Identifying students ‘at risk’ - new guidelines for schools and colleges

Did you know that fresh guidance has been issued to help schools and colleges identify exploitation, abuse or neglect of young people? The guide covers all forms of safeguarding, including physical abuse, female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and cyberbullying. Are your managers aware that all staff are expected to read the simple 8 page summary section of the new guidelines?

The Department for Education (DfE) has published updated safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. This replaces ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education 2006/7’.

The DfE says ‘knowing what to look for is vital to the early identification of abuse and neglect’, and the guidance reiterates that teachers should always  maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ at all times. It highlights that Research and Serious Case Reviews have repeatedly shown the dangers of failing to take effective or timely action.

The document covers all forms of safeguarding, including physical abuse, female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation and cyberbullying.

The guidance contains, for the first time, a simple 8 page section – which is also provided separately as a pdf – to be read, as a minimum, by all school and college staff. This section informs those working in schools and colleges about types of abuse and neglect, and where to find further information about the signs that a young person may be being abused. It explains how to refer a young person about whom they have concerns to the appropriate agency. It signposts further, detailed information on specific safeguarding matters including female genital mutilation, child sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, mental health, and radicalisation.

The 8 page guide covers what school and college staff

• need to know
• should look out for
• should do if they have concerns

The guide has a flowchart that illustrates what action should be taken and who should take it when there are concerns.

To read the 8 page guidance, click here