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Safeguarding Children: What’s Changed in 2026?

Tuesday 9th June, 2026

Working Together to Safeguard Children

In March 2026, the Department for Education published an updated version of the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’. While much of the guidance stayed the same, there were several changes that professionals working with children need to be aware of.

These changes include:

• A stronger focus on anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice, with practitioners expected to recognise AND challenge racism, discrimination, and bias.

• Highlighting the needs and vulnerabilities of unborn babies, infants, and very young children, with practitioners expected to consider safeguarding concerns before birth where risks are identified.

• Looked After Children (LAC) are included in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (rather than being treated separately).

• Changes to safeguarding reviews and serious incidents – the guidance strengthens expectations for learning from incidents that do not meet formal notification thresholds, and rapid reviews must now be submitted within 15 working days of a Serious Incident Notification (SIN).

• Expanded guidance on online and in-person harm – a stronger recognition of links between online abuse and harm experienced offline, and practitioners need to understand children's digital experiences as part of safeguarding assessments.

• Introduction of the Family Help model, which aims to provide one coordinated system of support and plan for families, rather than families having multiple plans with Early Help and Children's Social Care services.

Family Help

The Key Principles of Family Help are:

• Earlier intervention: Families should receive support before problems escalate into child protection concerns
• One plan: There should be a single coordinated plan that everyone contributes to
• Consistent relationships: Children and families should not repeatedly have to tell their story to new workers as needs change. The model aims to reduce handovers and service transitions.
• Whole-family approach: Recognition that children's outcomes are influenced by parents, carers, siblings, and wider family networks.
• Multi-agency working: Professionals from different services work together as a team

What the introduction of the Family Help model means for schools:

• Earlier identification of concerns
• Greater participation in multi-agency planning
• Contributing information to Family Help assessments and plans
• Working with a wider team around the child and family
• Supporting a single coordinated plan rather than separate interventions

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework

The EYFS safeguarding reforms introduced in September 2025 are being inspected and embedded in practice in 2026.

These are the key EYFS safeguarding changes now in force:

• The EYFS formally recognises the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• All practitioners must receive safeguarding training and refresh it at least every two years
• Safer recruitment has been strengthened and settings must obtain references before employment starts, clearly describe safer recruitment procedures within safeguarding policies, and demonstrate how suitability checks are undertaken
• A significant new safeguarding requirement is that settings must follow up unexplained or prolonged absences.
• Whistleblowing responsibilities now include volunteers, apprentices, and students on placement
• The safeguarding policy must cover all devices capable of capturing or sharing images
• The EYFS now places greater emphasis on safeguarding during mealtimes to reduce risk of choking
• Privacy during intimate care routines, such as nappy changing, must be maintained

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Recently, a draft of an updated version of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ has been published – this is a consultation version and is expected to come into effect in September 2026.

The biggest impacts on safeguarding practices:

• Safeguarding becomes even more child-centred, and practitioners must listen to the child's voice and make decisions based on the child's needs (rather than organisational processes).

• One of the most significant new sections relates to children questioning their gender, and these situations are now treated as safeguarding matters requiring assessment, parental involvement, and professional judgement.

• The draft updates safeguarding expectations to reflect evolving technology risks

• Child-on-child abuse definitions are broadened and now include deepfake sexual imagery, AI-generated intimate content, misogynistic behaviour, and emerging forms of online sexual harassment. Schools will need to update their policies, recording systems, and training materials to reflect this.

• Mental health concerns are more clearly linked to safeguarding, and practitioners are expected to recognise warning signs earlier and understand when concerns require urgent action.

• Practitioners are expected to report concerns about serious violence (weapons, gang-related, and escalating peer conflict) promptly to the Safeguarding Lead and schools are expected to intervene earlier.

• Police are expected to notify schools when children may have been affected by domestic abuse, enabling schools to provide support quickly.

If you would like to learn more about safeguarding children and the latest guidance, you may wish to complete our courses on:

• Child Safeguarding
• Managing Child Safeguarding (For Team Leaders and Managers in Early Years Settings)
• The Role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead