Drawing on the 33 safeguarding compliance audits completed between July 2024 and June 2025, the report analyses the key challenges identified over the past year, highlights areas where institutions are falling short of FCA expectations, and offers insights into where improvements are needed. Its purpose is not only to present data on the aspects of safeguarding frameworks that require further attention and enhancement, but also to provide clear, practical recommendations to help firms strengthen their arrangements and remediate identified weaknesses.