Safeguarding Bulletin - 14 October 2026
Feedback on Ofsted's new inspection framework
A year after new-look inspections began, most education providers feel generally positive about their experience under Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework, according to independent research published last week. Findings include:
Most education providers positive about ‘collaborative’ and ‘respectful’ inspections under Ofsted’s renewed framework .
A clear majority said inspection would help improve their school, nursery or college.
Around three-quarters agreed inspection took account of, and was tailored to, the context in which they work.
New report cards welcomed by providers for accuracy in capturing children and learners’ experiences.
Workload and wellbeing highlighted as ongoing challenges, but most providers say inspectors took actions to minimise stress.
Read the press release and the report.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that 9/10 school heads who responded say inspections still ‘negatively affected’ staff mental health. The independent survey of school leaders who had undergone the revised inspections since last year found that 88% said it had “negatively affected” the mental wellbeing of school staff, including 29% who said it affected them “a lot”.
Find out more about our Safeguarding and Inspection training which takes place on 17 November.
Prevent Update 2026: making the right referral
The Department for Education published updated Prevent duty guidance for DSLs on 26 September. The update is timely, reflecting growing national concern following recent serious case reviews, the tragic events in Southport and the Children’s Commissioner for England’s latest report on Prevent.
Previous resources have been replaced with three practical toolkits designed specifically for DSLs and safeguarding teams. The revised framework places much greater emphasis on structured assessment, professional decision-making and clear referral thresholds.
This revised guidance is a welcome development for DSLs and safeguarding teams. It reinforces a key safeguarding principle: not every concern requires a Prevent referral, but every concern requires an appropriate response. Effective safeguarding relies on the right support being provided through the right pathway at the right time. What should DSLs do?
Talking about consent and why it matters
Understanding consent is a vital part of helping young people build healthy, respectful relationships.
While consent is often portrayed as complex, the core message is simple: it should always be clear, enthusiastic and freely given. Schools play a crucial role in embedding this understanding. How can you ensure that the message is clear and age-appropriate?
Responding to incidents of intimate image sharing in education settings
It has never been easier than now to take and share images. With just a click of a button, a photo or film can be sent instantly or shared with countless people at once on social media.
Social media applications such as TikTok, Snapchat and even WhatsApp have some safeguards, but it is still extremely easy for nudes to be shared and saved quickly.
DSLs are uniquely placed to provide timely support, ensure appropriate reporting procedures are followed, and help victims access specialist services.
Online harm groups: what professionals need to know
CEOP Education has published guidance for professionals working with children and young people on the threat of online harm groups or ‘Com’ groups.
The guidance focuses on harm-focused groups that engage in extortion and child sexual abuse offending and can be used to help:
Build understanding of online harm groups and the risks they pose to children and young people
Recognise potential indicators that a child or young person may be at risk
Understand how to respond to concerns and support safeguarding
Strengthen preventative conversations and education with children, young people and their families
Kinship care guidance
The Department for Education has updated its statutory kinship care guidance for local authorities in England, effective from 2 October 2026.
The guidance introduces six National Kinship Standards, including a commitment to placing the voices of kinship children and young people at the centre of decision-making. From autumn 2026, schools can record all children in kinship care, including informal arrangements, through the school census. The guidance also recognises that many children in kinship care have experienced trauma, which can impact their attendance, behaviour and educational attainment.
Schools and other education settings are highlighted as key points of contact for children living with kinship carers and are expected to understand their needs and signpost families to support. From September 2027, local authorities will have a duty to promote the educational achievement of all children in kinship care, including those under special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The guidance also reinforces important safeguarding messages, reminding professionals not to assume family placements are automatically safe and emphasising the need to hear directly from children and remain alert to risks such as coercion, domestic abuse and unsafe family relationships.
New Domestic Abuse and Violence E-learning available
Domestic Abuse and Violence E-Learning is now available.
If you’re a professional who works closely with children, young people, or other potentially vulnerable individuals, you need a strong level of domestic abuse awareness to identify and safeguard victims.
This course was created alongside an expert on the subject with more than 30 years of experience supporting domestic abuse victims. With their help, we’ve created a training programme to help learners identify signs of abuse, describe its psychological and physical effects, classify behaviours displayed by its perpetrators, and explain their impact on vulnerable people.
The training also explains the multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) Process for effectively reporting instances of abuse, as well as describing the best practices when caring for victims.
The course costs £15.00 + VAT for members, and £30.00 + VAT for non-members.
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