Education settings like nurseries, pre-schools, and schools will now be named as relevant agencies in safeguarding arrangements. This means education will have a more formal role when working with local safeguarding partners, such as the police and health services. 

While this is a step forward, education is not yet a full safeguarding partner. Staff in the early years play a vital role in spotting concerns like neglect or abuse, and it’s important to keep pushing for education to be treated equally in safeguarding decisions.

The updated guidance introduces stricter rules for children’s homes. This is a big step toward ensuring that children in care live in safe, supportive environments. The new oversight means these homes will be more closely monitored to provide the right level of care and protection for vulnerable children.

The latest Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Annual Report highlights worrying trends:

• 485 children faced serious harm or death between April 2023 and March 2024 due to abuse or neglect.
• 46% of incidents involved children who tragically died, with 36% being babies under one year old.
• Over 20% of cases involved children with mental health conditions.
• 16% of incidents involved suicide, and in 92% of these cases, children had mental health needs.

The report highlights three urgent areas of focus:

1. Supporting children with mental health conditions.
2. Protecting young children whose parents have mental health challenges.
3. Safeguarding children from risks outside the home, such as exploitation or gang violence.

For early years practitioners, this reinforces the importance of spotting and reporting concerns early, especially for pre-school-aged children. Parental mental health is a significant factor in safeguarding cases, and young children in these situations may need extra support.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6756f937f1e6b277c4f79a3d/Child_Safeguarding_Review_Panel_annual_report_2023_to_2024.pdf