Safeguarding Guidance for Schools and Colleges

The aim of this guidance is to assist governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, senior leadership teams, designated safeguarding leads and staff to understand the range of harms related to sexual violence, sexual abuse and harmful practices.   

This guidance, associated resources and further signposting, provides a range of information to further help educational settings develop effective practises to reduce and support those at risk of exploitation.

Police have written the guidance to support schools and colleges responding to complex issues that are both safeguarding concerns and criminal offences.  It aims to improve the identification of vulnerability and improve information sharing to enhance the safeguarding response for Children (under 18 years of age). 

This guidance is not intended to replace existing policies or procedures, especially Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), which is the statutory safeguarding guidance to which all schools and colleges in England must have regard.  It has been written following consultation to address a gap that exists in relation to schools and colleges’ awareness of police support available for specific safeguarding matters and how best to deal with them.   

This guidance complements the existing statutory guidance for professionals within ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of Children, (HM Government, 2018)’.