Written statement by (The Minister of State for
Children and Families) on advice and guidance for schools and
colleges
Today the Government is launching a public consultation on proposed
changes to its Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory
guidance. All schools and colleges in England must have regard to
this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and
promote the welfare of children.
KCSIE sets out the legal duties that schools and colleges must
comply with, together with good practice guidance on what schools
and colleges should do in order to keep children safe. The
guidance is extensive, covering what staff should know and do to
safeguard children, the management of safeguarding in schools and
colleges, safer recruitment and responding to allegations of
abuse against staff.
It is important that this guidance is regularly updated to
reflect current concerns and best practice. KCSIE was last
updated in September 2016 and the time is right to update this
guidance again. The consultation document explains a number of
proposed changes to KCSIE. The aim is to help schools and
colleges better understand what they are required to do by law
and what we strongly advise they should do in order to safeguard
and promote the welfare of children.
The consultation will last for 10 weeks, closing on 22 February
2018. Following the public consultation, we expect to publish
revised guidance, for information, early in the summer term 2018
and for this to come into force in September 2018, at the start
of the new school year.
The proposed changes include providing further guidance on sexual
violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and
colleges. As well as consulting on these changes the government
is also today publishing more detailed departmental advice on
this issue. HaHa
Children and young people must be protected from sexual violence
and sexual harassment, and schools and colleges are under a legal
duty to safeguard their pupils.
The detailed advice we have published today should help schools
and colleges take swift and proportionate action to keep children
safe and support victims of abuse.
The advice sets out what sexual violence and sexual harassment
look like, the legal responsibilities of schools and colleges and
effective safeguarding practice and principles to support schools
and colleges in their decision making process when there is a
report of sexual violence or sexual harassment.
The issue of sexual violence and sexual harassment in schools was
the subject of an inquiry by the Women and Equalities Committee.
As part of its response to the Committee’s recommendations, the
Department for Education set up an advisory group to review
existing departmental guidance, including KCSIE and behaviour and
bullying guidance. The Department has worked with the advisory
group and other expert stakeholders to draft the advice document
and is grateful to them for their contributions.
The consultation document, containing full details of the
proposals and inviting responses and the departmental advice can
be accessed via gov.uk. Copies of the consultation document and
departmental advice will also be placed in the House Libraries.
