This week the Department for Education published draft updates to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools in England.

There are often annual updates to KCSIE, but this year’s proposals - if all are instated - would bring more change than usual.

The updates are the subject of consultation: school and college staff - alongside relevant agencies such as governors, local authority children’s services and social care professionals - can respond to the proposals by 22 April, giving feedback on the specific changes as well as the length and formatting of KCSIE more generally. So these draft changes are by no means all definitely going to become statutory requirements.

For the proposed updates that are eventually introduced, a final new version of KCSIE will be published on 1 September 2026, and the government will continue to review and revise it as necessary.

But what exactly is being proposed? Tes breaks down the essential points.

Proposed updates to KCSIE guidance

More examples of safeguarding risks

The DfE has added more examples to the list of cases where staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for additional support, including if a child is pregnant or is a parent; has exhibited early signs of abusive, violent and/or harmful behaviours; and is showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour. In addition, the guidance says that all staff must be aware of the indicators of modern slavery.

More specific details have been added in terms of the harms that children may be at risk of. Added to the list of extra-familial harms are domestic abuse in children’s own intimate relationships (including physical, sexual, emotional abuse and stalking) and financial exploitation.

Meanwhile, the definition of emotional abuse has been updated to include verbal abuse such as persistent criticism, belittling or name-calling, as well as not giving the child opportunities to express their view, silencing them or making fun of them.

The definition of serious violence has also been updated, and now states that it may involve physical assault or carrying, threatening with or using weapons; and can also be associated with criminal exploitation.

New to this section is the explicit statement that school staff should report any concerns about a child carrying or using a weapon - or expressing intent to - to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL), who will take appropriate action.

Expanded guidelines on abuse and exploitation

The guidance regarding child-on-child abuse has been expanded to include the fact that such an event is a safeguarding issue for both the victim and the alleged perpetrator, that it is preventable, and that it may involve serious physical harm.

The guidelines covering child criminal exploitation and child sexual exploitation have also been expanded to note that this can be committed by an organised network or gang to which the victim may identify as belonging. There is another reference to modern slavery here, too - a modern slavery referral should be completed where a potential victim of exploitation is identified.

In addition, the new guidance acknowledges that most sexual abuse is committed by someone previously known to the victim. It also adds that victims of both child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation may themselves be criminalised by actions taken under coercion.

Furthermore, the guidance clarifies that safeguarding issues may overlap.

Mental health

As might be expected, given the ongoing national conversation on this topic, the KCSIE section on mental health has been significantly expanded.

The new guidelines explicitly link mental health problems with safeguarding concerns such as self-harm, suicidal ideation and risk of suicide, and state that they could be an indicator that the child has suffered or is suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation.

The guidance states that only an appropriately trained professional should attempt to make a diagnosis, but that education staff are well-placed to observe children and identify where their behaviour suggests they may be at risk. Signs for staff to look out for include significant changes in behaviour, ongoing difficulty in sleeping, withdrawal from social situations, not wanting to do things they usually like, and physical signs of self-harm or self-neglect.

Online safety

Considering the rise of digital safeguarding concerns, it is no surprise that there are a number of updates to the online safety section, too.

The breadth of issues classified within this section has been expanded, and is now organised within four main areas of risk: content, such as being exposed to pornography or racist material; contact, such as being subject to harmful interactions; conduct, such as making, sending and receiving explicit images; and commerce, such as online gambling or phishing.

There are new references to resources for schools on the safe and effective use of generative AI, including government guidance and e-learning modules.

The government’s new guidance on all schools being “mobile phone-free environments by default” is included here, too.

In keeping with this online focus, the consensual and non-consensual sharing of self-generated intimate images and/or videos, including those generated using AI, has been added to the list of abuse that should be covered by a school’s child protection policy.

Information sharing

The draft updates also include details of how a school should ensure that there are robust cover arrangements for periods when the DSL is unavailable or absent; for example, a confidential shared mailbox or equivalent system so that another member of staff can receive, monitor and act on safeguarding concerns without delay.

There are also updates on the importance of information sharing - especially between practitioners and local agencies - for the purpose of identifying and tackling abuse.

The guidance outlines how safeguarding is a processing condition that allows staff to share special category personal data, including information without consent, when there is good reason to do so. This aims to ensure that practitioners know that they can override usual confidentiality regulations when there is a risk of harm - that “fears about sharing information must not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare and protect the safety of children”.

While it is already mandatory for DSLs to ensure that when a child leaves a school, their child protection file is received by their new school as soon as possible, the new guidance adds that the DSL should also consider sharing information in advance of a child leaving. For example, information that would allow the new school to continue supporting children who have been victims of abuse.

Staff queries

There are a couple of updates in the section about what school staff should do if they have a safeguarding concern about a colleague.

Trainee teachers have been added to the list of staff who may be involved in such an incident.

Meanwhile, if a concern is raised or an allegation is made, the updates include the requirement for a headteacher to consider an onward referral to a local authority designated officer.

The guidance adds that where a teacher is dismissed because of serious misconduct, the school must consider whether to refer the case to the secretary of state, via the Teaching Regulation Agency.

Who is most at risk?

The proposed updates to KCSIE more explicitly emphasise that children in alternative provision settings are disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation, serious violence, criminal involvement, persistent absence and mental health problems.

In addition, the list of barriers that can exist in terms of recognising abuse, neglect or exploitation among children with special educational needs and disabilities has been extended to include that these children are more likely to be dependent on adults for care, and the need for intimate care, or that these children are isolated from others.

Also added is a note that a child having a medical condition is not in itself an indicator that a child is at a greater safeguarding risk.

The consultation continues

Another significant raft of proposed changes comes around gender identity, and how this affects school sport and spaces such as toilets and changing rooms. Tes outlines these updates here.

Whether all of these proposed changes will be introduced is still being consulted on. But the extent to which the DfE is proposing updates suggests there is appetite for thorough revisions and a wider scope, which undoubtedly increases the burden on DSLs’ shoulders.

The proposed 2026 KCSIE comes in at 201 pages, compared with 187 in 2025. School safeguarding teams will continue to do all they can to keep children safe. But for school staff whose jobs are only getting busier, is an ever-growing document the best way to support them?

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