Our expert safeguarding and child protection consultants can work with you to identify clear steps your school or organisation can take to help keep children safe.
Our free self-assessment tool will help your school or organisation audit current safeguarding and child protection arrangements. The tool will also help to identify areas for development and support you in making any changes necessary.
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How it works
Our self-assessment tool provides a step-by-step guide to help your school or organisation meet best safeguarding and child protection practices.
Use the tool to:
- Work through a set of simple questions
- Easily identify areas for development based on your responses
- Get advice and resources to help improve policies and practice
- Access your tailored action plan to save, print and share
- Revisit as many times as you like to update your progress.
Our self-assessments
We offer online assessments for:
- schools and education
- voluntary and community group organisations.
Choose the right assessment for you below.
The education self-assessment tool provides a step-by-step guide to help you meet best safeguarding and child protection practices. It has been developed for use in UK schools and covers best safeguarding practice in line with the statutory safeguarding and child protection requirements set out in national legislation across the UK. It should be completed by your nominated child protection lead, working with senior leadership.
Standards
The tool is organised into five standards:
- leadership and governance
- policies and procedures
- recognising and responding to child protection
- supporting children and families
- adults working with children.
Completing your self-assessment
Work through each question and use our information, advice and resources to help you assess whether you have the necessary arrangements in place. You can use the “optional comments” box to note any actions you have taken or need to take. Do not use this box to record safeguarding concerns or personal data.
Don't forget to save your progress as you work through the questions. You can view your progress in the “saved assessment” area where you can save or print your action plan to see the steps you need to take.
If you need support to identify gaps in your safeguarding arrangements and implement any changes, our expert education safeguarding consultants can help.
On 1 April 2025, this self-assessment will be replaced by a new, updated version. Existing records and action plans will no longer be available.
If you are starting a new assessment: please use the new tool below Safeguarding in voluntary and community groups (updated).
If you are reviewing an existing assessment: you will need to download your current assessment and action plan. You will then need to review your safeguarding arrangements using the new self-assessment below.
This assessment provides a step-by-step guide to help voluntary and community organisations best meet safeguarding and child protection practices. The assessment is based on the NSPCC safeguarding and child protection standards for the voluntary and community sector (2019) and has been developed for people working with children and young people from 0-18 years old. You should use the tool at least once a year as part of your ongoing child protection work.
Standards
The tool is organised into six topics or standards:
- recruitment, induction and supervision
- protecting children and young people
- preventing and responding to bullying
- running safe activities and events
- recording and storing information
- sharing information and working with other agencies.
Following your assessment
At the end of each standard, you should refer to your tailored action plan and decide how to implement any changes needed.
If you need support to identify gaps in your safeguarding arrangements and implement any changes, our expert safeguarding consultants can help.
This assessment provides a step-by-step guide to help voluntary and community groups and organisations create, review and update put their child protection and safeguarding arrangements.
This new version, published in 2025, is based on and replaces the NSPCC safeguarding and child protection standards for the voluntary and community sector (2019).
It has been developed for groups and organisations working with children and young people up to 18 years old.
How to use the self-assessment tool
You should use the tool at least once a year to review and update your safeguarding and child protection arrangements and you can revisit it at any time for look at specific issues.
The tool has five standards:
- leadership and governance
- policies and procedures
- recognising and responding to child protection
- supporting children and families
- adults working with children.
Each question is supported by information, advice and resources to help you assess whether your existing arrangements are appropriate and, if necessary, to improve your safeguarding and child protection measures.
You can use the “optional comments” box to make notes of any actions you need to take. Do not use this box to record safeguarding concerns or personal data — find out more about recording and storing child protection concerns.
Don’t forget to save your progress as you work through the questions. You can view your progress in the “saved assessment” area where you can also save or print your action plan.
After your assessment
You can use your action plan to decide how to make any changes needed.
If you need support to identify gaps in your safeguarding arrangements or to implement any changes, our expert safeguarding consultants can help.
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