safeguarding strategies as possible in a short burst uncovers unexpected options and pre-empts potential issues.

Once the ideas are flowing, we sort them to develop an understanding of the ideas in the room. Together, we decide on three key ideas to unpack further:

The idea with the most post-it notes—this shows where the group’s energy and alignment naturally sit.
One crazy, “never thought of that” idea—because bold, unconventional thinking often leads to breakthroughs.
A curious idea the team is excited to explore—something that sparks interest and invites deeper discussion.

By focusing on these three, we create space for richer conversations and ensure we’re exploring ideas that have the potential to make the biggest impact.

One of my favourite ways to spark creative problem-solving is to kick off brainstorming sessions with a quick exercise: “How many ways can we use a dried-up pen?” It’s a brilliant way to get everyone thinking beyond the obvious—limbering up creative muscles before diving into the real safeguarding challenges.

After this warm-up, we move on to the main prompt: “How many ways can we strengthen a safeguarding culture?” This approach encourages teams to go beyond tick-boxes and fixed protocols, inviting playful, out-of-the-box strategies for protection.

I’ve seen incredible breakthroughs using this method. One small group of five, following these brainstorming principles, came up with over 70 practical ways to strengthen their safeguarding culture in under five minutes. When you set up a protected, non-judgemental space and give every idea room to breathe, even the toughest safeguarding challenges become opportunities for inventive, effective solutions.

At Kooyoora, we’re passionate about helping teams unlock this kind of creativity and care. It’s what true capability building is all about in safeguarding: empowering people to think boldly and collaboratively, just like the best moments in Silicon Valley innovation.

So, next time you’re looking to boost safeguarding culture or want a real breakthrough in protection, channel that same inventive energy: set a timer, guard the no-judgement rule, and keep your team generating ideas until you’re well past fifty. That’s how you find the truly transformative safeguards the kind that build trust, resilience, and a culture of safety everyone can rely on.