A major review into child safeguarding practices has highlighted the critical role that schools play in protecting children from harm.
The report, entitled I Wanted Them All to Notice, was published by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel last month. It focuses on protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment.
The report examines the systemic failings in addressing child sexual abuse and uncovers “significant and longstanding issues.”
Its key findings for improving child safeguarding practices are summarised under the following areas:
- Hearing children’s voices and understanding their needs
- Understanding parents’ and carers’ needs and contexts
- Identifying signs, understanding risk and raising concerns
- Responding to concerns of intrafamilial child sexual abuse
In her foreword to the review, Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said:
“A national strategic response, led by government, is needed. This will involve investment in better working together, not only between the trinity of safeguarding partners (local authorities, police and health) but also with schools and other education providers, with the criminal and family justice system (including probation), and with the third sector.”
Schools must prioritise child safeguarding “at every level”
TES (formerly the Times Educational Supplement) have published an article responding to the review. They say it will help schools to review their own child safeguarding processes and staff training needs.
The report highlights “the importance of schools prioritising safeguarding at every level” and suggests school leaders should focus on proactive measures, strong partnerships and a child-centred approach to improve child safeguarding practices.
Writing for TES, Luke Ramsden, deputy head of an independent school and chair of trustees for the Schools Consent Project, says the specific recommendations outlined in the report can be adopted by schools “to better protect children and support their recovery from abuse.”
Key takeaways for schools in Child Safeguarding Review recommendations
He suggests these recommendations can be applied to schools in the following ways:
- Listening effectively
The review found a failure to listen to children effectively. It said that practitioners too often relied on children verbally disclosing abuse before taking action, causing issues for younger or non-verbal children. To improve child safeguarding, schools need to equip their staff to engage with children proactively and not rely on explicit disclosures.
This means providing sufficient training to enable staff to develop the skills and confidence they need to explore child safeguarding concerns. Training should cover non-verbal indicators of abuse and focus on creating safe, supportive environments where children trust they will be heard and believed.
- Identifying risks early
The review highlighted the importance of spotting any issues early on, particularly when it comes to grooming and coercive control. School staff should be trained to identify signs of abuse, including subtle changes in behaviour, attendance patterns or relationships within families. Training should also cover how factors such as disabilities, cultural factors or previous neglect might intersect with risks of abuse.
Schools should adopt clear, evidence-based policies to guide decisions when concerns arise.
- Better multi-agency working
The review highlights the importance of effective information sharing between agencies. Better multi-agency working will ensure that child protection plans and strategies reflect all available information.
Schools can contribute meaningfully to multi-agency child safeguarding responses by ensuring that observations about a child’s behaviour and wellbeing are well documented and shared appropriately. They should also implement clear internal policies and procedures to ensure that child safeguarding concerns are escalated promptly and consistently to the relevant external partners.
- Better support for children’s recovery
The review reveals that many children lack access to appropriate therapeutic or emotional support following disclosures of abuse. Schools can help address this by ensuring that staff understand the importance of ongoing support and have the skills and confidence to provide it.
While the review advocates the use of professional therapeutic services, it acknowledges that all practitioners, including teachers, can play an important role in supporting children to process their experiences and rebuild their lives. It’s therefore important that school staff are empowered, through resources and training, to support trauma-affected children effectively. This could include guidance on recognising signs of emotional distress and responding appropriately within the classroom environment.
- Proactively engaging with parents
One of the systemic failures identified by the review is a failure to engage with and support parents and carers, particularly those who may also be vulnerable as a result of domestic abuse or coercion. It states a need for accessible resources tailored to the needs of families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
In the TES article, Ramsden suggests that schools can help address this by offering workshops or information sessions to help parents understand child safeguarding procedures and how to protect their children. Schools also need to ensure they are engaging with parents sensitively and without judgment to build trust and encourage open communication.
Child safeguarding review will inform updates to guidance
The safeguarding review is expected to have a major influence on the 2025 update to the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
Ramsden asserts that this means “considering your setting’s response to these issues – and other points raised in the report – will ensure that you are in the best place possible to support children whatever they are facing.”
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Training to protect and support children and young people
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.
They work with a large number of early years, schools and childcare providers, as well as colleges, youth groups and children’s services.
Their courses include Safeguarding Children, Autism Awareness, Learning Disability Awareness, Understanding Challenging Behaviour, and many more.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Because children spend so much of their lives at school, school staff can play a pivotal role in identifying any issues or concerns early on and taking action to help protect children. They are also often there in the aftermath of abuse, meaning they can take on a vital support role for recovery.
“Training is essential for all school staff to ensure they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify signs of abuse and put safeguarding procedures into action to keep children safe.”
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.