An update to Working Together to Safeguard Children was published on 18th March 2026. This is key statutory guidance for schools and education providers, setting out how they must work with other agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and links in closely with Keeping children safe in education 2025.
The term practitioner refers to anyone working with children and their families in any capacity, including professionals in schools, early years settings, social care, and wider safeguarding services. The guidance also highlights the importance of qualified social work supervision and oversight in supporting and protecting children and families.
This guidance applies to all children in all circumstances, including those living with family members, in kinship care, adopted children, and children who are looked after in foster or residential settings. While parents and carers have primary responsibility for children, local authorities and partner agencies have statutory duties to safeguard and promote their welfare. This includes duties under the Children Act 1989 to support children in need and investigate concerns of significant harm, and under the Children Act 2004 to promote multi-agency cooperation to improve outcomes for children.
As stated within the introduction to the guidance:
“Nothing is more important than children’s welfare. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support. This requires individuals, agencies, and organisations to be clear about their own and each other’s roles and responsibilities, and how they work together.”
To see the full Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026: statutory guidance document, follow the link here:
Working together to safeguard children 2026: statutory guidance
About this guidance
This guidance sets out how organisations and agencies should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
It provides clarity on roles, responsibilities, and expectations for multi-agency working to ensure children receive effective support and protection.
This guidance covers:
The legislative requirements that apply to individuals, organisations and agencies.
A framework for the three local safeguarding partners (the local authority, an ICB for an area, and the Chief Constable for police) to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of local children, including identifying and responding to their needs.
The framework for the two child death review partners (the local authority and any ICB for an area) to make arrangements to review all deaths of children normally resident in the local area, and where appropriate, those not normally resident
Summary of changes
The summary of changes has been compiled by the DfE. To see the full summary of changes document, follow the link here:
Working together to safeguard children 2026: summary of changes
Updated statutory framework
The statutory updated framework has been updated. To see the full framework document, follow the link here:
Working together to safeguard children 2026: statutory framework
What is the status of this guidance?
This statutory guidance applies to all organisations and agencies in England who have functions relating to children. Specifically, this includes all local authorities, ICBs, police and all other organisations and agencies as set out in Chapter 4.
It applies, in its entirety, to all early education and childcare settings, schools, colleges and other education providers.
It applies to all children up to the age of 18 years whether living with their families, in state care, or living independently. Some parts of this guidance also apply to unborn children, recognising their vulnerabilities and the need for early, pre-birth assessment and planning, while remaining consistent with the legal position that rights begin at birth.
John Cook
