Keeping children safe in education 2024 updates

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) is statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) in England. Schools and colleges in England must follow it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The latest version of KCSIE was released on 24 May and came into force on 1 September. This year's updates are minimal, but it's still important for schools to be aware of them and make sure policies and procedures are updated.

The 12-week call for evidence for KCSIE 2025 closed on 21 June. The purpose of the call was to provide more substantial updates that would be implemented in 2025.

What are the key changes for 2024? 

One positive development is that many updates ensure KCSIE aligns with the Working together to safeguard children 2023 guidance. These updates, which mostly amend definitions, terms and language, and link to new resources, reinforce information provided in previous guidance.

Revised definition of safeguarding

The definition of 'safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children' now aligns with the updates in Working together to safeguard children 2023. The new definition includes early intervention, protection from harm, online and offline, and promoting the best outcomes for all children.

Key points are: 

• Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge. 
• Protecting children from maltreatment at home, whether that's within or outside the home, including online.

Early help

Early help has been broadened to include a wider range of concerns.  The new listing now includes:  

• Frequently go missing from education, home or care. 
• Have experienced multiple suspensions or are at risk of permanent exclusion.
• Have a parent or carer in custody or are affected by parental offending. 

Abuse, neglect and exploitation

A welcomed update is the inclusion of 'exploitation' in the statutory guidance. The headings now reflect the potential for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The definition of abuse has expanded to highlight that witnessing the ill-treatment of others, such as domestic abuse, is harmful to children.

Terminology change – 'deliberately missing education'

The term 'deliberately missing education' has now been replaced with 'unexplainable and/or persistent absences from education'. This change acknowledges that children missing school may be at risk of harm and can serve as a warning sign for various safeguarding concerns.

Key points to remember: 

• A paragraph has been included in the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR to comply with DPA/UK GDPR requirements. 
• New text added to ensure schools understand that they're responsible for any pupil attending alternative provision.  
• Holding and sharing information has been added for designated safeguarding leads. 

Still under review:

• Preventing radicalisation.

• Supporting children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning their gender.

Tes Safeguarding training package

To keep all your staff up to date with the latest training in safeguarding, compliance, health and safety, and wellbeing take a look at our whole-school online training package, Tes Safeguarding.

Our courses have been reviewed to reflect best practice and already cover the major topics included in KCSIE 2024. All updates have been included where appropriate throughout our courses. The Child Protection Refresher course has been rebuilt, and new KCSIE 2024 questionnaires are available.

See the full list of courses available in our course overview. 

To learn more about Tes Safeguarding or book a free trial, fill out our short form, and we'll get in touch.