In July 2018, the Department for Education published a new edition of the statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (Department for Education, 2018)1.
The guidance sets out what organisations in England must to do safeguard all children and young people under the age of 18.
This briefing outlines the main changes in the 2018 version. Key areas covered include:
- assessing need and providing help
- organisational responsibilities
- multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
- local and national safeguarding practice reviews
- child death reviews.
It also summarises further updates made in December 2020 in relation to information sharing, homelessness duty, references to domestic abuse and school's awareness of child mental health.
References
Department for Education (DfE) (2018) Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (PDF). [London]: Department for Education (DfE).
