Redbridge local safeguarding children board

News:    29 July 2025

DfE Out-of-School Settings Safeguarding:  Call for evidence

The Department for Education is calling for evidence to help shape future safeguarding policy for the Out-of-School Settings (OOSS) sector.  This diverse sector includes providers such as tuition centres, sports and arts clubs, youth group, holiday activities and faith-based education settings.  It seeks your input on:

  • Existing safeguarding practices in OOSS
  • Potential options to strengthen safeguarding across the sector

To support future policy development, this call for evidence also seeks insights into:

  • How parents, carers, and organisations currently assure themselves
  • Challenges to providing consistent safeguarding practices
  • Further support or action needed to improve safety in OOSS

Your input will help inform reforms to improve safeguarding in OOSS, help ensure that children attend safe and trusted settings, and give parents and carers confidence that they are choosing safe settings for their children.  The questionnaire can be accessed via this link and the consultation closes on 21 August 2025.

Redbridge SCP Newsletter

The Summer Edition of our newsletter is now available to view as a webpage via the link below:

If you would prefer to receive this, and other information on safeguarding direct, please complete our short Contact Us on-line form.

CSA Centre Webinars

The CSA Centre are again offering a series of free webinars for professionals to help build confidence in working with children and families where there have been concerns about sexual abuse.    Bookings can be made via the links below:

Relationships and sex education

The Department for Education (DfE) published on 15 July updated statutory guidance for schools in England on relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education. Revisions to the statutory guidance include an increased focus on: online safety in relation to emergency technologies such as AI and tackling misogyny and the influence of harmful online communities and influencers.  The guidance will come into force on 01 September 2026.

Home Alone

The NSPCC has published a news story on children being left home alone during the summer holidays. New data from the NSPCC Helpline shows that between 2024 and 2025, there were 6,719 contacts where concerns about a child being left home alone or unsupervised were mentioned, with July and August featuring a high number of contacts. The news story includes practical guidance and advice for parents and carers considering leaving a child unsupervised at home.

Cultural Competence

A new page has been added to the website with information for professionals on cultural competence (sometimes referred to as cultural humility).

Redbridge SCP Multi-Agency Safeguarding Referrals and Threshold Interim Guidance 

The local referral guidance document has been updated and published (linked below).  Please note, this is an interim guidance document pending a full review to take place by Spring 2026.

7 Minute Briefing – Vicarious Trauma

The North East London (NEL) Health & Care Partnership have produced a Seven Minute Guide on Vicarious Trauma, which can be accessed via the link below.  The briefing sets out what is meant by vicarious trauma, how we process trauma in a work context, common work related and personal signs that an individual may be suffering from vicarious trauma, and includes suggestions for co-workers, managers and organisations for supporting staff.  The Dudley Safeguarding Partnership are acknowledged for allowing content from their resource to be included in this local version.

Keeping children safe in education 2025

The DfE have released (for information version – July 2025) the new Keeping Children Safe in Education:

This is pending publication of the final version in September.  The Safeguarding Network have provided a summary of the key changes.