KCSIE 2026 Part One — Official Text for All School Staff

Keeping children
safe in education
2026
Statutory guidance for schools
and colleges
Part one: Information for all
school and college staff
September 2026
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Summary
Keeping children safe in education is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in England must
have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
It is essential that everybody working in a school or college understands their safeguarding
responsibilities. Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that those staff who work directly
with children read at least Part one of this guidance.
Governing bodies and proprietors, working with their senior leadership teams and especially their
designated safeguarding lead, should now also ensure that those staff who do not work directly
with children read Part one of this guidance.
Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that mechanisms are in place to assist staff to
understand and discharge their roles and responsibilities as set out in Part one of this guidance.
The full version of KCSIE can be found at Keeping children safe in education.
About this guidance
We use the terms “must” and “should” throughout the guidance. We use the term “must”
when the person in question is legally required to do something, and “should” when the
advice set out should be followed unless there is good reason not to.
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Part one: Safeguarding information for all staff
What school and college staff should know and do
A child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding
1. Schools and colleges and their staff are an important part of the
wider safeguarding system for children. This system is described in the
statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.
2. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s
responsibility. ‘Children’ means everyone under the age of 18. In order to
fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their
approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all
times, what is in the best interests of the child.
3. No single practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and
circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the
right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in
identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the
purposes of this guidance as:
• providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems
emerge,
• protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the
home, including online,
• preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or
development,
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of
safe and effective care, and
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
The role of school and college staff
4. School and college staff are in a position to identify concerns early,
provide help for children, and prevent concerns from escalating.
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5. All staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which
children can learn.
6. All staff should be prepared to identify children who may benefit from
Family Help.1 Family Help means providing support as soon as a problem
emerges at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to
the teenage years.
7. Any staff member who has any concerns about a child’s welfare
should follow the processes set out in paragraphs 57-63. Staff should
expect to support children’s social care and other agencies following any
referral.
8. Every school and college should have a designated safeguarding
lead who will provide support to staff to carry out their safeguarding duties
and who will liaise closely with other services such as local authority
children’s social care.
9. The designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) are most likely
to have a complete safeguarding picture within education and be the most
appropriate person to advise on the response to safeguarding concerns.
10. The Teachers’ Standards 2012 state that teachers (which includes
headteachers) should safeguard children’s wellbeing and maintain public
trust in the teaching profession as part of their professional duties.2
What school and college staff need to know
11. All staff should be aware of systems within their school or college
which support safeguarding, and these should be explained to them as part
of staff induction. This should include the:
• child protection policy (which should amongst other things also include the
policy and procedures to deal with child-on-child abuse),
• behaviour policy (which should include measures to prevent bullying, including
cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)3
,
1
Detailed information on Family Help can be found in Working Together to Safeguard Children.
2
Teachers' standards.
3
All schools are required to have a behaviour policy (full details are here). If a college chooses to have a behaviour
policy, it should be provided to staff as described above.
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• staff behaviour policy (sometimes called a code of conduct) should amongst
other things, include low-level concerns, allegations against staff and
whistleblowing,
• safeguarding response to children who are absent from education,
particularly on repeat occasions and/or prolonged periods, and
• role of the designated safeguarding lead (including the identity of the
designated safeguarding lead and any deputies).
Copies of policies and a copy of Part one of this document should be provided to all staff
at induction.
12. All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection
training (including online safety which, amongst other things, includes an
understanding of the expectations, applicable roles and responsibilities in
relation to filtering and monitoring – see paragraphs 173-177 of KCSIE for
further information) at induction. The training should be regularly updated.
In addition, all staff should receive safeguarding and child protection
(including online safety) updates (for example, via email, e-bulletins, and
staff meetings), as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide
them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.
13. All staff should be aware of the process for community-based Family
Help assessments:
• the criteria, including the level of need, for when a case should be referred to
Family Help support and services provided at:
o Targeted early help level (under sections 10 and 11 of the Children
Act 2004), and
o Statutory services delivered under section 17 of the Children Act 1989
(children in need, including how this applies for disabled children)
• the criteria, including the level of need, for when a case should be referred to
local authority children’s social care for assessment and for statutory
services under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (reasonable cause to
suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm)
o Section 31 of the Children Act 1989 (care and supervision orders),
and
o Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 (duty to accommodate a child)
• and clear procedures and processes for cases relating to:
o the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children
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o children managed within the youth secure estate
o disabled children
14. All staff should know what to do if a child tells them they are being
abused, exploited, or neglected. Staff should know how to manage the
requirement to maintain an appropriate level of confidentiality. This means
only involving those who need to be involved, such as the designated
safeguarding lead (or a deputy) and local authority children’s social care.
Staff should never promise a child that they will not tell anyone about a
report of any form of abuse, as this may ultimately not be in the best
interests of the child.
15. All staff should be able to reassure victims that they are being taken
seriously and that they will be supported and kept safe. A victim should
never be given the impression that they are creating a problem by reporting
any form of abuse and/or neglect. Nor should a victim ever be made to feel
ashamed for making a report.
16. All staff should be aware that children may not feel ready or know
how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited, or neglected,
and/or they may not recognise their experiences as harmful. For example,
children may feel embarrassed, humiliated, or are being threatened. This
could be due to their vulnerability, disability and/or sexual orientation or
language barriers. This should not prevent staff from having a professional
curiosity and speaking to the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) if
they have concerns about a child. It is also important that staff determine
how best to build trusted relationships which facilitate communication with
children and young people.
17. All staff should recognise that children may experience prejudice-
based harm, including racism, faith-based prejudice, and other forms of
discrimination. Such experiences may affect a child's welfare, wellbeing,
mental health, and willingness to seek help. Staff should be alert to the
signs and impact of prejudice-based harm and ensure that concerns are
considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
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What school and college staff should look out for
Support before statutory intervention
18. Any child may benefit from support before statutory intervention,
including from universal services and community-based Early Help, or the
targeted early help level of Family Help. All school and college staff should
be particularly alert to the potential need for additional support for a child
who:
• is disabled or has certain health conditions and has specific additional needs
• has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory
Education, Health and Care plan)
• has a mental health need
• is a young carer
• is pregnant and/or is a parent themselves
• has exhibited early signs of abusive, violent and/or harmful behaviours
• is showing signs of being drawn in to anti-social or criminal behaviour,
including gang involvement and association with organised crime groups or
county lines
• is frequently missing/goes missing from education, home or care
• has been repeatedly removed from the classroom, experienced multiple
suspensions, is on a part-time timetable, is at risk of being permanently
excluded from schools, colleges and in Alternative Provision or a Pupil
Referral Unit
• is at risk of exploitation, modern slavery, trafficking, including criminal or
sexual exploitation
• is at risk of being radicalised into terrorism
• has a parent or carer in custody, or is affected by parental offending
• is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug
and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse
• is misusing alcohol and other drugs themselves
• is at risk of honour or faith-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation
or Forced Marriage, and
• is a privately fostered child.
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Abuse, neglect and exploitation
19. All staff should be aware of the indicators of abuse, neglect,
exploitation and modern slavery (see below), understanding that children
can be at risk of harm inside and outside of the school/college, inside and
outside of home, and online. Exercising professional curiosity and knowing
what to look for is vital for the early identification of abuse and neglect so
that staff are able to identify cases of children who may be in need of help
or protection.
20. All staff should be aware that abuse, neglect, exploitation, and
safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events and cannot be covered by
one definition or one label alone. In most cases, multiple issues will overlap.
21. All staff, but especially the designated safeguarding lead (and
deputies) should consider whether children are at risk of abuse or
exploitation in situations outside their families. Extra familial harms take a
variety of different forms and children can be vulnerable to multiple harms
including (but not limited to) sexual abuse (including harassment and
exploitation), domestic abuse in their own intimate relationships (teenage
relationship abuse - including physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and
stalking), criminal exploitation (including financial exploitation), serious
youth violence, county lines and radicalisation.
22. All staff should be aware that technology is a significant component
in many safeguarding and wellbeing issues. Children are at risk of abuse
and other risks online as well as face to face. In many cases abuse and
other risks will take place concurrently both online and offline.
23. Children can also abuse other children online, this can take the form
of abusive, harassing, and misogynistic/misandrist messages, the non-
consensual making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes, especially around
chat groups, and the sharing of abusive images and pornography to those
who do not want to receive such content.
24. In all cases, if staff are unsure, they should always speak to the
designated safeguarding lead or a deputy.
Indicators of abuse and neglect
25. Abuse: a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or
neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Harm
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can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of
witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for
example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic
abuse, including where they see, hear or experience its effects. Children
may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by
those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place
wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children
may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.
Children may also cause harm to other family members, often referred to as
child to parent or care giver abuse.
26. Physical abuse: a form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking,
throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise
causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when
a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness
in a child.
27. Emotional abuse: the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child
such as to cause severe and adverse effects on the child’s emotional
development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or
unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of
another person. It may include verbal abuse, such as persistent criticism,
belittling, or name-calling, as well as not giving the child opportunities to
express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they
say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally
inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include
interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability as well as
overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning or preventing the
child from participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or
hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying
(including cyberbullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in
danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional
abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, although it may
occur alone.
28. Sexual abuse: involves forcing, causing or inciting a child to take
part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving violence, whether or not
the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical
contact, such as acts of penetration, whether that is with part of a person’s
body or an object (e.g. rape or assault by penetration), and non-penetrative
acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching over clothing.
Sexual abuse may also include non-contact activities, such as involving
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children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching
sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate
ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take
place online as well as offline, and technology can be used to facilitate
offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males.
Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.
Children can be sexually abused within the family, an institution or a
community setting, and are more likely to know their abuser than not. The
sexual abuse of children by other children is a specific safeguarding issue
in education and all staff should be aware of it and of their school or
college’s policy and procedures for dealing with it. There are specific
offences for children under 13, who can never provide valid consent to
sexual activity and there are specific offences which make clear that sexual
activity involving a child under 16 is an offence, regardless of whether they
agreed to that activity.
29. Neglect: the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or
psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s
health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy, for example,
as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may
involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and
shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child
from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision
(including the use of inadequate caregivers); or ensure access to
appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or
unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Safeguarding issues
30. All staff should have an awareness of safeguarding issues that often
overlap and can put children at risk of harm (including but not limited to
those listed below). The following behaviours and indicators can be signs
that children are at risk:
• drug taking and/or alcohol misuse
• unexplainable and/or persistent absences from education
• serious violence, criminal exploitation (including that linked to county lines),
radicalisation, and
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• consensual and non-consensual making or sharing of nudes or semi-
nudes.
Additional information on these safeguarding issues and information on other
safeguarding issues is included in the Annex.
Child-on-child abuse (including harassment and violence)
31. All staff should be aware that children can abuse other children
(often referred to as child-on-child abuse), and that it can happen both
inside and outside of school or college and online. All staff should be clear
as to the school or college’s policy and procedures with regard to child-on-
child abuse and the important role they have to play in preventing it and
responding where they believe a child may be at risk from it.
32. All staff should recognise that racism, faith-targeted abuse, and
other forms of discriminatory behaviour may have a significant impact on a
child’s welfare, wellbeing and sense of safety and should be considered
within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
33. All staff should understand that even if there are no reports in their
schools or colleges it does not mean it is not happening. It may be the case
that abuse is not being reported. As such it is important that when staff
have any concerns regarding child-on-child abuse (whether these concerns
are thought to have taken place on or off-site) they should speak to their
designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy). As part of this, schools should
also try to be alert to when children might be at highest risk around the
school day (for example immediately after school).
34. It is essential that all staff understand the importance of challenging
inappropriate behaviours between children that are abusive in nature.
Examples of which are listed below. Downplaying certain behaviours, for
example dismissing sexual harassment as “just banter”, “just having a
laugh”, “part of growing up” or “boys being boys” can lead to a culture of
unacceptable behaviour, misogyny, an unsafe environment for children and
in worst case scenarios a culture that normalises abuse leading to children
accepting it as normal and not coming forward to report it.
35. All staff should be aware that child-on-child abuse is a safeguarding
issue for both the victim and alleged perpetrator.
36. As well as knowing how to respond to concerns, all staff should know
that child-on-child abuse is preventable. As well as knowing how to
recognise behaviours and indicators of risk early, staff should know that
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timely, evidence-based support can be key to preventing children from
going on to commit abuse or violence.
37. Child-on-child abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited
to:
• bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying),
• discriminatory behaviour, including racism, faith-targeted abuse, and other prejudice-
based incidents,
• abuse in intimate personal relationships between children (sometimes known
as ‘teenage relationship abuse’),
• physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling, or
otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element which
facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse),
• serious physical assault and harm, or the threat of harm with a weapon,
• sexual violence4
such as rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault (this
may include an online element which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages
sexual violence),
• sexual harassment5
such as sexual comments, remarks, jokes and online
sexual harassment, which may be standalone or part of a broader pattern of
abuse,
• causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, such as forcing
someone to strip, touch themselves sexually, or to engage in sexual activity
with a third party,
• consensual and non-consensual making or sharing of nudes and semi-
nudes6
,
• upskirting7
which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing
without their permission, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks
to obtain sexual gratification, or cause the victim humiliation, distress, or alarm,
and
• initiation/hazing type violence and rituals (this could include activities involving
harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a
4
For further information about sexual violence see Part five.
5
For further information about sexual harassment see Part five.
6
UKCIS guidance: Sharing nudes and semi-nudes advice for education settings
7
For further information about ‘upskirting’ see the Annex.
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group and may also include an online element).
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
38. Both CCE and CSE are forms of abuse that occur where an
individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce,
manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in criminal or sexual activity. It
may involve an exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or
for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or
facilitator and/or through violence or the threat of violence. This can be
committed or facilitated by an organised network or gang, and the victim
may identify as being part of this group. CCE and CSE can affect children,
both male and female, and can include children who have been moved
(commonly referred to as trafficking) for the purpose of exploitation. This
may constitute modern slavery, and further information is available in the
Modern Slavery statutory guidance. In accordance with this guidance, a
relevant child protection and modern slavery referral should be completed
where a potential victim of CCE or CSE is identified.
Child criminal exploitation (CCE)8
39. Some specific forms of CCE can include children being forced or
manipulated into transporting drugs or money through county lines9,
working in cannabis factories, shoplifting or pickpocketing. They can also be
forced or manipulated into committing vehicle crime or
threatening/committing serious violence to others.
40. Children can become trapped by this type of exploitation, as
perpetrators can threaten victims (and their families) with violence or entrap
and coerce them into debt. They may be coerced into carrying weapons
such as knives or begin to carry a knife for a sense of protection from harm
from others. Children who are criminally exploited should have their
vulnerabilities recognised by adults and professionals (particularly older
children) and should be treated as victims. It is not possible for a child to
consent to be exploited, abused or trafficked, and they may not recognise
that it is happening to them.
8
See information on CCE definition on page 48 of Home Office's Serious Violence Strategy
9
County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs
using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. Links to the Home Office’s County Lines advice is
provided within the serious violence information on page 171 of KCSIE.
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41. It is important to note that the experience of girls who are criminally
exploited can be very different to that of boys. The indicators may not be
the same, however professionals should be aware that girls are at risk of
criminal exploitation too. It is also important to note that both boys and girls
being criminally exploited may be at higher risk of sexual exploitation.
Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
42. CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may involve
physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or
penetration with an object) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation,
kissing, rubbing, and touching outside clothing. It may include non-contact
activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images,
forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities,
encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming
a child in preparation for abuse including via the internet.
43. CSE can occur over time or be a one-off occurrence and may
happen without the child’s immediate knowledge, for example through
others sharing videos or images of them on social media.
44. CSE can affect any child who has been coerced into engaging in
sexual activities. This includes 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally
consent to have sex. This can be committed by an individual or an
organised network10 and most sexual abuse is committed by those
previously known to the victim. Some children do not realise they are being
exploited and may believe they are in a genuine romantic relationship. As
with CCE, victims are not always recognised and can be criminalised for
actions they take whilst under coercion. This remains a significant concern,
as professionals continue to encounter cases where children are
manipulated, groomed, and exploited without fully understanding the abuse
they are experiencing.
10
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse: An organised network is characterised by two or more individuals
(whether identified or not) who are known to (or associated with) one another and are known to be involved in or to
facilitate the sexual exploitation of children. Being involved in the sexual exploitation of children includes introducing
them to other individuals for the purpose of exploitation, trafficking a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation, taking
payment for sexual activities with a child or allowing their property to be used for sexual activities with a child.
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Domestic abuse
45. Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours and
may be a single incident or a pattern of incidents. That abuse can be, but is
not limited to, psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional.
Children can be victims of domestic abuse. They may see, hear, or
experience the effects of abuse at home and/or suffer domestic abuse in
their own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse). All of which
can have a detrimental and long-term impact on their health, well-being,
and ability to learn.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
46. Whilst all staff should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or
a deputy) with regard to any concerns about female genital mutilation
(FGM), there is a specific legal duty on teachers.11 If a teacher, in the
course of their work in the profession, discovers that an act of FGM appears
to have been carried out on a girl under the age of 18, the teacher must
report this to the police. See page 176 of KCSIE for further information.
Mental health
47. All staff should be aware that mental health problems can, in some
cases, develop into safeguarding concerns. This could include self-harm,
suicidal ideation or risk of suicide. They could also be an indicator that a
child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation.
48. Only appropriately trained professionals should attempt to make a
diagnosis of a mental health problem. Education staff, however, are well
placed to observe children day-to-day and identify those whose behaviour
suggests that they may be experiencing a mental health problem or be at
risk of developing one. If a child is struggling with their mental health, self-
harming, has an eating disorder or is experiencing suicidal ideation and
making plans to end their life, there are likely to be potential warning signs
which education staff are well placed to recognise.
11
Under section 5B(11) (a) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, “teacher” means, in relation to England, a person
within section 141A(1) of the Education Act 2002 (persons employed or engaged to carry out teaching work at schools
and other institutions in England).
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These could include:
• significant changes in behaviour,
• ongoing difficulty sleeping,
• withdrawing from social situations,
• not wanting to do things they usually like, and
• physical signs of self-harm or neglecting themselves.
49. Not every child who exhibits these behaviours is suicidal or has a
mental health concern. However, by identifying these and other potential
warning signs, education staff can identify children who may be struggling
with their mental health and contemplating suicide and offer support and
vital early intervention. Schools and colleges should ensure that any
interventions they offer are evidenced as safe and effective and appropriate
for the need and phase of education.
50. If staff have a concern about a child’s mental health that is also a
safeguarding concern, they should follow their child protection policy and
speak to their designated safeguarding lead or deputy. If staff feel that a
child is in danger, they should call 999 or arrange for them to be taken to
A&E immediately by a parent/carer or other suitable person. If a child needs
help urgently for their mental health, but it's not an emergency, staff can get
help from NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option.
Serious violence
51. Serious violence is a continuing safeguarding concern. It may involve
physical assault, carrying, threatening with, or using weapons, often in the
context of peer conflict or bullying, and it can also be associated with
criminal exploitation. Staff should report any concerns about a child carrying
or using a weapon (or expressing intent to do so) to the designated
safeguarding lead (or a deputy). The designated safeguarding lead should
assess the risk to both the individual pupil and others in the school,
considering wider information or concerns, and take appropriate action.
Depending on the risk, they should put in place a safety and support plan,
and where relevant, consider action to de-escalate peer conflict.
52. Schools play a key role in protecting children from violence,
safeguarding victims, as well as those who may be at risk of, or are
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involved in committing violence (who may also be victims themselves). Staff
should be alert to signs that a child may be at risk of or involved in serious
violence. These risks are higher for children with disrupted education (e.g.
suspensions, permanent exclusions, time in alternative provision) or a
history of offending. Schools should also try to be alert to when children
might be at highest risk around the school day (for example, immediately
after school). Further information on indicators, risk factors, and protective
actions relating to serious violence is provided in the Annex.
53. Early, evidence-based support for those considered at risk, as well as
at critical points when concerns emerge, is vital. This includes access to
trusted adults, social and emotional skill support, and, where available,
targeted interventions such as mentoring or therapeutic support (practical
guidance on evidenced support is available from the Youth Endowment
Fund (YEF) (the “what works” centre for preventing violence).
54. Designated safeguarding leads can find further guidance on referrals
and when to contact the police in Annex B of KCSIE (Manage Referrals).
Additional information and support
55. Departmental advice What to do if you're worried a child is being
abused: advice for practitioners provides more information on
understanding and identifying abuse and neglect. Examples of potential
indicators of abuse and neglect are highlighted throughout that advice and
will be particularly helpful for school and college staff. The NSPCC website
also provides useful additional information on abuse and neglect and what
to look out for.
56. The Annex contains important additional information about
specific forms of abuse, exploitation, and safeguarding issues. School
and college leaders and those staff who work directly with children
should read the Annex.
What school and college staff should do if they have concerns
about a child
57. Staff working with children are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it
could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned
about the welfare of a child, staff should always act in the best interests of
the child.
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58. If staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act
on them immediately. See page 25 for a flowchart setting out the process
for staff when they have concerns about a child.
59. If staff have a concern, they should follow their own organisation’s
child protection policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or a
deputy).
60. Options will then include:
• managing any support for the child internally via the school or college’s own
pastoral support processes, including considering where doing so does not
place the child at additional risk, whether the designated safeguarding lead
(or a deputy) should inform parents or carers to further support the child’s
wellbeing,
• undertaking a Family Help assessment,12
or
• making a referral to statutory services,13
for example as the child could be in need,
is in need or is suffering, or likely to suffer harm.
61. The designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) should always be
available to discuss safeguarding concerns. If in exceptional circumstances,
the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) is not available, this should
not delay appropriate action being taken. Staff should consider speaking to
a member of the senior leadership team and/or take advice from local
authority children’s social care. In these circumstances, any action taken
should be shared with the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) as
soon as is practically possible.
62. Staff should not assume a colleague or another professional will take
action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe.
They should be mindful that early information sharing is vital for the
effective identification, assessment, and allocation of appropriate service
provision, whether this is when problems first emerge, or where a child is
already known to local authority children’s social care (such as a child in
need or a child with a protection plan). Information sharing: advice for
practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people,
12
Further information on Family Help assessments, provision of Family Help services and accessing services is in
Working Together to Safeguard Children.
13
Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out that the safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document
that should include the criteria, including the level of need, for when a case should be referred to local authority
children’s social care for assessment and for statutory services under section 17 and 47. Local authorities, with their
partners, should develop and publish local protocols for assessment. A local protocol should set out clear arrangements
for how cases will be managed once a child is referred into local authority children’s social care.
19
parents and carers supports staff who have to make decisions about
sharing information.
63. Data protection laws do not prevent the sharing of information
for the purposes of keeping children safe and promoting their welfare.
If in any doubt about sharing information, staff should speak to the
designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy). Fears about sharing
information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Community-based Early Help assessment
64. If children do not require the support of statutory children’s services,
the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) will generally lead the liaison
with other agencies and setting up an inter-agency assessment as
appropriate. Staff may be required to support other agencies and
professionals in carrying out this assessment, in some cases acting as the
lead practitioner. Further guidance on effective assessment of the need for
Family Help can be found in Working Together to Safeguard Children. Any
such cases should be kept under constant review and consideration given
to a referral to local authority children’s social care for assessment for
statutory services if the child’s situation does not appear to be improving or
is getting worse. Alternatively, qualified lead practitioners (i.e. not a social
worker) who may lead assessments before statutory intervention can
continue to lead work with families up to and including section 17.
Statutory children’s social care assessments and services
65. Where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer from harm, it is
important that a referral to local authority children’s social care and if
appropriate the police, (see when to call the police: guidance for schools
and colleges (npcc.police.uk)) is made immediately. Referrals should
follow the local referral process.
66. Local authority children’s social care assessments should consider
where children are being harmed in contexts outside of the home14
, so it is
important that schools and colleges provide as much information as
possible as part of the referral process. This will allow any assessment to
14 See Working Together to Safeguard Children for further information about extra-familial harms and
environments outside the family home.
20
consider all the available evidence and enable a contextual approach to
address such harm. Additional information is available here: Contextual
Safeguarding.
67. The online tool Report child abuse to your local council directs to the
relevant local authority children’s social care contact details.
Children in need
68. A child in need is defined under the Children Act 1989 as a child who
is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable level of health or
development, or whose health and development is likely to be significantly
or further impaired, without the provision of services; or a child who is
disabled. Local authorities are required to provide services for children in
need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. Children
in need may be assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. As
outlined in Working Together to Safeguard Children, local authorities, with
their safeguarding partners and any relevant agencies, should
develop, agree and publish local protocols for assessments and support. This
should set out who can act as lead practitioner in supporting children and their
families under section 17 (which is not limited to social workers).
Children suffering or likely to suffer significant harm
69. Local authorities, with the help of other organisations as appropriate,
have a duty to make enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 if
they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to
suffer, significant harm. Such enquiries enable them to decide whether they
should take any action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare and
must be initiated where there are concerns about maltreatment. This
includes all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
What will the local authority do?
70. Within one working day of a referral being made, a local authority
social worker should acknowledge its receipt to the referrer and make a
decision about the next steps and the type of response that is required. This
will include determining whether:
• the child requires immediate protection and urgent action is required,
21
• any services are required by the child and family and what type of services,
• the child is in need and should be assessed under section 17 of the Children Act
1989. Working Together to Safeguard Children provides details of the assessment
process,
• there is reasonable cause to suspect the child is suffering or likely to suffer
significant harm, and whether enquiries must be made, and the child assessed
under section 47 of the Children Act 1989. Working Together to Safeguard
Children provides details of the assessment process, and
• further specialist assessments are required to help the local authority to decide
what further action to take.
71. The referrer should follow up if this information is not forthcoming.
72. If social workers decide to carry out a statutory assessment, staff
should do everything they can to support that assessment, supported by the
designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) as required.
73. If, after a referral, the child’s situation does not appear to be
improving, the referrer should consider following local escalation
procedures to ensure their concerns have been addressed and, most
importantly, that the child’s situation improves.
Record keeping
74. All concerns, discussions and decisions made, and the reasons for
those decisions, should be recorded in writing. This will also help if/when
responding to any complaints about the way a case has been handled by
the school or college. Information should be kept confidential and stored
securely. It is good practice to keep concerns and referrals in a separate
child protection file for each child.
Records should include:
• a clear and comprehensive summary of the concern
• details of how the concern was followed up and resolved, and
• a note of any action taken, decisions reached and the outcome.
75. If in doubt about recording requirements, staff should discuss with
the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy).
22
Why is all of this important?
76. It is important for children to receive the right help at the right time to
address safeguarding risks, prevent issues escalating and to promote
children’s welfare. Research and local child safeguarding practice reviews
have repeatedly shown the dangers of failing to take effective action.15
Further information about local child safeguarding practice can be found in
Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Examples of poor practice include:
• failing to act on and refer the early signs of abuse and neglect,
• poor record keeping,
• failing to listen to the views of the child,
• failing to re-assess concerns when situations do not improve,
• not sharing information with the right people within and between agencies,
• sharing information too slowly, and
• a lack of challenge to those who appear not to be taking action.
What school and college staff should do if they have a safeguarding concern
or an allegation about another staff member
77. Schools and colleges should have processes and procedures in
place to manage any safeguarding concern or allegation (no matter how
small) about staff members (including supply staff, trainee teachers,
volunteers, and contractors).
78. If staff have a safeguarding concern or an allegation of harming or
posing a risk of harm to children is made about another member of staff
(including supply staff, trainee teachers, volunteers, and contractors), then:
• this should be referred to the headteacher or principal, who will consider
whether an onward referral to the LADO is required,
15 An analysis of serious case reviews can be found at gov.uk/government/publications/serious-case-
reviews-analysis-lessons-and-challenges
23
• where there is a concern/allegation about the headteacher or principal, this
should be referred to the chair of governors, chair of the management
committee or proprietor of an independent school, and
• in the event of a concern/allegation about the headteacher, where the
headteacher is also the sole proprietor of an independent school, or a
situation where there is a conflict of interest in reporting the matter to the
headteacher, this should be reported directly to the LADO(s). Details of
your local LADO should be easily accessible on your local authority’s
website.
79. If staff have a safeguarding concern or an allegation about another
member of staff (including supply staff, trainee teachers, volunteers or
contractors) that does not meet the harm threshold, then this should be
shared in accordance with the school or college’s low-level concerns policy.
Further details can be found in Part four of this guidance.
What school or college staff should do if they have concerns about
safeguarding practices within the school or college
80. All staff and volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about poor
or unsafe practice and potential failures in the school or college’s
safeguarding provision and know that such concerns will be taken seriously
by the senior leadership team.
81. Appropriate whistleblowing procedures should be put in place for
such concerns to be raised with the school or college’s senior leadership
team.
82. Where a staff member feels unable to raise an issue with their
employer, or feels that their genuine concerns are not being addressed,
other whistleblowing channels are open to them:
• general advice on whistleblowing can be found at whistleblowing for
employees, and
• the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line is available as an alternative route for
staff who do not feel able to raise concerns regarding child protection failures
internally or have concerns about the way a concern is being handled by their
school or college. Staff can call 0800 028 0285 – and the line is available from
24
08:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday, and 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends. The email
address is help@nspcc.org.uk16
16 Alternatively, staff can write to: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Weston
House, 42 Curtain, Road, London EC2A 3NH.
25
Flowchart 1: actions taken by a school or college when there are concerns about a child
School and college staff should
do all they can to support
children’s social care.
Within one working day
of receiving a referral from a
school or college, children’s social
care decides the type of response
required and informs the
referring school or college.
Flowchart 2 sets out the
actions to take once a referral
has been made.
At all stages, staff should
keep the child’s circumstances
under review (involving the
designated safeguarding lead
or their deputy, as required)
and re-refer if appropriate.
This will ensure the child’s
circumstances improve.
The child’s best interests
must always come first.
The designated safeguarding lead
decides a referral is needed to
children’s social care (and calls the
police, if appropriate). They follow
the referral process set out in the
local threshold document and
protocol for assessment.
Working together to safeguard
children has more information.
The designated safeguarding lead
decides a referral is not
needed to children’s social care.
The school or college considers
pastoral support or a
Family Help assessment and
monitors the situation locally.
If concerns escalate, the school
or college makes a referral.
School or college staff take immediate action. They follow their setting’s
child protection policy and speak to the designated safeguarding lead.
Part four of this guidance sets out the actions to take if a case
also involves a concern about a member of staff.
26
Flowchart 2: actions taken once a referral has been made to children’s social care
The child is considered
to be in need of
immediate protection.
Children’s social care
informs the referring
school or college.
Section 47 enquiries are
considered appropriate.
Children’s social care
informs the referring
school or college.
Section 17 enquiries are
considered appropriate.
Children’s social care
informs the referring
school or college.
No formal assessment
is required.
Children’s social care
informs the referring
school or college.
The social worker,
police or NSPCC
takes appropriate
emergency action.
This could include
applying for an
emergency
protection order
(EPO).
The child is identified
as a child at risk of
significant harm.
Under the Children Act
1989, local authorities
are required to provide
services for children in
need for the purposes of
safeguarding and
promoting their welfare.
Working together to
safeguard children has
more information.
The child is identified
as a child in need
(CiN) and given the
appropriate support.
Under the Children Act
1989, local authorities
are required to provide
services for a CiN for the
purposes of safeguarding
and promoting
their welfare.
Working together to
safeguard children has
more information.
The school or college
considers pastoral
support and Family
Help. Family Help aims
to provide support as
soon as a problem
emerges at any point
in a child’s life.
Refer to Flowchart 1.
Working together to
safeguard children has
more information.
Within one working day of receiving a referral from a school or college,
children’s social care decides the type of response required.
27
Annex: Further information
The Annex contains important additional information about specific forms of abuse and
safeguarding issues. School and college leaders and those staff who work directly with children
should read this Annex.
As per Part one of this guidance, if staff have any concerns about a child’s welfare, they should act
on them immediately. They should follow their own organisation’s child protection policy and speak
to the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy).
Where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer from harm, it is important that a referral to
local authority children’s social care (and if appropriate, the police) is made immediately.
Contents
Child abduction and community safety incidents ......................................................................... 28
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) ........................................ 28
Children and the court system .................................................................................................... 30
Children who are absent from education .................................................................................... 31
Children with family members in prison ...................................................................................... 31
Cybercrime ................................................................................................................................. 31
Domestic abuse .......................................................................................................................... 32
Homelessness ............................................................................................................................ 35
Modern slavery and the National Referral Mechanism ............................................................... 36
Preventing radicalisation ............................................................................................................. 37
Serious violence ......................................................................................................................... 39
Honour or faith-based abuse (including female genital mutilation and forced marriage) ............ 40
Additional advice and support ..................................................................................................... 42
28
Child abduction and community safety incidents
Child abduction is the unauthorised removal or retention of a minor from a parent or anyone with
legal responsibility for the child. Child abduction can be committed by parents or other family
members; by people known but not related to the victim (such as neighbours, friends and
acquaintances); and by strangers.
Other community safety incidents in the vicinity of a school can raise concerns amongst children
and parents, for example, people loitering nearby or unknown adults engaging children in
conversation.
As children get older and are granted more independence (for example, as they start walking to
school on their own) it is important they are given practical advice on how to keep themselves safe.
All schools are required to teach about personal safety through the RSHE curriculum. Many schools
provide outdoor-safety lessons run by teachers or by local police staff.
It is important that lessons focus on building children’s confidence and abilities rather than simply
warning them about all strangers. Further information is available at:
www.actionagainstabduction.org and www.clevernevergoes.org.
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting
victims of exploitation and modern slavery. Whatever form it takes, exploitation and modern slavery
is child abuse and relevant child protection procedures must be followed if modern slavery or
trafficking is suspected, as per the Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales
(under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern
Ireland (accessible version) - GOV.UK.
Some children will also have access to an Independent Child Trafficking Guardian. Independent
child trafficking guardians provide advocacy for children and help to promote and support their
recovery.
We know that different forms of harm often overlap, and that perpetrators may subject children and
young people to multiple forms of abuse, such as criminal exploitation (including county lines) and
sexual exploitation.
In some cases, the exploitation or abuse will be in exchange for something the victim needs or
wants (for example, money, gifts or affection), and/or will be to the financial benefit or other
advantage, such as increased status, of the perpetrator or facilitator.
Children can be exploited by adult males or females, as individuals or groups. They may also be
exploited by other children, who themselves may be experiencing exploitation – where this is the
case, it is important that the child perpetrator is also recognised as a victim.
29
Whilst the age of the child may be a contributing factor for an imbalance of power, there are a range
of other factors that could make a child more vulnerable to exploitation, including, sexual identity,
cognitive ability, having a physical or learning disability, or being neurodivergent, communication
ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.
Some of the following can be indicators of both child criminal and sexual exploitation where
children:
• appear with unexplained gifts, money or new possessions which could also indicate that
children have been approached by, or are involved with, individuals associated with criminal
networks or gangs and may be at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation,
• associate with other children involved in exploitation,
• suffer from changes in emotional well-being,
• misuse alcohol and other drugs,
• go missing for periods of time or regularly come home late, and
• regularly miss school or education or do not take part in education.
Children who have been exploited will need additional support to help keep them in education.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) can be a one-off occurrence or a series of incidents over time and
range from opportunistic to complex organised abuse. It can involve force and/or enticement-based
methods of compliance and may, or may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence.
Some additional specific indicators that may be present in CSE are children who:
• have older boyfriends or girlfriends; and
• suffer from sexually transmitted infections, display sexual behaviours beyond expected
sexual development or become pregnant.
Further information on signs of a child’s involvement in sexual exploitation is available in the DfE
guidance: Child sexual exploitation: guide for practitioners.
County lines
As county lines is a form of criminal exploitation, a First Responder who identifies any potential
victim of county lines exploitation should complete the relevant child protection and modern slavery
referrals as detailed in the Modern Slavery statutory guidance.
County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting
illegal drugs using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. This activity can
happen locally as well as across the UK - no specified distance of travel is required. Children and
vulnerable adults are exploited to move, store and sell drugs and money. Offenders will often use
30
coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons to ensure compliance of
victims.
Children can be targeted and recruited into county lines in a number of locations including any type
of schools (including special schools), further and higher educational institutions, pupil referral units,
children’s homes and care homes.
Children are also increasingly being targeted and recruited online using social media. Children can
easily become trapped by this type of exploitation as county lines gangs can manufacture drug
debts which need to be worked off or threaten serious violence and kidnap towards victims (and
their families) if they attempt to leave the county lines network.
A number of the indicators for CCE and CSE as detailed above may be applicable to where children
are involved in county lines. Some additional specific indicators that may be present where a child is
criminally exploited through involvement in county lines are children who:
• go missing (from school or home) and are subsequently found in areas away from their
home,
• have been the victim, perpetrator or alleged perpetrator of serious violence (e.g. knife
crime),
• are involved in receiving requests for drugs via a phone line, moving drugs, handing over and
collecting money for drugs,
• are exposed to techniques such as ‘plugging’, where drugs are concealed internally to avoid
detection,
• are found in accommodation that they have no connection with, often called a ‘trap house’ or
‘cuckooing’ or hotel room where there is drug activity,
• owe a ‘debt bond’ to their exploiters, and
• have their bank accounts used to facilitate drug dealing.
Further information on the signs of a child’s involvement in county lines is available in guidance
published by the Home Office Child exploitation disruption toolkit (accessible) - GOV.UK and The
Children’s Society County Lines Toolkit For Professionals | The Children's Society.
Children and the court system
Children are sometimes required to give evidence in criminal courts, either for crimes committed
against them or for crimes they have witnessed. There are two age-appropriate guides to support
children 5-11-year olds and 12-17 year olds.
The guides explain each step of the process, support and special measures that are available.
There are diagrams illustrating the courtroom structure and the use of video links is explained.
Making child arrangements via the family courts following separation can be stressful and entrench
conflict in families. This can be stressful for children. The Ministry of Justice has launched an online
31
child arrangements information tool with clear and concise information on the dispute resolution
service. This may be useful for some parents and carers.
Children who are absent from education
All staff should be aware that children being absent from school or college, particularly repeatedly
and/or for prolonged periods, and children missing education can act as a vital warning sign of a
range of safeguarding possibilities. This may include abuse and neglect such as sexual abuse or
exploitation and can also be a sign of child criminal exploitation including involvement in county
lines. It may indicate mental health problems, risk of substance abuse, risk of travelling to conflict
zones, risk of female genital mutilation, honour or faith-based abuse or risk of forced marriage. Early
intervention is essential to identify the existence of any underlying safeguarding risk and to help
prevent the risks of a child going missing in future. It is important that staff are aware of their school
or college’s unauthorised absence procedures and children missing education procedures.
Children with family members in prison
Approximately 193,000 children in England and Wales have a parent in prison each year. They are
at risk of poor outcomes as a result of poverty, stigma, isolation and poor mental health. The
Prisoners’ Families Helpline offers free, confidential support and advice for families in England and
Wales who are in contact with the criminal justice system.
School and college staff should be aware that children who have experienced parental
imprisonment are more likely to be absent (or excluded) than their peers, to experience mental ill
health and drug and alcohol misuse; they are also less likely to be in education, training or
employment in later life. Staff should understand the need for tailored, trauma-informed and
sensitive support that can help mitigate potential harm and help encourage stability.
Cybercrime
Cybercrime is criminal activity committed using computers and/or the internet. It is broadly
categorised as either ‘cyber-enabled’ (crimes that can happen off-line but are enabled at scale and
at speed on-line) or ‘cyber dependent’ (crimes that can be committed only by using a computer).
Cyber-dependent crime continues to represent one of the most significant and rapidly evolving
threats within the United Kingdom’s (UK) crime landscape. Offences under the Computer Misuse
Act 1990 (CMA) have risen substantially.
Young people across the UK experiment with illegal online activity, often without understanding the
legal or ethical implications. The impact of cybercrime extends well beyond immediate financial
losses, with scope to cause disruption to national infrastructure.
Cyber-dependent crimes include:
32
• unauthorised access to computers (illegal ‘hacking’), for example accessing a school’s
computer network to look for test paper answers or change grades awarded,
• ‘Denial of Service’ (Dos or DDoS) attacks or ‘booting’. These are attempts to make a
computer, network or website unavailable by overwhelming it with internet traffic from
multiple sources, and,
• making, supplying or obtaining malware (malicious software) such as viruses, spyware,
ransomware, botnets and Remote Access Trojans with the intent to commit further offence,
including those above.
Children with particular skills and interest in computing and technology may inadvertently or
deliberately stray into cyber-dependent crime.
If there are concerns about a child in this area, the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy),
should consider referring into the Cyber Choices programme. This is a nationwide preventative
police programme supported by the Home Office and led by the National Crime Agency, working
with regional and local policing. It aims to intervene where young people are at risk of committing, or
being drawn into, low-level cyber-dependent offences and divert them to a more positive use of their
skills and interests.
Note that Cyber Choices does not currently cover ‘cyber-enabled’ crime such as fraud, purchasing
of illegal drugs on-line and child sexual abuse and exploitation, nor other areas of concern such as
on-line bullying or general on-line safety.
Additional advice can be found at: Cyber Choices, ‘NPCC- When to call the Police’ and National
Cyber Security Centre - NCSC.GOV.UK.
Domestic abuse
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021. The Act introduced the first
ever statutory definition of domestic abuse and recognises the impact of domestic abuse on
children, as victims in their own right, if they see, hear or experience the effects of abuse. The
statutory definition of domestic abuse, based on the previous cross-government definition, ensures
that different types of relationships are captured, including ex-partners and family members. The
definition captures a range of different abusive behaviours, including physical, emotional and
economic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour. Under the statutory definition, both the
person who is carrying out the behaviour and the person to whom the behaviour is directed towards
must be aged 16 or over and they must be “personally connected” (as defined in section 2 of the
2021 Act).
Types of domestic abuse include intimate partner violence, abuse by family members, teenage
relationship abuse and child to parent or care giver abuse. Anyone can be a victim of domestic
abuse, regardless of sexual identity, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background
and domestic abuse can take place inside or outside of the home. The government has issued
statutory guidance to provide further information for those working with domestic abuse victims and
perpetrators, including the impact on children.
33
Domestic abuse is one of the most prevalent forms of abuse, with Women’s Aid estimating that
160,000 children are currently living in households where domestic abuse is taking place. This is
likely to be an underestimate, however, with much abuse remaining hidden and not coming to the
attention of services. All children can witness and be adversely affected by domestic abuse in the
context of their home life where domestic abuse occurs between family members. Experiencing
domestic abuse can have a serious, long-lasting emotional and psychological impact on children. In
some cases, a child may blame themselves for the abuse or may have had to leave the family home
as a result.
Young people can also experience domestic abuse within their own intimate relationships. This form
of child-on-child abuse is sometimes referred to as ‘teenage relationship abuse’. Depending on the
age of the young people, this may not be recognised in law under the statutory definition of
‘domestic abuse’ (if one or both parties are under 16). However, as with any child under 18, where
there are concerns about safety or welfare, child safeguarding procedures as set out in paragraphs
57-63 should be followed and both young victims and young perpetrators should be offered
support.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is an information-sharing scheme between the police and relevant education
settings operating in all police forces across England and Wales. In November 2025, a new
statutory duty was placed on the police to notify a child’s education setting, and where relevant,
local authorities, if they have reasonable grounds to believe a child may be a victim of domestic
abuse. This includes all children connected to a household where they have attended a domestic
abuse incident; children who are physically present at the incident, children not physically present
during the incident, and situations where a child might reside in another household temporarily or
permanently. Operation Encompass report over 2,000 notifications are made to settings every day.
Educational settings are often the only consistent support available to some children, especially for
those who live in isolated or rural communities. The aim of the duty is to support education settings
to provide timely, informed support to children affected by domestic abuse, to ensure the school has
up to date information about the child’s circumstances and enable immediate support to be put in
place according to the child’s needs. This places no new responsibilities on education settings.
Operation Encompass does not replace statutory safeguarding procedures or referrals and
applies solely to domestic abuse incidents. Where appropriate, the police and/or schools should
make a referral to local authority children’s social care if they are concerned about a child’s welfare.
Forces and educational settings should have an open communication process to determine where a
safeguarding referral should be made in accordance with local thresholds. If an officer makes a
referral alongside issuing an Operation Encompass notification, they should tell the child’s
education setting.
The duty applies to all children in education from reception (typically aged 4/5) up to the age of 17,
and who are enrolled in registered primary and secondary schools, including independent schools,
private schools, alternative provision settings (e.g., Pupil Referral Units), as well as further
34
education colleges or 16 to 19 academies in England or Wales. Police forces must notify the local
authority if the child is electively home educated or missing from education. Forces may also make
notifications to other settings, for example early years settings or further education provision for
young people with SEND, although these are not covered under the duty.
More information about the scheme can be found in the statutory guidance for police: Duty on police
forces in England and Wales to notify education establishments of domestic abuse incidents:
Operation Encompass. This guidance intends to recognize and respond to children as victims of
domestic abuse in their own right. It does not replace existing statutory guidance, including Keeping
children safe in education and Working Together to Safeguard Children in England.
Additional resources for education settings, including Online National Key Adult Training: Operation
Encompass can be found on the charity’s website Home: Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass notifications
Operation Encompass involves the sharing of personal and sensitive information about children and
families. It is vital that all participants comply with the data protection laws.
Police forces and educational settings are responsible for deciding how and where information
about incidents and notifications are made. They must ensure it remains confidential, is held
securely, and adheres to the requirements of the data protection laws.
The designated safeguarding lead is responsible for leading on all safeguarding and child protection
matters within an educational setting. They are likely to be the Key Adult for Operation Encompass
notifications and are responsible for making safeguarding referrals to appropriate agencies,
maintaining up-to-date safeguarding policies and training, overseeing record-keeping, and liaising
with families where appropriate. DSLs may wish to use a central safeguarding inbox to ensure they
have oversight over all Operation Encompass notifications.
The notification should include:
• the name, date of birth and protected characteristics (e.g., disability, race, religion etc.) of any
child from that education setting who is related to any adult involved in the incident, whether
the adult is the alleged perpetrator or non-abusive relative
• the relationship of the child to the victim and to the perpetrator,
• the police reference number,
• the location, time and date of the incident,
• if the child was present, and if so, where they were (notifications should be shared even if the
child was not present at the particular incident),
• the voice of the child, such as what they are saying and how they are behaving, and
• the context and the circumstances of the incident, including whether an arrest was made,
whether the incident was attended in person or via Rapid Video Response, and where
possible, information on previous domestic abuse incidents.
35
The notification should not include:
• information or reference to sexual offences disclosed at the domestic abuse incident. This
must not be disclosed in the notification. Under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992,
anonymity for victims of sexual offences must be preserved.
The Operation Encompass charity provides an advice and helpline service for all staff members
from education settings who may be concerned about children who have experienced domestic
abuse. The helpline is available from 8:00 to 13:00, Monday to Friday on 0204 513 9990 (charged
at local rate).17
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Refuge runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which can be called free of charge and in
confidence, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Its website provides guidance and support for
potential victims, as well as those who are worried about friends and loved ones. It also has a form
through which a safe time from the team for a call can be booked.
Additional advice on identifying children who are affected by domestic abuse and how they can be
helped is available at:
• NSPCC- UK domestic-abuse Signs Symptoms Effects
• Refuge what is domestic violence/effects of domestic violence on children
• Safe Young Lives: Young people and domestic abuse | Safelives
• Domestic abuse: specialist sources of support (includes information for adult victims, young
people facing abuse in their own relationships and parents experiencing child to parent
violence/abuse)
• Operation Encompass (includes information for schools on the impact of domestic abuse on
children)
• The Home Office publish guidance on Controlling or coercive behaviour which provides clear
information on what constitutes controlling or coercive behaviour and how to identify the
offence.
Homelessness
Being homeless or being at risk of becoming homeless presents a real risk to a child’s welfare. The
designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) should be aware of contact details and referral
routes into the Local Housing Authority so they can raise/progress concerns at the earliest
opportunity. Indicators that a family may be at risk of homelessness include household debt, rent
arrears, domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour, as well as the family being asked to leave a
property. Whilst referrals and/or discussion with the Local Housing Authority should be progressed
as appropriate, and in accordance with local procedures, this does not, and should not, replace a
referral into local authority children’s social care where a child has been harmed or is at risk of
harm.
17
Section 20 of the Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 introduced a new provision into Part 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act
2021 under Section 49A. [Victims and Prisoners Act 2024]
36
The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 places a new legal duty on English councils so that
everyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness will have access to meaningful help including
an assessment of their needs and circumstances, the development of a personalised housing plan,
and work to help them retain their accommodation or find a new place to live. The following
factsheets usefully summarise the new duties: Homeless Reduction Act Factsheets. The new duties
shift the focus to early intervention and encourages those at risk to seek support as soon as
possible, before they are facing a homelessness crisis.
In most cases school and college staff will be considering homelessness in the context of children
who live with their families, and intervention will be on that basis. However, it should also be
recognised in some cases 16- and 17-year-olds could be living independently from their parents or
guardians, for example through their exclusion from the family home, and will require a different
level of intervention and support. Local authority children’s social care will be the lead agency for
these children, and the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) should ensure appropriate
referrals are made based on the child’s circumstances. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and
Local Government have published joint statutory guidance on the provision of accommodation for
16- and 17-year-olds who may be homeless and/or require accommodation: here.
Temporary accommodation notification duty
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act places a new duty on local housing authorities in
England to notify educational institutions, health visiting services and general medical practices,
when a child is placed in temporary accommodation. This notification should be made when
consent has been given from the parent, those with parental responsibility or care of the child, or the
child themselves in cases of 16–17-year-olds living independently from their parents.
The notification will enable school and college staff to safeguard and promote the welfare of these
children at the earliest opportunity and support them to improve their outcomes. Whilst any
discussion with the local housing authority should be progressed as appropriate, this notification
does not, and should not, replace existing safeguarding and welfare duties nor a referral into local
authority children’s social care where a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm.
Specific statutory guidance for local authorities on the temporary accommodation duty will be
provided in due course.
Modern slavery and the National Referral Mechanism
Modern slavery encompasses exploitation, including sexual exploitation, criminal financial
exploitation, human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Exploitation
can take many forms, including forced labour, slavery, servitude, forced criminality and the removal
of organs. Further information and training for professionals on exploitation and modern slavery is
available here - Modern slavery training: resource page - GOV.UK.
The National Referral Mechanism is the system used within the UK to support potential victims of
exploitation and modern slavery. Further information on the signs that someone may be a victim of
exploitation and modern slavery, the support available to victims and how to refer them to the NRM
37
is available in statutory guidance Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims - GOV.UK.
Children who are referred into the NRM in England and Wales may also have access to an
Independent Child Trafficking Guardian (ICTG)1. ICTGs provide advocacy for children and help to
promote and support their recovery.
Preventing radicalisation
Children may be susceptible to radicalisation into terrorism. Similar to protecting children
from other forms of harms and abuse, protecting children from this risk should be a part
of a schools or colleges safeguarding approach.
Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental British values, including
democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those
with different faiths and beliefs.
Radicalisation18
is the process of a person legitimising support for, or use of, terrorist
violence.
Terrorism19
is an action that endangers or causes serious violence to a person/people;
causes serious damage to property; or seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic
system. The use or threat must be designed to influence the government or to intimidate
the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological
cause.
Although there is no single way of identifying whether a child is likely to be susceptible to
radicalisation into terrorism, there are factors that may indicate concern.
It is possible to protect people from extremist ideology and intervene to prevent those at risk of
radicalisation being drawn into terrorism. As with other safeguarding risks, staff should be alert to
changes in children’s behaviour, which could indicate that they may be in need of help or protection.
Staff should use their judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act
proportionately which may include the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) Making a Prevent
referral.
The Prevent duty
All schools and colleges are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter- Terrorism and
Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard20
to the need to prevent
people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism”.21
This duty is known as the Prevent duty.
The Prevent duty should be seen as part of schools’ and colleges’ wider safeguarding obligations.
20
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (legislation.gov.uk)
21
“Terrorism” for these purposes has the same meaning as for the Terrorism Act 2000 (section 1(1) to (4) of that Act).
38
Designated safeguarding leads (and deputies) and other senior leaders in education settings should
familiarise themselves with the revised Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales, especially
paragraphs 141-210, which are specifically concerned with education (and also covers childcare).
The guidance is set out in terms of three general themes: leadership and partnership, capabilities
and reducing permissive environments.
The school or college’s designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) should be aware of local
procedures for making a Prevent referral.
Channel
Channel is a voluntary, confidential support programme which focuses on providing support at an
early stage to people who are identified as being susceptible to being drawn into terrorism. Prevent
referrals are first assessed by police and may be passed to a multi-agency Channel panel, which
will discuss the individual referred to determine
whether they are at risk of being drawn into terrorism and consider the appropriate support required.
Whilst the referral is being assessed, should any further or new information come to light, this
should also be passed to police. A representative from the school or college may be asked to attend
the Channel panel to help with this assessment. An individual will be required to provide their
consent before any support delivered through the programme is provided.
The designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) should consider if it would be appropriate to share
any information with the new school or college in advance of a child leaving. For example,
information that would allow the new school or college to continue supporting victims of abuse,
incidents that may indicate concerns about serious violence or harmful behaviours and/or details of
those who are currently receiving support through the ‘Channel’ programme and have that support
in place for when the child arrives.
Statutory guidance on Channel is available at: Channel guidance and Channel training from the
Home Office.
Additional support
The Department has published further advice for those working in education settings with
safeguarding responsibilities on the Prevent duty. The advice is intended to complement the
Prevent guidance and signposts to other sources of advice and support.
The Home Office has developed three e-learning modules:
• Prevent awareness e-learning offers an introduction to the Prevent duty.
• Prevent referrals e-learning supports staff to make Prevent referrals that are robust,
informed and with good intention.
• Channel awareness e-learning is aimed at staff who may be asked to contribute to or sit on a
multi-agency Channel panel.
Educate Against Hate is a government website designed to support school and college teachers
and leaders to help them safeguard their students from radicalisation and extremism. The platform
provides free information and resources to help staff identify and address the risks, as well as build
resilience to radicalisation. These resources are regularly updated to ensure they remain relevant
39
and practical. Resources have been developed working closely with education professionals and
civil society groups to identify and produce high-quality materials that assist teachers in building
pupils’ critical thinking skills and resilience to extremist ideologies.
For advice specific to further education, Educate Against Hate hosts a suite of teaching packs and
accompanying guidance to meet the specific needs of students and practitioners in further
education and training settings. The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) hosts the Prevent for
FE and Training. This hosts a range of free, sector specific resources to support further education
settings to comply with the Prevent duty. This includes the Prevent Awareness e-learning, which
offers an introduction to the duty, and the Prevent Referral e-learning, which is designed to support
staff to make robust, informed and proportionate referrals. The Education and Training Foundation
(ETF) provides online training modules for practitioners, leaders and managers, to support staff and
governors/Board members in outlining their roles and responsibilities under the duty.
London Grid for Learning has also produced useful resources on Prevent (Online Safety Resource
Centre - London Grid for Learning (lgfl.net).
Serious violence
There are a number of indicators, which may signal children are at risk from, or are involved in
committing serious violence. These may include:
• increased absence from school or college,
• a change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups,
• a significant decline in educational performance,
• signs of self-harm or a significant change in wellbeing, or signs of assault or unexplained
injuries, and
• unexplained gifts or new possessions could also indicate that children have been
approached by, or are involved with, individuals associated with criminal networks or gangs
and may be at risk of criminal exploitation.
The likelihood of involvement in serious violence may be increased by factors such as:
• being male,
• having been suspended, spent time in Alternative Provision or permanently excluded from
school,
• having experienced child maltreatment,
• having been involved in offending, such as theft or robbery,
• having used drugs or alcohol in early adolescence, and
• having previously been a victim or previously perpetrated violence
A fuller list of risk factors can be found in the Home Office’s Serious Violence Strategy.
40
Professionals should also be aware that violence can often peak in the hours just before or just after
school, when pupils are travelling to and from school and can concentrate in particular places.
These times can be particularly risky for young people involved in serious violence. It is important
that schools and colleges try to understand where these places are, with a view to working with
partners to promote safety for children. Listening to children and consulting with staff can help
establish when and where they feel unsafe. Working with wider partners can also help build
understanding of the local context beyond the school or college and help co-ordinate a collective
safeguarding response around the school day.
Advice for schools and colleges is provided in the Home Office’s Criminal exploitation of children
and vulnerable adults: county lines guidance. The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) (the “what works”
centre for preventing violence) has produced practical guidance for schools and colleges and an
accompanying self-assessment tool to help introduce evidenced practice for preventing children
becoming involved in violence.
Home Office funded Violence Reduction Units (VRU) operate in the 20 police force areas across
England and Wales that have the highest volumes of serious violence, as measured by hospital
admissions for injury with a sharp object. A list of these locations can be found here. As the
strategic co-ordinators for local violence prevention, each VRU is mandated to include at least one
local education representative within their Core Membership group, which is responsible for setting
the direction for VRU activity. Schools and educational partners within these areas are encouraged
to reach out to their local VRU, either directly or via their education Core Member, to better ingrain
partnership working to tackle serious violence across local areas and ensure a joined-up approach
to young people across the risk spectrum.
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced a new Serious Violence Duty (Statutory
Guidance) on a range of specified authorities, such as the police, local government, youth offending
teams, health and probation services, to work collaboratively, share data and information, and put in
place plans to prevent and reduce serious violence within their local communities. Educational
authorities and prisons/youth custody authorities are under a separate duty to co-operate with core
duty holders when asked, and there is a requirement for the partnership to consult with all such
institutions in their area.
The Duty does not replace or duplicate existing safeguarding duties.
Honour or faith-based abuse (including female genital mutilation and forced
marriage)
Honour or faith-based abuse (HBA) encompasses incidents or crimes which have been committed
to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or the community, including female genital
mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, and practices such as breast ironing.
Abuse committed in the context of preserving honour often involves a wider network of family or
community pressure and can include multiple perpetrators. It is important to be aware of this
dynamic and additional risk factors when deciding what form of safeguarding action to take. All
forms of HBA are abuse (regardless of the motivation) and should be handled and escalated as
41
such. Professionals in all agencies, and individuals and groups in relevant communities, need to be
alert to the possibility of a child being at risk of HBA, or already having suffered HBA.
Actions
If staff have a concern regarding a child who might be at risk of HBA or who has suffered from HBA,
they should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy). As appropriate, the
designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) will activate local safeguarding procedures, using
existing national and local protocols for multi-agency liaison with the police and local authority
children’s social care. Where FGM has taken place, since 31 October 2015 there has been a
mandatory reporting duty placed on teachers22
that requires a different approach (see below).
FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or
other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-
lasting harmful consequences.
FGM mandatory reporting duty for teachers
Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (as inserted by section 74 of the Serious
Crime Act 2015) places a statutory duty upon teachers, along with regulated health and social care
professionals in England and Wales, to report to the police where they discover (either through
disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl
under 18. Those failing to report such cases may face disciplinary sanctions. It will be rare for
teachers to see visual evidence, and they should not be examining pupils or students, but the same
definition of what is meant by “to discover that an act of FGM appears to have been carried out” is
used for all professionals to whom this mandatory reporting duty applies. Information on when and
how to make a report can be found at: Mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation procedural
information.
Teachers must personally report to the police cases where they discover that an act of FGM
appears to have been carried out.23
Unless the teacher has good reason not to, they should still
consider and discuss any such case with the school or college’s designated safeguarding lead (or a
deputy) and involve local authority children’s social care as appropriate. The duty does not apply in
relation to at risk or suspected cases (i.e. where the teacher does not discover that an act of FGM
appears to have been carried out, either through disclosure by the victim or visual evidence) or in
cases where the woman is 18 or over. In these cases, teachers should follow local safeguarding
procedures. The following is a useful summary of the FGM mandatory reporting duty: FGM Fact
Sheet.
Further information can be found in the Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation
and the FGM resource pack particularly section 13.
22
Under Section 5B(11)(a) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, “teacher” means, in relation to England, a person
within section 141A(1) of the Education Act 2002 (persons employed or engaged to carry out teaching work at schools
and other institutions in England).
23
Section 5B(6) of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 states teachers need not report a case to the police if they
have reason to believe that another teacher has already reported the case.
42
Forced marriage
Forcing a person into a marriage is a crime in England and Wales. A forced marriage is one entered
into without the full and free consent of one or both parties and where violence, threats or any other
form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. Threats can be physical or
emotional and psychological. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not
consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Nevertheless,
some perpetrators use perceived cultural practices to coerce a person into marriage. Schools and
colleges can play an important role in safeguarding children from forced marriage.
The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has created: Multi-agency practice guidelines: handling cases of
forced marriage (chapter 8 provides guidance on the role of schools and colleges) and, Multi-
agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage, which can both be found at The right to
choose: government guidance on forced marriage - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) School and college staff
can contact the Forced Marriage Unit if they need advice or information: Contact: 020 7008 0151 or
email fmu@fcdo.gov.uk.
In addition, since February 2023 it has also been a crime to carry out any conduct whose purpose is
to cause a child to marry before their eighteenth birthday, even if violence, threats or another form
of coercion are not used. As with the existing forced marriage law, this applies to non-binding,
unofficial ‘marriages’ as well as legal marriages.
Additional advice and support
There is a wealth of information available to support schools and colleges. The following list is not
exhaustive but should provide a useful starting point:
Abuse
Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse has introduced new resources to help education
professionals identify and respond to concerns of child sexual abuse and abusive behaviours.
Signs and indicators of child sexual abuse | CSA Centre
What to do if you're worried a child is being abused – DfE advice
Domestic abuse: Various Information/Guidance – Home Office advice
Faith based abuse: National Action Plan – DfE advice
Forced marriage resource pack
Disrespect NoBody campaign – GOV.UK – Home Office website
Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy – Home Office policy paper
Together we can stop child sexual abuse – HM Government campaign
Bullying
Preventing bullying including cyberbullying – DfE advice
43
Children missing from education, home or care
Children missing education – DfE statutory guidance
Children who run away or go missing from home or care – DfE statutory guidance Missing Children
and Adults strategy – Home Office strategy
Children with family members in prison
The Prisoners’ Families Helpline offers free, confidential support and advice for families in England
and Wales who are in contact with the criminal justice system.
Child exploitation
Modern Slavery: statutory guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act
2015) and non-statutory guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland (accessible version) - GOV.UK
– Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.
Interim guidance for ICTGs - Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship Service guidance
Safeguarding children who may have been trafficked – DfE and Home Office guidance
Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery – DfE statutory
guidance
Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims – Home Office statutory guidance Child
exploitation disruption toolkit – Home Office guidance
Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation – The Children’s Society and Home Office
County Lines Toolkit For Professionals – The Children's Society in partnership with Victim Support
and National Police Chiefs’ Council
Multi-agency practice principles for responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm – non-
statutory guidance for local areas, developed by the Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Support
Programme, funded by the Department for Education and supported by the Home Office, the
Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice
What is county lines and child criminal exploitation? - Missing People advice SafeCall - Missing
People - SafeCall is a national free, confidential and anonymous helpline and support service for
young people and family members that are affected by missing, county lines and criminal
exploitation. Confidential support and webinars are also available to professionals.
County Lines Support and Rescue | Catch22 - A specialist support and rescue service for young
people and their families who are criminally exploited through county lines. (The service currently
operates from London, Merseyside, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester).
Confidentiality
Gillick competency Fraser guidelines – Guidelines to help with balancing children’s rights along with
safeguarding responsibilities.
44
Drugs
From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives – Home Office strategy
Honest information about drugs – Talk to Frank website
Drug and Alcohol education – teacher guidance & evidence review – PSHE Association
Honour or faith-based abuse, including FGM and forced marriage
Female genital mutilation: information and resources – Home Office guidance
Female genital mutilation: multi agency statutory guidance – DfE, Department for Health, and Home
Office
Forced marriage – Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) resources
Forced marriage – Government multi-agency practice guidelines and multi-agency statutory
guidance
FGM resource pack – HM Government guidance
Health and well-being
Rise Above: Free PSHE resources on health, wellbeing and resilience – Public Health England
Supporting pupils at schools with medical conditions – DfE statutory guidance Mental health and
behaviour in schools – DfE advice
Overview - Fabricated or induced illness – NHS advice
Homelessness
Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local
Government guidance
Information sharing
Government information sharing advice – Guidance on information sharing for people who provide
safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers.
Information Commissioner's Office: Data sharing information hub – Information to help schools and
colleges comply with UK data protection legislation including UK GDPR.
Online safety advice
Childnet – Provides guidance for schools on cyberbullying
Educateagainsthate – Provides practical advice and support on protecting children from extremism
and radicalisation
London Grid for Learning – Provides advice on all aspects of a school or college’s online safety
arrangements
45
NSPCC E-safety for schools – Provides advice, templates, and tools on all aspects of a school or
college’s online safety arrangements
Safer recruitment consortium – ‘Guidance for safe working practice’, which may help ensure staff
behaviour policies are robust and effective
Searching screening and confiscation – Departmental advice for schools on searching children and
confiscating items such as mobile phones
South West Grid for Learning – Provides advice on all aspects of a school or college’s online safety
arrangements
Online Safety Audit Tool – From UK Council for Internet Safety to help mentors of trainee teachers
and newly qualified teachers induct mentees and provide ongoing support, development and
monitoring
Online safety guidance if you own or manage an online platform – DCMS advice A business guide
for protecting children on your online platform – DCMS advice
UK Safer Internet Centre – Provides tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children
safe online
Understanding and responding to AI-generated child sexual abuse material: guidance from the
National Crime Agency's CEOP Education programme in collaboration with the Internet Watch
Foundation.
Financially motivated sexual extortion (FMSE): guidance for education settings on FMSE from the
National Crime Agency's CEOP Education programme.
Online safety relating to remote education, virtual lessons and live streaming
Guidance Get help with remote education – Resources and support for teachers and school leaders
on educating pupils and students
Departmental guidance on safeguarding and remote education – Including planning remote
education strategies and teaching remotely
London Grid for Learning – Guidance, including platform-specific advice
National Cyber Security Centre – Guidance on choosing, configuring and deploying video
conferencing
UK Safer Internet Centre – Guidance on safe remote learning
Online safety – support for children
Childline – For free and confidential advice
UK Safer Internet Centre – To report and remove harmful online content
CEOP Safety Centre – to report online child sexual abuse
Online safety - parental support
46
Childnet – Offers a toolkit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions
about their online life, and to find out where to get more help and support
Commonsensemedia – Provides independent reviews, age ratings, & other information about all
types of media for children and their parents
Government advice – About protecting children from specific online harms such as child sexual
abuse, sexting, and cyberbullying
Help your child stay safe online - Kids Online Safety – includes practical information from trusted
places to help parents feel more confident on the steps they can take to protect their child online.
Internet Matters – Provides age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental
controls, and practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world
How Can I Help My Child? – Marie Collins Foundation – Sexual abuse online
London Grid for Learning – Provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe
online, including tips to keep primary aged children safe online
Stopitnow resource from The Lucy Faithfull Foundation – Can be used by parents and carers who
are concerned about someone’s behaviour, including children who may be displaying concerning
sexual behaviour (not just about online)
CEOP Education – Provides information, guidance and resources for support for parents and
carers, helping them to protect their child(ren) from online sexual abuse
Parentzone – Provides help for parents and carers on how to keep their children safe online
Talking to your child about online sexual harassment: A guide for parents – This is the Children’s
Commissioner’s parental guide on talking to their children about online sexual harassment
2019 UK CMOSs’ advice - UK CMO commentary on screen time and social media map of reviews -
GOV.UK
Private fostering
Private fostering: local authorities – DfE statutory guidance
Radicalisation
Prevent duty guidance – Home Office guidance
The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners vulnerable to radicalisation - DfE advice Educate Against
Hate website – DfE and Home Office guidance
Prevent for FE and Training – Education and Training Foundation (ETF)
Extremism and Radicalisation Safeguarding Resources – Resources by London Grid for Learning
Managing risk of radicalisation in your education setting – DfE advice
Serious violence
Serious violence strategy – Home Office strategy
47
Factors linked to serious violence and how these factors can be used to identify individuals for
intervention – Home Office
Youth Endowment Fund – Home Office
Gangs and youth violence: for schools and colleges – Home Office advice Tackling and girls
strategy – Home Office strategy
Violence against women and girls: national statement of expectations for victims – Home Office
guidance
Sexual harassment and sexual violence
Specialist organisations
Barnardo's – UK charity caring for and supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young
people through their range of services.
Lucy Faithfull Foundation – UK-wide child protection charity dedicated to preventing child sexual
abuse. They work with families affected by sexual abuse and also run the confidential Stop it Now!
Helpline.
Marie Collins Foundation – Charity that, amongst other things, works directly with children, young
people, and families to enable their recovery following sexual abuse.
NSPCC – Children's charity specialising in child protection with statutory powers enabling them to
take action and safeguard children at risk of abuse.
Rape Crisis – National charity and the umbrella body for their network of independent member
Rape Crisis Centres.
UK Safer Internet Centre – Provides https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources to
children, young people, parents, carers and schools about staying safe online.
Harmful sexual behaviour
Rape Crisis (England & Wales) or The Survivors Trust – For information, advice, and details of
local specialist sexual violence organisations.
NICE guidance – Contains information on, amongst other things: developing interventions; working
with families and carers; and multi-agency working.
HSB toolkit – The Lucy Faithfull Foundation – designed for parents, carers, family members and
professionals, to help everyone play their part in keeping children safe. It has links to useful
information, resources, and support as well as practical tips to prevent harmful sexual behaviour
and provide safe environments for families.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation also run shorespace.org.uk which provides a safe and anonymous
place for young people to get help and support to prevent harmful sexual behaviours.
NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from harmful sexual behaviour and NSPCC - Harmful sexual
behaviour framework – Free and independent advice about HSB.
48
Contextual Safeguarding Network – Beyond Referrals (Schools) – Provides a school self-
assessment toolkit and guidance for addressing HSB in schools.
Preventing harmful sexual behaviour in children - Stop It Now – Provides a guide for parents,
carers and professionals to help everyone do their part in keeping children safe, they also run a free
confidential helpline.
Support for victims
Anti-Bullying Alliance – Detailed information for anyone being bullied, along with advice for parents
and schools. Signposts to various helplines and websites for further support.
Rape Crisis – Provides and signposts to a range of services to support people who have
experienced rape, child abuse or any kind of sexual violence.
The Survivors Trust – UK-wide national umbrella agency with resources and support dedicated to
survivors of rape, sexual violence and child sex abuse.
Victim Support – Supporting children and young people who have been affected by crime. Also
provides support to parents and professionals who work with children and young people –
regardless of whether a crime has been reported or how long ago it was.
Childline – Provides free and confidential advice for children and young people.
Toolkits
NSPCC – Online Self-assessment tool to ensure organisations are doing everything they can to
safeguard children.
NSPCC – Resources which help adults respond to children disclosing abuse.
NSPCC also provide free and independent advice about HSB: NSPCC - Harmful sexual behaviour
framework
Safeguarding Unit, Farrer and Co. and Carlene Firmin, MBE, University of Bedfordshire – Peer-on-
Peer Abuse toolkit provides practical guidance for schools on how to prevent, identify early and
respond appropriately to peer-on-peer abuse.
Contextual Safeguarding Network – Self-assessment toolkit for schools to assess their own
response to HSB and levers for addressing HSB in schools.
Childnet - STAR SEND Toolkit – Equips, enables and empowers educators with the knowledge to
support young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Childnet - Just a joke? – Provides lesson plans, activities, a quiz and teaching guide designed to
explore problematic online sexual behaviour with 9–12-year-olds.
Childnet - Step Up, Speak Up – A practical campaign toolkit that addresses the issue of online
sexual harassment amongst young people aged 13-17 years old.
NSPCC - Harmful sexual behaviour framework – An evidence-informed framework for children and
young people displaying HSB.
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Farrer & Co: Addressing child on child abuse: a resource for schools and colleges – This resource
provides practical guidance for schools and colleges on how to prevent, identify early and respond
appropriately to child-on-child abuse.
Sharing nudes and semi-nudes
London Grid for Learning-collection of advice – Various information and resources dealing with the
sharing of nudes and semi-nudes.
UKCIS Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and
young people – Advice for schools and colleges on responding to incidents of non-consensual
making or sharing of nudes or semi-nudes.
Support for parents/carers
National Crime Agency’s CEOP Education Programme – Provides information for parents and
carers to help protect their child from online child sexual abuse, including #AskTheAwkward - help
to talk with your children about online relationships – Guidance on how to talk to their children about
online relationships
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