SAFEGUARDING MATTERS

As this edition goes to print, our Chair, Adam Lubbock, would like to highlight a few updates. Many of these featured in recent DSL training and may not have wide ranging actions for guardians outside awareness and working with schools. However, schools will find all of these of interest.

Adam Lubbock

Keeping Children Safe in Education

The 2024 edition is not expected to have any major updates. However, there will be a few amendments in line with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (Dec 2023) and the ‘Prevent Duty’ (2023, effective Jan 2024). One of these will be the updated definition of safeguarding. There is currently a call for evidence consultation for ‘Safeguarding children in schools and colleges’, which will inform changes for KCSiE 2025.

Working Together to Safeguard Children

(2023)

This might be updated annually in line with KCSiE, going forward. The main changes that have a tentative link to guardianship are related to the closer working with parents and carers. With guardians acting in a parental support capacity in the UK this could be seen to include them.

Relationships. Education. Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Draft/Consultation - (May 2024)

This draft/consultation was expected by the end of 2023. The expectations are that clearer age limits will be given for when topics should be taught. In addition it proposes that the concept of gender identity should not be taught, in line with the gender questioning guidance, and therefore a cautious approach taken in our guidance on gender questioning children.

There are new updated topics included which reflect on the modern day-to-day and online lives that children experience. Schools are guided further in following the guidance. For guardians, it is good to be aware of these changes as they will be reflected in KCSiE and the NMS. However, importantly, guardians should be aware of the cultural and religious needs of the students as well as how the school may be supporting the student regarding any missed education around important topics.

Prevent Duty (2023, effective Jan 2024)

Updates included a requirement that the DSL or Prevent lead should receive more in-depth training, including on extremist and terrorist ideologies, and on how to make referrals and how to work with Channel panels. AEGIS has been asking for this already.

Gender Questioning Guidance Consultation (ended March 2024)

This has been open to much debate and much more work is likely to be needed before it becomes guidance. However, awareness is key.

Criminal Justice Bill

New measures will be introduced in the Criminal Justice Bill in the House of Commons. This will make mandatory reporting a legal requirement. The government is delivering this on a key recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report.

Information Sharing - Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services (May 2024)

This provides more clarity on the use of consent and the legal frameworks needed to support the sharing of information.

Protective security and preparedness for education settings (April 2024)

This is very much school-based but it is certainly good for guardians to have an oversight of this new guidance which is non-statutory.

Working together to improve school attendance (Feb 2024, effective August 2024)

This makes a clearer link between improving attendance and wider school culture, including the importance of working in partnership with families to find supportive routes to improve attendance. One change includes amending ‘parenting contracts’ to ‘attendance contracts’ to better reflect the agreement between parents, schools and/or local authorities.