The latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education has now been published. You can download it here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2
The content is almost as expected from the ‘for information’ version, published in May 2024. There are two changes areas to note:
– Safer Recruitment for individuals who have lived or worked outside the UK: The following line has been removed from paragraph 286: ‘applicants [who have lived or worked outside the UK] can also contact the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications who will signpost them to the appropriate EEA regulatory body’.This has been removed because the ‘UK Centre for Professional Qualifications’ no longer provide an advisory service on behalf of the UK Government in regard to regulated professions and recognition of professional qualifications.
– Definition of Safeguarding: The definition of safeguarding has been updated to ‘reflect’ the changes to the definition in Working Together to Safeguard Children that was updated in December 2023. However, whilst this change reflects the WT definition, it doesn’t use it piecemeal.
The new definition in KCSIE (2024) paragraph 3 is as follows (new wording in bold): “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
– taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes”
Gender questioning children
This section is still under review and schools should ensure they are using the guidance on (KCSIE 2024) page 55
