Safeguarding updates

RESOURCES

October 2024

The Department for Education has published a response to the recent consultation on safeguarding in the early years, confirming a number of changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, which will come into effect on 1 September 2025. Changes include, but are not limited to, requiring providers to obtain a reference before employment when recruiting, requiring providers to follow up on child absences in a timely manner and of a child is absent for a prolonged period of time or without notification from the parent/carer to attempt to contact the child parent/carers and alternative emergency contacts, recommending that settings how more than two emergency contacts for each child.

April 2024

The Department for Education has published a consultation on changes to EYFS safeguarding requirements.

Changes include, amendments to ensure safer recruitment including new requirements to obtain references and requiring safeguarding policies to include procedures to follow to ensure recruitment of suitable individuals; Creation of new requirements for following up if a child is absent for a prolonged period of time and amendments to ensure providers hold additional emergency contact details; Creation of new requirements to ensure safer eating; Creation of a safeguarding training criteria annex and a requirement for safeguarding policies to include details of how safeguarding training is delivered and how practitioners are supported to put it into place; Amendments to clarify that early years students and trainees are required to have paediatric first aid (PFA) training and  to ensure children’s privacy when changing nappies and toileting is considered and balanced with safeguarding need. The consultation closes on 17 June 2024.

You can access the consultation on early years foundation stage safeguarding requirements

December 2023

The Department for Education has published an updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children, which is statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help, protect, and promote the welfare of children. 
 
The government says that the changes made focus on "strengthening multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection for children and families, keeping a child-centred approach while bringing a whole-family focus, and embedding strong, effective and consistent multi-agency child protection practice."

The new guidance is available and a summary of the changes are available . 

19 January 2022

has uploaded new Case Reviews for January 2022.

You can .

1 September 2021

аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± updated its safeguarding policy and safeguarding concerns guidance for inspectors to include internal contact inspectors should use when arranging a safeguarding referral.

9 December 2020

The DfE has updated with factual changes in relation to information sharing, homelessness duty and references to domestic abuse.

It has removed 'Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015' and 'Working Together: transitional guidance'.

5 February 2019

The UK Council for Internet Safety has published online safety guidance for early years practitioners. 'Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings' aims to help practitioners safeguard both children and adults online:

4 July 2018

The Department for Education has published an updated version of .

22 February 2017

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) released guidance on child abuse and neglect which advises that education and care professional, including early years practitioners, should look for "soft" signs that could indicate that a child is being abused or neglected, such as excessive clinginess, low self-esteem, and over-friendliness towards strangers.

26 March 2015

  • explains the signs of abuse and neglect to look out for the action to take if you think a child is being abused or neglected. This document replaces What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (2006).