Safeguarding in schools

Also called KCSIE, Keeping Children Safe in Education, Child protection

Schools' legal duty to protect children from harm, and the framework everyone in a school works to.

What it is

Schools and colleges have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Keeping Children Safe in Education is the statutory guidance every member of staff must read, updated annually.

It covers child protection, safer recruitment, online safety, peer-on-peer abuse and much else.

Where it applies

All schools and colleges, all staff, and all pupils.

How it works

Every school must have a designated safeguarding lead, a child protection policy, safe recruitment procedures, and a single central record of checks.

Staff must report concerns immediately and must not investigate themselves. Schools may make a referral to children's social care without parental consent where seeking it would place a child at risk.

Allegations against staff go to the local authority designated officer, not through the ordinary complaints route.

What you can ask for

Ask who the DSL is — it should be published and every parent should know.

If a referral has been made about your family, you are usually entitled to know and to be involved unless that would put the child at risk. Ask what has been referred, to whom, and what happens next.

Ask for information in writing. Families going through this describe the not-knowing as the hardest part, and most of it is answerable.

Where to get help

The school's DSL and its child protection policy. Family Rights Group's free advice line is the best resource for families involved with children's social care.