Guidance Update: Proposed Changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation for proposed changes to the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance in England.

The consultation is aimed at Designated Safeguarding Leads and their deputies, as well as school and college staff.

What is Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidance?

KCSIE is the statutory guidance from DfE that sets out the legal duties of what schools and colleges should do to keep children safe.

The Department are seeking views on the proposed changes, which are set to take effect in September 2022.

Overview of Key Changes

The most significant change is the plan to merge the existing Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment between Children in Schools and Colleges advice into Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.
Guidance and language covering LGBTQ, child-on-child abuse and governor/trustee training has also been added.
Improved advice on safer recruitment and information has been added on Domestic Abuse.
New information on the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty has been added to make the link between these legal duties and safeguarding.

Key Consultation themes:

Do staff think the changes made on online safety in KCSIE 2021 have helped to embed online safety into their whole school/college approach to safeguarding?
What would staff suggest DfE can do to emphasise the authority and status that should be attached to the DSL role?
What feedback can staff provide on how the department has incorporated the standalone sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges advice into KCSIE?
Do the proposed changes to Part Five provide the right level of information to support schools and colleges to respond to instances of child-on-child sexual violence and harassment?