The difference between safeguarding and child protection is that child protection is just one aspect of safeguarding.
Safeguarding children is a term used to cover all aspects to keep children safe and promote their well-being. This means everything from security of the buildings to the safe recruitment of staff and everything in between. These policies and practices are normally set out in the safeguarding children policy and must be followed by all employers and employees.
Child protection is a single aspect of safeguarding and focuses on how to protect specific children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, including maltreatment, neglect, abuse, and pre-meditated abuse.