Safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility. However, education providers (0-25) play a unique role due to their frequent contact with children and families, and the relationships that develop over time.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
This guidance applies to all schools and colleges and is for:
- headteachers, teachers and staff
- governing bodies, proprietors and management committees
It sets out the legal duties you must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.
> Keeping Children Safe in Education – KCSIE
Education Safeguarding
The core function of the service is to support the development of safeguarding practices within education provision (0-25) across Somerset.
The service provides professional advice and support to senior leaders around Education Safeguarding. In addition to providing useful resources, model policies and professional advice and guidance, the key focus of the service is to ensure settings are fulfilling their statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding compliance and will achieve this via a combination of audit tools and by working with senior leaders and sharing best practice.
Specific activities include:
- Investigate education safeguarding complaints and concerns relating to providers.
- Deliver termly DSL Network Conferences.
- Model Child Protection Policy
- Manage Section 157/175 Audit.
- Early Years Safeguarding Audit.
- Carry out independent Safeguarding Evaluations of a setting where concerns have been raised.
- Provide responsive solution focussed service to providers.
Please see below for links to further resources and information.
> Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2023-24
> Find out more about Education Safeguarding here
Education Engagement Service
The core function of the service is to support the development of safeguarding practices within education provision (0-25) across Somerset.
The service provides professional advice and support to senior leaders around Education Safeguarding. In addition to providing useful resources, model policies and professional advice and guidance, the key focus of the service is to ensure settings are fulfilling their statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding compliance and will achieve this via a combination of audit tools and by working with senior leaders and sharing best practice.
Specific activities include:
- Supporting schools to improve attendance.
- Elective Home Education monitoring and visits.
- Children Missing Education monitoring and investigation.
- Children in Employment / Chaperone Licences.
Its developing traded offer is based on individualised packages of support for education providers.
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)
Please see below for links to resources and information.
> Find out more about Special Educational Needs & Disabilities on the SEND Local Offer here
Tools & Resources
Local Offer website
Useful Links
SSE website
Local Offer website