Safeguarding guidance
Here you’ll find a range of resources to help you continue safeguarding young people during the pandemic. See our briefings, reports, best practice and podcast episodes.
Briefings
For schools
Last updated: 1 March 2021
We’ve used the government guidance for schools across the UK to answer frequently asked questions about safeguarding during the pandemic.
> Read the briefing
For early years providers
Last updated: 23 February 2021
We've collated the guidance for registered and regulated early years providers on safeguarding and child protection during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
> Read the briefing
For social workers
Last updated: 1 March 2021
We’ve pulled together guidance from across the UK to help social workers and local authorities keep children safe during the pandemic.
> View the briefing
Reports
How safe are our children? 2020 report
Last updated: 25 August 2020
This year’s How safe are our children? report includes an overview of emerging data on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the safety of children and young people in the UK.
> Read the report
Social isolation and the risk of child abuse during and after the pandemic
Last updated: 25 June 2020
Read our report summarising the risks to children’s safety due to the conditions created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, and why these risks might intensify during the pandemic.
> Read the report
Best practice
Undertaking remote teaching safely
Last updated: 14 January 2021
We’ve set out the safeguarding considerations for remote teaching during the pandemic. Although this information is aimed at schools, the principles of best practice will also be helpful for people carrying out other activities remotely.
> Find out more
Recruiting safely during coronavirus
Last updated: 13 January 2021
We’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you make sure anyone you’re recruiting during the pandemic is suitable to work with children.
> Check out the guide
Voluntary and community groups
Last updated: 13 January 2021
There are lots of challenges for voluntary and community sector groups and organisations at the moment. We’ve pulled together some resources to help keep children safe.
> Read our guidance
School governors and trustees
Last updated: 12 January 2021
We’ve pulled together some things to consider to help governors and trustees support their schools during the pandemic.
> Find out more
Updating your safeguarding policies and procedures
Last updated: 11 January 2021
Existing safeguarding and child protection policies may not reflect new, unprecedented ways of working during the pandemic. We've listed five steps that you can take to ensure your policies and procedures are up-to-date.
> Discover what the five steps are
Ofsted's new briefing series on COVID-19 interim visits
Last updated: 30 November 2020
We've summarised the key findings relating to safeguarding and child protection from Ofsted's new set of briefings about interim visits to social care providers and education settings in England.
> Learn more
Sports clubs and organisations
Last updated: 2 July 2020
The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) has put together an information page about safeguarding in sport during the coronavirus pandemic on their website. This includes some best practice information about remote sports coaching.
> Read the CPSU guidance on safeguarding in sport
> Learn about remote teaching and coaching
The Department of Education's new guidance for out-of-school settings
Last updated: 2 November 2020
Provides a summary of what the Department for Education’s (DfE) new guidance for out-of-school settings (OOSS) providers in England covers, including some of the key messages from the guidance.
> Get up to date
Transitioning back to school
Last updated: 25 February 2021
Provides information on what schools needed to consider in terms of safeguarding and child protection as children return to school in Spring 2021.
> Read the full news story
Podcast episodes
Impact of coronavirus on school staff and pupils
Last updated: 22 June 2020
Listen to our one-to-one chat with a head of department at a secondary school to better understand the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on school staff and pupils.
> Tune in
Returning to school post-lockdown
Last updated: 15 June 2020
Understand more about how the education sector has been affected by the pandemic and how schools have been operating during lockdown and post-lockdown.
> Listen to the episode