The latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance was recently published on 20 May and comes into effect on September 1. The KCSIE is a statutory guidance that schools and colleges must adhere to when safeguarding the children in their care. We’ve created a summary below of some of the key proposed changes, plus some additional information for those looking to learn more about some of the topics discussed in this guidance, such as the 4C’s of online safety. 

Key Changes Proposed 

In addition to links added to the guidance as helpful resources, most of the proposed changes outlined in the guidance center around safeguarding, sexual violence and harassment.  

You can view the updated guidance here. Some of the major updates include the following: 

Safeguarding 

  • Staff need to be aware that children may not know or be ready to tell someone they are being abused 
  • New emphasis on governing bodies and proprietors ensuring they have appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place to protect students online. They need to regularly review the effectiveness of these systems and ensure they know how to escalate concerns 

Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment 

  • Children are to understand that the law on child abuse is there to protect them, not criminalize them 
  • Support and consideration are now given to siblings in addition to the victim following incidents of sexual violence/harassment 
  • Schools/colleges should help a victim withdraw from lessons and activities if they want to, not because it makes it easier to handle the situation 
  • A school can both seek early help for the victim and the perpetrator and manage a report internally  

How Netsweeper Can Help You Support Student Online Safety 

Check out our blog posts that dive deeper into subjects discussed in the KCSIE: 

  1.  The 4C’s of Online Safety Part 1: Protecting Students from Harmful Content Online   
  2. The 4C’s of Online Safety Part 2: What is Online Contact Risk?  
  3. The 4C’s of Online Safety Part 3: What is Inappropriate Online Behavior?  
  4. The 4C’s of Online Safety Part 4: How to Protect Child Data  
  5. The 4C’s of Online Safety Part 5: Why is Internet Safety Important? 

We will be hosting a webinar on the 4C’s of online safety. Sign up today to learn more!