The consultation for Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2022 closed on the 11 March 2022. KCSiE is a crucial document in all schools and academies to ensure you are complaint with safeguarding and safer recruitment protocols. Last year KCSiE 2021 changed significantly, this year is no different. Our HR Team have reviewed the changes and provided an easy read summary, as well as some thinking points for you and your team. These have now been confirmed as of 23rd May 2022. You can access the full document here.
Summary
The Department of Education has removed the reference to their advice on ‘sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in school and colleges’, the advisory document has been added to KCSiE with a significant increase in advice throughout the document and part five.
The definition of the terms “victims” and “perpetrators” has been added, and throughout the document the reference to “peer-on-peer abuse” has been replaced with “child-on-child abuse”
Key things to think about – you will need to review and amend your child protection and safeguarding policy with the amended terms.
Part one: safeguarding information for all staff
In 2021, KCSiE added paragraph 83 to part two of the guidance which directed management to the importance of the child’s wishes and feelings. In the 2022 guidance, paragraph 19 will now ensure staff are aware that “the child(ren) may not feel ready or know how to tell someone they are being abused.” When considering your safeguarding training for all staff, you may wish to investigate skills and techniques for staff to be taught when supporting a child who is being abused. Your designated safeguarding lead and deputies will be best trained in how to assist a child in discussing their situation without asking leading or provoking questions. It’s vital your staff know who to contact and what they should do if a child makes a disclosure but isn’t sure or ready to tell the full story.
Paragraph 43 take a look at new information added on domestic abuse including what a child may be subject to or have witnessed. In your safeguarding training/induction you need to make sure that your staff know the signs to look out for and how to escalate this to the safeguarding team.
Part two: the management of safeguarding
The department of education are tightening the requirements for safeguarding and child protection training for governors and trustees. Under paragraph 81, you will need to ensure that appropriate safeguarding and child protection training is provided at induction and regularly updated. Best practice would be to ensure your governors and trustees have updated training on an annual basis – as a minimum.
Several paragraphs have been added to provide relevant information on the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), the Equality Act 2010 (EA) and the Public Sector Equality Duty. These additions provide clear links between the legal duty of the establishment and safeguarding. You will need to ensure your management team are up to date on these changes and how they may impact your safeguarding practice moving forward.
Key information for the Designated Safeguarding Lead has been moved from the Annex to the main body of part two to provide clarity on the status and authority of the role. Furthermore, Annex C provides a break down of the areas of responsibility and activities related to the Designated Safeguarding Leads role. Key things to think about – make sure your DSL and Deputy DSL is familiar with the changes to the guidance and clear on their responsibilities.
Governors and Trustees will need to read Annex C in full, to understand the role and responsibility of the DSL within their setting. This must be read in full, not just a couple of paragraphs – you may wish to add this to their regular safeguarding and child protection training.
The safeguarding partners were previously referred to as the “Clinical Commissioning Group” however their name has evolved to be “Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)”. Through paragraph 106 – 113 you will see this change in name.
Preventative education, under paragraph 130, clearly sets out the steps that schools will need to take when educating children about preventative measures and how to keep themselves safe. Although this guidance is included within part two, your school may decide that all staff need to be aware of this information and how they can support in the education of children for spotting the signs.
Finally, all staff are required to recognise that children are capable of abuse, paragraphs 154-155 provide a prescriptive list of forms of abuse and mandatory updates to the Child Protection Policy. Additionally, staff need to be aware of the new information on supporting children who are lesbian, gay, bi, or trans (LGBT) as this is also a potential for child-on-child abuse to take place. A key thing to think about is widening your child protection and safeguarding training to include the key areas to look out for. The world is ever evolving and so are the children within it, children have the same rights as anyone else to be who they are,
Part three: Safer Recruitment
Over the last 10 years of FusionHR providing advise and support, we’ve always advised to NOT accept curriculum vitae (CVs), now KCSiE 2022 will allow CVs to be accepted however this is ONLY alongside a fully completed application form. CVs continue to be rejected as a standalone document.
KCSiE is now advising that schools consider online searches as part of due diligence checks on shortlisted candidates, this should not be carried out prior too shortlisting for risk of discrimination.
Part four: Allegations made against/Concerns raised in relation to teachers, including supply teachers, other staff, volunteers, and contractors
Learning lessons or reflective practice is how practice is improved, not every safeguarding case is managed perfectly but as those responsible for safeguarding it is important to look at how you could do better next time. KCSiE is also looking at the reporting of “low level” concerns and ensuring procedures are in place. Even if a low-level concern is reported, your procedures could also be improved and tightened.
Part five
This section has seen a substantial amount of change this year, however the majority is due to the additions from the sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges advice, schools and colleges need to be aware of this part to correctly address child-on-child sexual violence and harassment. This section provides guidance on:
- What sexual violence looks like,
- What sexual harassment looks like,
- What harmful sexual behaviour is
- How to prevent abuse
- The support available for victims
- The importance of confidentiality and anonymity
- Discipline
- How to advise and support parents and carers
- How to safeguard other children
As we approach the summer term, your school/academy need to consider how you are going to implement these changes and ensure your staff, governors and trustees have the relevant training to undertake their safeguarding duty in the 2022-23 academic year. The changes have been confirmed and published as of 23rd May 2022.
If you would like advice on the changes to safeguarding or how to tighten your procedures, please get in touch with our Education Specialist HR Consultants on 01924 827869 or contact the team here.
Or if you would like more information about our recruitment software for schools and MATS, book a demo with FACE-Ed today, or click here to take a look at our features and benefits.
