Keeping children safe in education - schools and colleges - proposed revisions 2021

Introduction

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views about proposed changes to statutory safeguarding guidance: Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE). KCSIE sets out those legal duties that schools and colleges must comply with, together with what schools and colleges should do in order to keep children safe. Schools and colleges must have regard to KCSIE when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is split into five parts, as follows:

Part one - sets out what staff in schools and colleges should know and do. It explains their safeguarding responsibilities, what the various forms of abuse and neglect look like and what staff should do if they have concerns about safeguarding matters.
Part two - sets out the arrangements for the management of safeguarding, including the responsibility of governing bodies and proprietors, the role of designated safeguarding leads and the safeguarding policies and procedures that should be in place.
Part three - sets out the safer recruitment arrangements schools and colleges should adopt and describes in detail the checks that are required for individuals working or visiting a school or college.
Part four - sets out how schools and colleges should manage allegations of abuse made against teachers and other staff including supply teachers, other staff, volunteers and contractors.
Part five - is about managing reports of child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment and sets out what governing bodies and proprietors should be doing to ensure reports of child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment are managed appropriately.

Who this consultation is for

School and college staff
Governing bodies of maintained schools (including maintained nursery schools),
Proprietors of independent schools (including academies, free schools and alternative provision academies) and non-maintained special schools
Management committees of pupil referral units (PRUs)
Post 16 providers in receipt of funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
Children’s services
Professionals working in social care
Teaching unions
Safeguarding practitioners, including training providers
Supply agencies

1. What is your name?

(Required)

2. What is your email address?

If you enter your email address then you will automatically receive an acknowledgement email when you submit your response.

(Required)

3. What is the name of your organisation?

4. What type of organisation is it?

(Required) Nursery Primary school Secondary school Multi Academy Trust Sixth Form FE HE Union Charity Training provider Consultancy Other Not applicable

If other, please state

5. In what capacity are you responding?

(Required) Teacher Head Teacher or Principal Other Senior Management Designated Safeguarding lead (or deputy DSL) Teaching Assistant Parent or Carer Trainer Consultant Official Other

If other, please state

6. Would you like us to keep your responses confidential?

Information provided in response to consultations, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 2018 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

If you want all, or any part, of a response to be treated as confidential, please explain why you consider it to be confidential.

If a request for disclosure of the information you have provided is received, your explanation about why you consider it confidential will be taken into account, but no assurance can be given that confidentiality can be maintained. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

The Department for Education will process your personal data (name and address and any other identifying material) in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and, your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this consultation. Your information will not be shared with third parties unless the law allows it.

You can read more about what the DfE does when we ask for and hold your personal information in our personal information charter.

Yes No

Reason for confidentiality

7. Did you respond to the consultation that was withdrawn?

(Required) Yes No

If yes, do you want us to disregard your previous response?

Yes – please disregard my previous response No – please combine my responses