Welcome to your safeguarding resource area. We will use this page to collate the updates, resources and courses that we share with you in the safeguarding newsletter. If you are a paid SFE Safeguarding Subscription Member, you can view premium content here.
Safeguarding Fact
In 2022, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice and support in 297 cases of possible forced marriage.
Of the cases in which the FMU provided advice or support in 2022:
- 88 cases (29%) involved victims aged 17 years and under.
- 119 cases (39%) involved victims aged 18 to 25.
- 62 cases (19%) involved victims with mental capacity concerns.
- 235 cases (78%) involved female victims, and 67 cases (22%) involved male victims.

*Blog for November 2023*
Forced Marriage: Spotting The Signs
Safeguarding Adviser, Jo Perrin, discusses the changes in law regarding marriage in the UK, providing an overview of Forced Marriage and how to spot the signs.
Read the full blog hereKEY SAFEGUARDING NEWS AND UPDATES
You may be aware that Ofsted have recently announced new changes to the School Inspections Handbook, detailing a number of updates.
Although the changes are minor, we’ve compiled a list of the updates and key changes for your setting to be aware of, from a safeguarding perspective.
Safeguarding Updates September 2023
In September 2023 the school inspection handbook made changes to reflect the changes they have made in how they inspect safeguarding.
They:
- Updated the monitoring policy to include early monitoring inspections and added new paragraphs on monitoring programmes for inadequate schools.
- They added a new section on monitoring programmes for schools judged inadequate solely due to ineffective safeguarding (early monitoring inspections).
- Added new paragraphs on deeming of monitoring inspections that are inadequate with serious weakness due to ineffective safeguarding and they stated that final feedback meeting for inadequate schools with serious weakness solely due to ineffective safeguarding.
Safeguarding Updates October 2023
Building on from September’s updates, in October 2023 the school inspection handbook provided more detail on what evidence inspectors will ask schools to provide in relation to safeguarding, to prevent unnecessary workload for schools, they clarified that:
- Inspectors will want schools to provide details about adults living on school sites.
- They clarified that inspectors will look at attendance when carrying out ungraded inspections of schools.
- Minor changes to take account of the new Department for Education’s exclusions and suspensions guidance.
All of these updates relate to safeguarding in its widest sense.
Read more about the key changes and access the School Inspections Handbook here.
If Safeguarding is important to you and your school, you can keep up with the latest news and advice via our SFE Safeguarding Newsletter.
You’re likely aware that The Department For Education has recently released the draft of its new statutory guidance for Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.
Whilst the 2022 guidance is currently in force, the new guidance will come into force on the 1st September 2023.
Although there are no major additions as the DFE has said they want settings to embed current guidance fully, there are a few changes for DSLs and school staff to be aware of – we’ve compiled a few of the changes to be aware of below, to ensure the safety of all children in your setting.
The main proposed KCSIE changes
New Filtering and Monitoring Standards
This is the main updated section in the guidance. Schools and colleges must ensure that robust filtering and monitoring systems are in place and are reviewed annually to manage risks regarding the settings IT system.
This involves blocking harmful content, deploying effective monitoring strategies and assigning responsibilities to those within your setting.
This isn’t completely new, but the emphasis has changed and the guidance has been strengthened, especially and the management of monitoring your systems. DSLs are to have lead responsibility and all staff need training in this area.
Your CP policy needs to address this and governors hold strategic oversight. Guidance was updated in March 2023 which you should follow – you can find it here.
More guidance about Online Recruitment Checks
Schools and colleges should inform shortlisted candidates that they will conduct online searches, to identify the possibility of any public incidents that may need to be discussed with the candidate.
Organisations and Individuals Using School Premises
Guidance has been updated regarding safeguarding allegations made when an outside individual or organisation is in use of the school premises. School’s own safeguarding policies and procedures should be followed as well as ensuring the LADO is informed.
Student Absence
Terminology around children missing education has been clarified to talk about “persistently absent” children, missing education on repeat occasions.
Forced Marriage
Due to the law change in February 2023 which made any marriage under the age of 18 illegal, the language around Forced Marriage has been updated.
BOOK YOUR SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Have you booked your safeguarding training for 2023/24 yet?
Services For Education provide a wide range of safeguarding training courses throughout the year.
- SAFEGUARDING INSET FOR SCHOOLS
Our safeguarding inset in schools will include key updates to statutory requirements and legislation, but schools can also identify topics which are relevant to them. This approach is bespoke to each setting’s individual need. Find out more here. - ONLINE SAFEGUARDING INSET FOR MATS
If you’re a MAT looking for a consistent safeguarding training for all your academies, look no further. Services For Education can provide an online inset for you to share amongst your schools and ensure everyone is up to date with the latest. Get in touch to find out more. - SAFEGUARDING SUBSCRIPTION
If you’re looking for value for money, our safeguarding subscription not only provides you with an online safeguarding inset, but also over 100 other webinars and resources about safeguarding. Updated every half term with new, up to date content, the safeguarding subscription will provide your school with everything it needs to fulfil it’s safeguarding requirements and ensure children are safe. Sign up here.
You may remember a project that we shared with you at the start of last year.
FGM and language – how the way in which we communicate about safeguarding issues and the choices we make when doing so affect the understanding and buy-in of the entire school community
The project, conducted by The University of Birmingham in conjunction with Services For Education and BAFGM (Birmingham Against Female Genital Mutilation), has commenced and we have already identified themes that occur or that are missing in many of the commonly used FGM educational resources.
We also led a working group with colleagues from the children’s workforce to discuss our findings and to talk through school staff’s lived experience of delivering these materials.
This month, we are sharing our initial findings with you in our latest blog:
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Language, Disconnect and Safeguarding Culture
Our funded research is now looking towards the next phase of the project, which will involve focus groups of young people within schools, followed by reports of feedback which we will share with materials developers.
Long-term we want to drill down on what impact the language used in educational resources has on understanding, and what language connects with young people and their families.
Our end goal is to identify resources that have more sensitivity and clarity and potentially long-term to develop specific resources, but we can’t do that until we have done this vital piece of in-depth work.
Find out more about the project here. and if you would like to get involved, please feel free to email us at safeguarding@servicesforeducation.co.uk
This month, our updates come to you in the form of our newest blog:
This guidance was last updated on 1st September 2022 when some key points were reworded or newly introduced. After a term of it being in force, it is a good time to reflect upon whether you and your staff are aware of and have acted upon those changes. Read more.
PREVIOUS RESOURCES
Due to the number of situations that can be termed as child exploitation, we have produced the following visual poster as a reminder for your staff.
This webinar, created by former SFE adviser Liz Bates, was created for all staff training purposes and raises awareness of some key safeguarding topics, including FGM. It delves into definitions, the law, origins and traditions, myths and facts, and what to do if you are worried about any of these areas within your school community.
This webinar was originally created for our Safeguarding Subscription for schools.
To join, and get access to over 40 webinars, plus safeguarding resources and blogs, sign up today.
*Please note, these podcasts were accurate at the time of recording.
SAFEGUARDING BLOGS
SAFEGUARDING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
As a Designated Safeguarding Lead, you are responsible for ensuring that safeguarding policies and procedures within your school are followed.
Safeguarding is unequivocally one of the most important aspects of ensuring the safety of those within your setting - whether that be children, adults, or vulnerable adults.
KCSIE 2021 says all staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated … at least annually.
In addition, all staff should receive safeguarding and child protection updates (via staff meetings, e-bulletins).
The world of safeguarding is fast-changing, and guidance is frequently updated to ensure the continued safety of those within your setting.
✔️ One completely free resource or blog which will support you with safeguarding at your school.
✔️ One quick-fire safeguarding tip, hint or fact for you to digest quickly, to provoke reflection and discussion on a featured topic.
REMINDER – BOOK YOUR STATUTORY TRAINING TODAY
Safeguarding
Update for Existing DSLs on Safeguarding and Child Protection – CENTRE BASED
Multiple DatesNext: 14/12/2023
Safeguarding
Update for Existing DSLs on Safeguarding and Child Protection – ONLINE
Multiple DatesNext: 05/12/2023
Safeguarding
Safeguarding and Child Protection for Designated Safeguarding Leads (Two Day Course) – CENTRE BASED
Multiple DatesNext: 07/12/2023
Safeguarding
Safeguarding and Child Protection for Designated Safeguarding Leads (Two Day Course) – ONLINE
Multiple DatesNext: 11/01/2024