Amendments
February 2025
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Responding to Allegations Against Staff, Carers or Volunteers | This chapter has been reviewed and updated in line with local guidance. |
| Information Sharing | This chapter has been revised in line with updated government guidance. |
| Domestic Abuse | This chapter has been updated to include information on Stalking Protection Orders. |
| Online Safety | This chapter has been updated in line with the Online Safety Act 2023. |
| Parents with Learning Disabilities | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Radicalisation, Terrorist and Extremist Ideology | This chapter has been updated. |
| Guidance for Safe Recruitment, Selection and Retention for Staff and Volunteers | A link has been added to Education Supply Chains - A Better Hiring Toolkit. |
| Next Update: August 2025 |
August 2024
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | Definitions have been updated in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Referrals | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Child Protection Enquiries - Section 47 Children Act 1989 | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Child Protection Conferences | This chapter has been updated with new guidance from Working Together to Safeguard Children around purpose and function of Child Protection Conferences and the role of the Lead Practitioner. |
| Good Practice Supporting the Voice of the Child | This chapter has been refreshed in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation | This chapter has been amended to include information on Identifying Suspected Perpetrators of Modern Slavery to Section 2.3, Indicators. |
| Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) | Section 8, Other Harmful Practices has been added. The Health and Care Act 2022 has made it illegal to carry out, offer or aid and abet virginity testing or hymenoplasty in any part of the UK. It is also illegal for UK nationals and residents to do these things outside the UK. Information has also been added on Breast Flattening which is an offence as set out in CPS So-Called Honour-Based Abuse Legal Guidance. Section 7, NHS Data Sharing has been refreshed and updated. |
| Forced Marriage | This chapter has been updated. |
| So Called 'Honour-Based' Abuse | This chapter has been updated. |
August 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | This chapter has been refreshed. |
| Information Sharing | Information in relation to the Serious Violence Duty has been added into Section 5, National Guidance in Information Sharing. |
| Child Abuse Linked to Faith or Belief | This chapter has been refreshed and additional information added into Section 3, Indicators. |
| Disabled Children | This chapter has been updated to include information from the UK Social Work Practice in Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People report. |
| Forced Marriage | This chapter has been amended, to reflect that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 raised the age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales, with effect from 26 February 2023. |
| Agency Roles and Responsibilities | This chapter has been refreshed. Section 5.19, Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements has been updated to include information on the extension of the duty to co-operate under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. A link to Matters of Concern, Safeguarding Concerns, Allegations and Complaints for Children in Custody - Youth Custody Service (Youth Justice Resource Hub) has been added into Section 5.9, The Secure Estate for Children. A new Section 2, Serious Violence Duty has been added. Information has also been added in relation to Serious Violence Reduction Orders. |
| Guidance for Safe Recruitment, Selection and Retention for Staff and Volunteers | This chapter has been amended in line with revised Keeping Children Safe in Education. Section 4.5, Application Form has been updated to note that Keeping Children Safe in Education provides that schools and colleges should only accept copies of a curriculum vitae alongside an application form. A curriculum vitae on its own will not provide adequate information. Information has been added into Section 4.6, Scrutinising and Shortlisting in relation to online searches. |
February 2023
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Child Sexual Exploitation | This chapter has been updated as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has extended the definition of Position of Trust within the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 22A to include anyone who coaches, teaches, trains, supervises or instructs a child under 18, on a regular basis, in a sport or a religion. |
| Parents with Learning Disabilities | This chapter has been refreshed in line with current case law and should be re-read. |
| Self Harm and Suicidal Behaviour | This chapter has been updated to include information from Self-harm: Assessment, Management and Preventing Recurrence NICE Guidance. |
| Agency Roles and Responsibilities | This chapter has been updated as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has extended the definition of Position of Trust within the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 22A to include anyone who coaches, teaches, trains, supervises or instructs a child under 18, on a regular basis, in a sport or a religion. Links were also added to the HMPP Child Safeguarding Policy. |
August 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Bullying | This chapter has been slightly amended and the definition of sexting has been expanded to include taking and distributing nude or semi-nude images. |
| Gang Activity, Youth Violence and Criminal Exploitation Affecting Children (CCE) | A link has been added to CPS Guidance on Victims of Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking and Smuggling. This guidance aims to identify victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and smuggling at an earlier point in criminal investigations. |
| Harmful Sexual Behaviour | A link to the Children's commissioner report Talking to Your Child About Online Sexual Harassment has been added in Further Information. |
| Online Safety | This chapter has been amended and the definition of sexting expanded to include taking and distributing nude or semi-nude images. Further Information has also been revised. |
| Parents who Misuse Substances | Links have been added in Further Information to Guidance - Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Health Needs Assessment, Guidance: Parents with Alcohol and Drug Problems - Adult Treatment and Children and Family Services and NICE Quality Standard QS 204 Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. |
| Radicalisation and Violent Extremism | A link to the Prevent Duty Self-assessment Tool has been added in Further Information. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Transitional Safeguarding | This protocol has been added to the procedures manual. |
March 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Dangerous Dogs Practice Guidance | This guidance has been updated. |
February 2022
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Multi-Agency Threshold Guidance | This guidance has been updated and should be re-read. |
| Bullying | This chapter has been amended to include information on sexual harassment and violence following the Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted) and Keeping Children Safe in Education. |
| Child Sexual Exploitation | This chapter has been amended to include information on sexual harassment and violence and to note the Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted). See Section 6, child on child Abuse. This Report, together with Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (GOV.UK) can be found in Further Information. Links to Tackling Child Exploitation: Resources Pack (Local Government Association) and NSPCC Report Remove Tool have also been added into Further Information. |
| Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation | This chapter has been refreshed throughout. Information has been added on piloting devolving decision making for child victims of modern slavery and on Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG). Links to Further Information have been added and updated, and a link added to the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians Referral Form. In areas where the ICTG service has been implemented, if the first responder considers a child to be a potential victim of modern slavery, they should refer them to the ICTG service by completing the online referral form. |
| Gang Activity, Youth Violence and Criminal Exploitation Affecting Children (CCE) | Information has been added on Knife Crime Prevention Orders. |
| Harmful Sexual Behaviour | This chapter has been amended to reflect the Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted) and Keeping Children Safe in Education. See the Ofsted report in Further Information together with Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (GOV.UK). |
| Online Safety | Links have been added to NSPCC Report Remove Tool and UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) Digital Passport - see in Further Information. |
| Parents who Misuse Substances | A link has been added in Further Information to Guidance: Parents with Alcohol and Drug Problems: Support Resources. |
| Underage Sexual Activity | This chapter has been amended to include information on sexual harassment and violence following the Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted) and Keeping Children Safe in Education. See the Ofsted report in Further Information. |
| New Chapters and Features | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Protocol for Conducting Rapid Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews | This protocol has been added to the procedures manual. |
August 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Child Protection Conferences | A note has been added into Section 1, Child Protection Conference to remind all practitioners of the importance of establishing the nationality and immigration status of children and families. This will ensure they can be signposted for immigration advice and support where required. Furthermore- if as EU / EEA nationals they have been granted pre- settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme - it will ensure that they can be supported to apply for settled status when they accrue 5 years' continuous residence in the UK. |
| Children and Families Moving Across Boundaries or Abroad | Information contained in this procedure has been reviewed and updated. A note from Working Together to Safeguard Children has been added into Section 1, Introduction to remind all practitioners of the importance of sharing information when a child moves from one local authority into another; due to the risk that knowledge pertinent to keeping a child safe could be lost. |
| Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation | Minor amendments have been made to this chapter in line with the UK's exit from the EEA. |
| Domestic Abuse | This chapter has been amended. Section 1, Definition has been updated to reflect that, with effect from 29 April 2021, section 71 Domestic Abuse Act 2021 removed the so-called 'rough sex gone wrong' defence. Where a person inflicts serious harm (wounding, actual bodily harm or grievous bodily harm) on another person, it is not a defence that the victim consented to the infliction of the serious harm for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification. With effect from 29 June 2021, section 69 Domestic Abuse Act 2021 expanded so-called 'revenge porn' to include threats to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. |
| Fabricated or Induced Illness / Perplexing Presentations | This procedure has been updated to reflect updated RCPCH guidance Perplexing Presentations (PP)/Fabricated or Induced Illness in Children (2021). |
| Parents with Learning Disabilities | Section 3, Indicators of Concern has been updated to include information in relation to pre-birth assessments and planning. |
| Safeguarding Unborn Babies | This guidance has been updated to include information in relation to pre-birth assessments and planning where the mother has learning disabilities. |
| Guidance for Safe Recruitment, Selection and Retention for Staff and Volunteers | This guidance has been updated as a result of the UK's exit from the European Union. Information has been added on how employers can now check that an individual has the right to work in the UK during the recruitment process. NOTE: In January 2021, the DfE issued a revised version of KCSIE 2020 with changes strictly limited to those related to the UK leaving the EU. |
March 2021
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Recognising Abuse and Neglect | The definition of safeguarding has been updated to reflect the latest amendments to Working Together to Safeguard Children. A note has also been added to Section 3, Early Help, highlighting that children with a parent or carer in custody may benefit from Early Help provision. |
| Contacts and Referrals | This guidance has been amended to reflect changes from the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children. |
| Bullying | This guidance has been updated, with new links added to resources for addressing bullying which is linked to race/faith, and resources to help make schools, colleges or other settings LGBT inclusive. |
August 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Responding to Allegations Against Staff, Carers or Volunteers | This guidance has been reviewed and updated as required to reflect current practice for responding to allegations against staff or volunteers. |
| Children from Abroad, including Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation | A link as been added in the Further Information section, to the statutory guidance Modern Slavery: how to identify and support victims 2020. This guidance replaces:
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| Resolving Professional Differences Protocol | This protocol has been amended to support Doncaster Safeguarding Children Partnership to monitor professional disagreements and the use of this protocol. It is important that the DSCP Business Unit is kept informed throughout the "Resolving Professional Differences" process. |
February 2020
| Updated Chapters | |
| Chapter Title | Details |
| Multi Agency Guidance for Working with Children in Need | Section 4, The Role of Social Work Team Managers has been updated to explain the steps to be taken when a family withdraws consent to work with Child in Need Services. |
| Responding to Allegations Against Staff, Carers or Volunteers | This guidance has been reviewed and updated as required to reflect current practice for responding to allegations against staff or volunteers. |
| Bullying | This chapter has been updated to reflect Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance (updated September 2019) and reference to Upskirting which is a specific example of abusive behaviour which has been linked to on-line bullying and grooming. Upskirting is a criminal offence and, as such, should be reported to the Police. |
| Domestic Violence and Abuse | A link to the refreshed HM Government Strategy for Ending Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2016 – 2020, has been added into Section 1, Introduction. |
