A draft of the KCSIE 2024 guidance that comes into force on the 1st September has now been released. Though it does not contain any comprehensive changes, there are a number of technical updates that school leaders, DSLs, IT managers, Governors and those with a safeguarding duty need to know. You can find a summary of these updates below.
KCSIE 2024 key changes
Part one: Safeguarding information for all staff
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Update 1: The definition of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children has been expanded to reflect the definition included in Working together to safeguard children 2023 (WTSC).
Detail: A new point has been added covering the importance of providing “help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge.” In addition, the point on protecting children from maltreatment now clarifies that this applies “within or outside the home, including online.”
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Update 2: Contexts in which early help may be required have been expanded to reflect the revised guidance from Working together to safeguard children (WTSG).
Detail: Factors now include “frequently missing/goes missing from education” and “has experienced multiple suspensions, is at risk of being permanently excluded from schools, colleges and in Alternative Provision or a Pupil Referral Unit.”
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Update 3: The ‘Abuse and neglect’ heading has been amended to include ‘exploitation’.
Detail: The added focus on exploitation where abuse and neglect are mentioned occurs throughout the document.
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Update 4: The ‘Indicators of abuse and neglect’ section now includes mention of when children impacted by domestic abuse “see, hear or experience its effects”.
Detail: Though alluded to in KCSIE 2023, this update clarifies how children may be exposed to domestic abuse or its aftermath, and the need to support young people who bear witness to forms of domestic abuse.
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Update 5: In the ‘Safeguarding issues’ section, “deliberately missing education” has been replaced with “unexplainable and/or persistent absences from education”.
Detail: This change reflects the revised definition included in Working together to improve school attendance.
Part two: The management of safeguarding
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Update 6: A new paragraph has been added which links to the DfE Data protection guidance for schools.
Detail: This provides schools with a useful resource, which “will help school staff, governors and trustees understand how to comply with data protection law, develop their data policies and processes, know what staff and pupil data to keep and follow good practices for preventing personal data breaches.”
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Update 7: New text added under the ‘Alternative Provision’ heading: “Where a school places a pupil with an alternative provision provider, it continues to be responsible for the safeguarding of that pupil and should be satisfied that the placement meets the pupil’s needs.”
Detail: This clarification emphasises the need for school oversight of Alternative Provision, where previously responsibility for safeguarding in these contexts was largely placed on “governing bodies and proprietors of these settings.”
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Update 8: List of resources from specialist organisations that schools can use to further support SEND children has been expanded.
Detail: It now includes links to NSPCC advice on protecting children with SEND, and safeguarding deaf/disabled children and young people.
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Update 9: The heading has been altered and three new paragraphs have been added detailing how to support children who are questioning their gender. A disclaimer at the beginning of this section explains that this text remains under review, pending further guidance and consultation outcomes.
Detail: In the title, “bi” has been replaced with “bisexual” and “trans” has been replaced with “gender questioning”. The new paragraphs reference the Cass review, which explains how to comply with gender questioning children guidance terminology. On this topic, schools are advised to “take a cautious approach and consider the broad range of their individual needs.”
Part five: Child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment
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Update 10: The definition of early help has been updated to reflect the guidance in WTSG.
Detail: “Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life” has been replaced with “Early help is support for children of all ages that improves a family’s resilience and outcomes or reduces the chance of a problem getting worse.”
Annex B: Further information
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Update 11: New resources have been added to the ‘Children and the court system’ section.
Detail: There are two age-appropriate guides to support children required to give evidence in court - one for 5-11 years olds, and one for 12-17 year olds.
Location: Page 156
Update 12: A disclaimer has been added to the ‘Preventing radicalisation’ section to flag that this text is currently under review.
Detail: A new definition of extremism was published on 14/3/24, but this is yet to be reflected in the KCSIE guidance.
Annex C: Role of the designated safeguarding lead
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Update 13: A bullet point in the 'Holding and sharing information' section has been expanded to include guidance around the rationale for making decisions.
Detail: The new guidance explains that written records of concerns, discussions and actions need to cover the rationale behind any decision-making, and “should include instances where referrals were or were not made to another agency such as LA children’s social care or the Prevent program etc.”
KCSIE 2025 to bring substantial changes
The decision to update KCSIE 2024 with technical changes only has been made with “a view to providing a more substantively updated document, encompassing wider changes, to be delivered in 2025” (DfE).
Members of schools, colleges, MATs and other safeguarding professionals can help shape these changes by responding to the call for evidence on safeguarding. The deadline for contributions is June 20th.
Want to learn more?
If you have any questions about KCSIE 2024, or are interested in learning how digital safeguarding solutions can help your school to meet statutory guidance, simply email us at enquiries@smoothwall.com. We're ready to help.