The old adage that size does not matter is clearly not a mantra at the Department for Education.
Last month’s publication of the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance marks the completion of almost two years’ graft by civil servants to slim down the previous 600-page incarnation of the document.
But given that the underlying legal framework for safeguarding remains unchanged, what does the new, streamlined 97-page version change?
Much of the content was previewed in the draft document put out for consultation in June last year, but a number of key changes have been made to the final version, which comes into force on 15 April.
The three draft guidance documents consulted on have been merged into one. It contains new accountability measures for local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs), changes to the way serious case reviews can be carried out and a shake-up of assessment timescales. In addition, specific responsibilities for individual organisations are clarified – with a total of 16 agencies referred to.
Safeguarding boards
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