Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026
The early release of the DFE draft Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) statutory guidance is welcomed and, whilst still in the consultation period, offers key indicators of new and extended safeguarding duty of care requirements which will come onto effect from September 2026.
This provides the opportunity for all educational settings to review their current safeguarding arrangements and plan for the next academic year.
Multi-agency Practices
Following recent serious safeguarding incidents, as expected this revised version of KCSIE places close scrutiny on multi-agency practices, with measures to align practice with other key safeguarding documentation e.g. Working together to keep children safe. This also includes new Early Help indicators and early referral routes for LADO support.
Thematic Concerns
Many definitions have been expanded to ensure they describe safeguarding thematic concerns appropriately, some of which now have expanded guidance for practice e.g. serious youth violence, child-on-child abuse. KCSIE also now gives clearer guidance on mental health issues and when they become a safeguarding issue. In line with research, KCSIE also reflects the need to manage cases of sextortion and CSE coerced criminality effectively.
AI Safeguarding Guidance
The new AI safeguarding guidance is also firmly embedded throughout the guidance, a particularly important area for governance and senior leadership to consider. This will impinge on a multitude of safeguarding areas including child protection, behaviour, pastoral care, e-safety (including mobile device usage), and GDPR policy and practice; together with revised PSHE content.
Removal of Annex A
With the removal of Annex A, all staff must now read all of Part One of the guidance. However, reading the document falls far from preparing staff to implement the measures effectively. It is essential to enable staff to understand the guidance and how to apply it in their practice. As such, we will be releasing our KCSIE 2026 staff update course to support learning. If staff access Part One of KCSIE though our platform, this will be tracked enabling audit by leadership.
SSS KCSIE Update Courses
There will also be a separate course to support governance, senior leaders, DSLs, and SMHLs. This will include content on the topics previously stated together with all other changes.
SSS Template Policy Documentation
The revised guidance will require a full review of policies, amendments should be in place for the commencement of the academic year. To support this, our policy library will be fully updated by 1st September 2026.
SSS Learning Safeguarding Director
16 February 2026