Safeguarding training requirements

All staff

All staff should undergo safeguarding and child protection training at induction 

It doesn’t have to be formal face-to-face training, and can include online learning. 

This training should: 

• Include online safety
• Be integrated, aligned and considered as part of your whole school safeguarding approach and wider staff training and curriculum planning
• Be updated regularly 
• Be in line with advice from the local 3 safeguarding partners (the LA, a clinical commissioning group for an area in the LA, and the chief of police for an area in the LA)
• Have regard to the Teachers' Standards, with the expectation that teachers manage behaviour effectively for a safe environment and have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils
• Give staff an awareness of the school's safeguarding systems, including: 
• The child protection policy
• The behaviour policy
• The safeguarding response to children going missing from education
• The staff behaviour policy/code of conduct
• The role and identity of the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and any deputies 

In addition, you should make sure that all staff: 

• Are aware of their local early help process and understand their role in it
• Are aware of the process for making referrals to children’s social care and for statutory assessments under the Children Act 1989
• Know what to do if a child tells them they're being abused, exploited or neglected
• Know the indicators that may signal that children are at risk from, or are involved with, serious violent crime, and be aware of the risk factors which increase the likelihood of involvement
• Are familiar with your school's whistle-blowing procedures

You should provide staff with copies of the child protection, behaviour, and staff behaviour policies at induction.

All staff who have regular contact with children must read at least part 1 of the 2021 version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), in effect from 1 September 2021. For staff who don't have direct contact with children, you can choose whether they read part 1 or the condensed version found in annex A – but all staff must read one of these options.

How and when to provide safeguarding updates to staff 

You should regularly update all your staff members on child protection and safeguarding. "Regularly" here means "as required, and at least annually".

You can update staff via, for example, email, e-bulletins and staff meetings. The updates should provide staff with the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard pupils effectively.

This is explained in KCSIE (2021) (see pages 6 to 22). 

Prevent duty training: it’s not statutory, but it’s important 

It's important for staff to have Prevent training, to enable them to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. 

Your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should be able to advise and support staff in protecting children from the risk of radicalisation.

It's up to you as a school to decide how much training on Prevent your staff need, by evaluating what your staff already know and the risks that radicalisation poses to your pupils.

Read more about your responsibilities under the Prevent strategy. 

If you're a member of Safeguarding Training Centre from The Key, use our elearning – it covers everything your staff need to know about the Prevent duty and what's expected of them. 

The DSL 

Before becoming the designated safeguarding lead (DSL), or a deputy, you should complete training that provides you with the knowledge and skills to perform the role. If you're joining a newly established school, such as a free school, you must complete the training before the school opens.

This training should be updated every 2 years. You should also update your knowledge and skills "at regular intervals, and at least annually".

These updates can include:

• E-bulletins
• Meetings with other DSLs
• Taking time to read and digest safeguarding developments

What training should cover 

DSL training should help you to: 

• Understand the assessment process for providing early help and intervention, for example through locally agreed assessment processes
• Have a working knowledge of how LAs conduct child protection case conferences and child protection review conferences, and attend and contribute to these effectively when required
• Understand the importance of the role the DSL has in providing information and support in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
• Understand the lasting impact that adversity and trauma can have, and what is needed in responding to this to promote educational outcomes
• Be alert to the specific needs of children in need, those with special educational needs (SEN), those with relevant health conditions and young carers
• Understand the importance of information sharing, both within your school, and with the 3 safeguarding partners and other agencies, organisations and practitioners
• Be able to keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals
• Understand and support the school with regards to the requirements of the Prevent duty, and be able to provide advice and support to staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation
• Understand the unique risks associated with online safety, and be confident you have the knowledge and capability to keep children safe while online at school
• Recognise the additional risks that children with SEN and disabilities (SEND) face online, and be confident you have the capability to support SEND children to stay safe online
• Obtain access to resources and attend any relevant or refresher training courses
• Encourage a culture of listening to children and taking account of their wishes and feelings, among all staff, in any measures the school may put in place to protect them

This is explained in KCSIE 2021 (pages 149 to 150). 

Read more about the role of the DSL. 

Headteachers

In primary schools it would be good practice for the headteacher to be trained to the same level as the DSL. This is because primary schools often have smaller leadership teams, and the headteacher may be more involved in dealings with parents and other agencies.  

In secondary schools, the headteacher should have more training than an ordinary staff member, but this wouldn't necessarily need to be to the same level as the DSL. They need to be on top of things and should do some wider reading, so they’re equipped to discuss issues with the DSL if needed.

However, it would be good practice for at least one other member of the senior leadership team in a secondary school to be trained to the same level as the school’s DSL. While this could be the headteacher, it might be more appropriate for this to be a member of the SLT who's doing work on specific areas of leadership like attendance or pastoral care.

Headteachers in both primary and secondary schools should have training in managing allegations against staff. Headteachers will be the case manager if an allegation is made (see page 82 of KCSIE 2021), so need to be confident in how to handle this.

If you're a headteacher, you should also have training on:

• Safer recruitment, to be able to recruit in a way which makes sure you can filter out anyone who'd be unsuitable (see the last section of this article) 
• Equal opportunities, and schools’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 – there’s a crossover with safeguarding here in terms of understanding the implications of the legislation

As KCSIE doesn't specifically refer to safeguarding training for headteachers, we’d like to thank our associate education expert Gulshan Kayembe for her help with this section.

Governors and trustees

Every governor and trustee should have safeguarding training. This is set out on page 111 of the Governance Handbook.  

Chairs of governors should also have training on handling allegations against staff, as they will be the case manager in the event of an allegation against the headteacher or principal. Our associate expert Gulshan Kayembe advised this. 

Volunteers

It's up to you to decide whether volunteers need safeguarding training.

You should take "a proportionate, risk-based approach" to determining what level of information to give volunteers and temporary staff on and after induction (see paragraph 87 of KCSIE 2021). 

Safer recruitment 

It's a legal requirement for maintained schools to ensure that at least one of the people conducting an interview has done safer recruitment training. It's best practice for academies to also adhere to this. 

The requirement is set out in regulation 9 of the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009.

This training should cover the content of KCSIE 2021 as a minimum, but you can seek advice from your 3 local safeguarding partners about what it should cover in your area and how often you should refresh it (see paragraph 191 of KCSIE 2021). 

Training providers may also stipulate whether their certificates expire, and if so, how often they should be refreshed. You should check how long your certificate remains valid with your provider. 

Regardless of whether there is an expiry date on your certificate, it is good practice for you to regularly review your knowledge every 2 or 3 years.

This was explained to us by Jacqueline Baker, one of our associate education experts.