|
View as a webpage / Share
The Department for Education (DfE) published a new edition of its statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children in March 2026. This 2026 edition replaces Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
The guidance outlines what organisations and agencies must and should do to help, protect and promote the welfare of all babies, children and young people under the age of 18 in England.
Key additions to the guidance include:
- understanding and challenging racism and discrimination
- recognising the specific needs and experiences of babies
- understanding the impact of domestic abuse
- awareness of children experiencing simultaneous harms or multiple harms
- strengthened inclusion of children in care
- the link between online harm and harm experienced in person
To read our full briefing summarising the key changes, please click on the link below
CSCP Briefing on Key Changes Introduced in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026
Highlighted below are the key areas of amendments.
|
Chapter 1: A Shared Responsibility
This chapter highlights how positive outcomes for children depend on strong multi
agency working and good relationships between professionals and families.
It adds information on the importance of agencies actively seeking to address
discrimination and inequality experienced by families, as well as the need for leaders
to create inclusive and anti-discriminatory cultures.
Chapter 2: Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA)
The chapter clarifies that collaborative leadership and timely decision-making are
needed for effective multi-agency working and addressing system issues.
Chapter 3: Providing Help, Support and Protection
This chapter is split into four sections:
Family help is the system of non-statutory and statutory multi-agency help, support
and protection that should respond flexibly and wrap support around families at the
point of need. It aims to improve outcomes for children by understanding and
responding to their needs and to the circumstances of their family as early as
possible.
Chapter 4: Organisational Responsibilities
This chapter sets out the statutory duties for organisations and agencies that work with children and their families.
Chapter 5: Learning from Serious Child Safeguarding Incidents
This chapter sets out the statutory learning process that must take place when a child dies or is seriously harmed.
Chapter 6: Child Death Reviews
There are no changes to this chapter.
|
