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 Welcome to the September edition of the Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) Newsletter.
Within this newsletter, you will find useful information from across the partnership and from our partner agencies relating to safeguarding, which is aimed to support practitioners and professionals in their role.
The latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) was published on 1 September 2026, and there are some unexpected late additions.
We would particularly like to draw attention to the changes made to the definition of sexual abuse in paragraph 28.
This includes changed wording at the beginning ‘involves forcing, causing or inciting a child to take part in sexual activities’ as well as additional wording at the end. ‘There are specific offences for children under 13, who can never provide valid consent to sexual activity and there are specific offences which make clear that sexual activity with a child under 16 is an offence, regardless of whether they agreed to that activity’.
Several other paragraphs have been amended or expanded, and the paragraph numbering has changed since the last version was published.
- Paragraph 17 is new: All staff should recognise that children may experience prejudice-based harm, including racism, faith-based prejudice, and other forms of discrimination. Such experiences may affect a child's welfare, wellbeing, mental health, and willingness to seek help. Staff should be alert to the signs and impact of prejudice-based harm and ensure that concerns are considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
- Paragraphs 32 is new: All staff should recognise that racism, faith-targeted abuse, and other forms of discriminatory behaviour may have a significant impact on a child’s welfare, wellbeing and sense of safety and should be considered within safeguarding practice where appropriate.
- The following has been added to the definition of child-on-child abuse in paragraph 37 ‘discriminatory behaviour, including racism, faith-targeted abuse, and other prejudice-based incidents’.
- The following has been added to paragraph 119: Schools and colleges should promote an inclusive, anti-discriminatory culture where racism, and other forms of discriminatory behaviour are recognised, challenged and addressed as part of their safeguarding responsibilities.
There is also a clarification for EYFS staff in new paragraph 386 that they may not start work until a DBS and barred list check have been completed.
Please read the NSPCC's CASPAR briefing outlining: Key changes introduced in Keeping children safe in education 2026
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On 13 July, OFSTED published their updated Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Frameworks for childminders and group and school-based providers, which applied from 1 September 2026. The main changes from that date are outlined below and represent strengthened safeguarding requirements.
Both new EYFS frameworks include updates which:
- Bring explicit wording on the safer sleep requirements into the main body of the EYFS, so that providers do not need to refer out to separate guidance
- Prohibit the provision of registered childcare from any premises where a banned dog breed is kept or present
- Require providers to inform Ofsted or their childminder agency (CMA) of allegations of ‘harm’ (instead of ‘serious harm’) by anyone living, working, or looking after children at the premises
- Require enhanced criminal records checks for volunteers (including those who are supervised) and prevent new employees from commencing employment before receiving their check
- Amend the requirements for what providers must tell staff they have to disclose, as part of information that may affect their suitability to work with children
- The group and school-based version also requires providers of childcare on domestic premises to notify Ofsted or their CMA of changes to persons aged 16 or over living or working at the premises. This aligns with existing requirements for childminders.
Both frameworks also require providers to have regard to screen use guidance for early years settings published in July 2026.
The Early Years Inspection Toolkit and Operating Guide have been updated to reflect the changes within the EYFS. In addition the State-funded school inspection toolkit and operating guides have also been updated, with the new versions applying from 1st September.
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A reminder that the Department for Education (DfE) have launched an online early years safeguarding training package, A decision has been taken in the Cumberland Local Authority footprint that for most staff working in early years, this training replaces the need to undertake the CSCP online level 2 training and the face to face ‘Further Awareness of the Safeguarding Environment’ training that was previously required.
Please read our previously published 5-Minute Briefing providing more details
Safeguarding Training update for Practitioners working with children in Early Years
The Department for Education has updated and published its Information Sharing Duty statutory guidance for safeguarding organisations and their practitioners. The guidance is now statutory and has been updated to reflect that the Information Sharing Duty under section 16LA of the Children Act 2004. The guidance explains what organisations and practitioners must do to comply with the information sharing duty and what they should do to ensure consistent and effective information sharing to safeguard children and young people.
Read the guidance: Information sharing to safeguard children and young people
See also on NSPCC Learning: Multi-agency working and information sharing: expert insights
Pol-Ed is a full PSHE programme (EYFS to KS5) available in purchasing force areas, which is fully aligned to statutory RSHE guidance and wider PSHE objectives. Pol-Ed includes lessons, assemblies, assessment resources, and curriculum documentation to fully support schools in keeping pupils safe.
For those who were unable to attend Pol-Ed's Getting Ready for 2026-27: A Pol-Ed Update webinar series, or if you’d like to revisit any of the information shared, you can now watch the recording, click on the link below:
https://youtu.be/E7c5AO0qvvE
To note: Although this recording was delivered for schools in Kent, the content is equally relevant for schools in Cumbria, Humberside and Cambridgeshire. The only differences relate to a small amount of local content with the main updates and guidance applying across all four force areas.
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Tuesday 22 September marks the launch of our Safeguarding Practice Month.
Over four weeks, Cumberland Council and Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership will jointly be offering a range of 'free' online training and awareness raising sessions.
For more information on each session, please click on the document below.
Cumberland Practice Month September 2026
Health warning
During Practice Month, we will be exploring the following topics: Neglect, Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse, and Learning from Practice.
Some of the content shared during these sessions may be challenging and emotionally impactful. Please be mindful of your own wellbeing and make use of any available support if needed.
All sessions will run from 9.30 - 10.30am.
Week 1 - Neglect
- Tuesday 22 September - Why did it take so long to Respond?
- Wednesday 23 September - Exploring the lived experience of child neglect
- Thursday 24 September - Medical Neglect
- Friday 25 September - Educational Neglect
Week 2 - Child Sexual Abuse
- Tuesday 29 September - Police Response to Child Sexual Abuse
- Wednesday 30 September - Signs and symptoms of Child Sexual Abuse
- Thursday 1 October - Understanding the role Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
- Friday 2 October - 'I wanted them all to notice'
Week 3 - Domestic Abuse
- Tuesday 6 October - Children - victims in their own right
- Wednesday 7 October - Chloe’s Story
- Thursday 8 October - How to support victims of abuse
Week 4 - Learning from Practice
- Tuesday 13 October - Learning from Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDR)
- Wednesday 14 October - Learning from Local Safeguarding Reviews
- Thursday 15 October - Protecting all vulnerable babies better
- Friday 16 October - Learning from the Southport Enquiry
How to book
To book your place, please email: cscp.training@cumbria.gov.uk, providing your name, role, organisation and email address.
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Keep an eye out for our 5-Minute Briefings being published about the following.
- ICON Week (21–25 September 2026)
Please read our previously published 5-minute briefings here
CSCP TRAINING
Cumbria United is a county-wide project uniting sports clubs, coaches, and athletes from all sports to take a stand against suicide. One important goal of Cumbria United Against Suicide is to get as many people trained in suicide prevention as possible.
Therefore, they are offering a range of free suicide prevention training sessions tailored for sports clubs across Cumbria. They know that YOU can play a vital role in preventing suicide, and these sessions explore how.
The training is aimed at anyone who wants to understand more about suicide, recognise when someone may be having thoughts of suicide, learn how to talk directly and comfortably about suicide, and understand what practical support they can offer. There will be a specific focus on their role within sports clubs, and participants will hear through lived-experience videos how teammates, coaches, and club members can make a crucial difference.
Available sessions include:
Session dates and how to book your free place, please click on the link below:
Cumbria United Training Dates
Regulated Activity and Criminal Records Checks
The Disclosure and Barring Service has published a news story summarising changes to the legal definition of regulated activity with children and what this means in practice for criminal records checks. Due to changes set out in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, the definition of regulated activity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been expanded to include activity that was previously exempt where people were being supervised by someone in regulated activity. It is against the law for a barred person to engage in regulated activity or to allow a barred person to do regulated activity. Commencing on 1 September 2026, previously-exempt roles are now eligible for a check of the Children’s Barred List.
Read the news story: Change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
Read the guidance for schools, colleges and childcare settings in England: Regulated activity: removal of the supervision exemption (comes into force 1 September 2026)
Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) - Child Neglect
Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation) have published guidance for inspectors carrying out a joint targeted area inspection (JTAI) of the multi-agency response to younger children living with neglect in England. JTAIs will focus on unborn children and children aged 0-11-years-old. Inspectors will evaluate the multi-agency arrangements for: responding to children who are at risk of, or are living with, neglect, at the point of identification; assessment, planning and decision-making in response to notifications and referrals; protecting, supporting and caring for children living with neglect; and prevention. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and early years providers to identify and respond to children experiencing neglect and with the voluntary and community sector.
Read the guidance: Joint targeted area inspection of the multi-agency response to younger children living with neglect
See also on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from neglect
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