Working together to safeguard children 2023: summary of changes
CASPAR briefing
The Department for Education (DfE) published a new edition of its statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children in December 2023.1
This 2023 edition replaces Working together to safeguard children 2018, which underwent a limited factual update in 2020.
The guidance outlines what organisations and agencies must and should do to help, protect and promote the welfare of all children and young people under the age of 18 in England.
This briefing outlines the main changes in the 2023 edition, including updates around:
- multi-agency expectations for all practitioners
- working with parents and families
- clarifying the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding partners
- the role of education and childcare providers
- multi-agency practice standards
- support for disabled children
- tackling harm that occurs outside the home.
References
Department for Education (DfE) (2023) Working together to safeguard children: a guide to multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children. [Accessed 03/09/2024].Download the briefing (PDF)
Previous Working together to safeguard children CASPAR briefing
Download our 2020 briefing
This briefing summarises changes that were introduced to the Department for Education’s Working together to safeguard children guidance in 2018 and updates added in 2020
References
CASPAR briefings
Our CASPAR briefings help people working or volunteering with children and young people understand changes to safeguarding and child protection policy and guidance. They also summarise key research and reports from independent bodies such as Ofsted and the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.
