Voice and Influence of Education

Unlocking Potential: Education at the Heart of Safeguarding

Stronger together, informed by local context.

 

In the North West, we believe that every child deserves not just safety, but the opportunity to thrive. That’s why it’s time for the education sector to step confidently into a more strategic role within local safeguarding arrangements and children’s safeguarding partnerships. 

Educators are uniquely placed to spot early signs, build trust, and champion the voices of young people. By embracing bold, creative thinking and building  collaborative, multi-agency approaches, we can reimagine what’s possible. 

Together, let’s shape a future where safeguarding is not just a system, but a shared mission—driven by innovation, compassion, and a relentless focus on the very best outcomes for our children and young people.

 

 

Our Pledge To Education

Our Pledge to Education

 

 

 

 

"Safeguarding partners are under a duty to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally including education providers and childcare settings, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area."

Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2023

 

North West Strategic Voice & Influence of Education Lead

To support the region, we have a dedicated role within the North West Multi-Agency Safeguarding Learning & Support Hub.

Nicola Griffiths leads this work and will focus on the following priorities over the next 12 months:

  • Establishing a meaningful and representative voice for education within local safeguarding arrangements.
  • Supporting the development of education’s voice at both sub-regional and regional levels.
  • Developing and supporting the implementation of a toolkit to enhance multi-agency practice in response to children who are not attending school regularly.

 

Education as a Strategic Partner

The 2023 revision of Working Together to Safeguard Children outlines clear expectations for multi-agency collaboration at three distinct levels. These expectations are designed to help local partnerships define how practitioners across sectors should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people. 

Education establishments play a vital role in this landscape. As trusted environments where children spend a significant portion of their time, educational establishments are uniquely positioned to identify concerns early, provide support, and contribute to co-ordinated safeguarding responses.

This document explores practical ways in which education colleagues can engage more strategically with local safeguarding arrangements. It offers ideas and approaches to help fulfil the expectations set out in Working Together 2023, ensuring that the voice and expertise of education are fully integrated into multi-agency safeguarding efforts.

Roles & Key Responsibilities

The DSP and LSP roles are central to ensuring that education is strategically embedded in safeguarding structures, shaping policy, practice, and multi-agency collaboration across the region.

The Role of Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs) in Safeguarding Children Partnerships

Who They Are:
•    DSPs are senior leaders from local authority, health, and police (through our Pathfinder status, this also includes education as a strategic partner)
•    They act on behalf of Lead Safeguarding Partners (chief officers of statutory bodies).
•    DSPs form the WSCP Executive Committee and are responsible for ensuring their sectors meet statutory safeguarding duties.

Core Responsibilities:
•    Provide strategic leadership and accountability for safeguarding across their sectors.
•    Oversee the quality, compliance, and effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding practices.
•    Ensure systems are in place to review and improve safeguarding operations when needed.

Key Functions of DSPs:
1.    Monitor and deliver multi-agency safeguarding priorities and procedures.
2.    Collaborate closely with education and other agencies to identify and respond to harm.
3.    Implement robust information sharing, including joint data analysis.
4.    Conduct rapid reviews and safeguarding practice reviews, with clear evidence of learning and impact.
5.    Provide multi-agency safeguarding training to ensure consistent standards.
6.    Engage with children and families, incorporating their feedback to co-design accessible services.

Governance & Oversight:
•    One DSP serves as the chair of the multi-agency partnership.
•    DSPs are responsible for:
               o    Collecting and analysing data to assess service effectiveness.
               o    Advising statutory partners on emerging safeguarding challenges and priorities.

The Delegated Safeguarding Partner for Education

In addition to general DSP duties, the DSP for Education plays a strategic leadership role in safeguarding across the education sector. Key responsibilities include:

  • Strategic Representation: Acts as the education sector’s voice on the WSCP Executive and other key boards.
  • Committee Leadership: Leads the Safeguarding in Education committee, ensuring broad sector representation.
  • Planning & Reporting: Designs safeguarding priorities and work plans, oversees progress, and reports to the WSCP Executive and CYPE committee.
  • Audit & Networks: Leads the Section 175 audit of schools and colleges, strengthens sector networks (e.g. DSL network), and amplifies the voices of children, young people, and families.
  • Partnership Engagement: Works closely with other DSPs to foster strong multi-agency collaboration.
  • Expert Advice: Provides guidance on education-related safeguarding challenges and emerging issues.
  • Communication Framework: Builds links between key education bodies and the WSCP.
  • Pathfinder Reforms: Oversees implementation and evaluation of reforms, including the development of the education sector’s role in Family Help and Child Protection.
  • External Representation: Represents education and WSCP in strategic meetings and forums.

The Role of Lead Safeguarding Partners (LSPs) in Safeguarding Children Partnerships

Who They Are:

  • The LSPs are the chief officers from each of the three statutory safeguarding agencies:
  • Local Authority
  • Integrated Care Board (ICB)
  • Chief Officer of Police
  • Education representation will be established and facilitated by the NW RIPP

 

Strategic Leadership & Accountability

  • Set the vision, direction, and culture of local safeguarding arrangements.
  • Agree and review shared priorities, ensuring they reflect local needs.
  • Ensure governance and accountability across their own agencies and delegated partners.

 

Oversight & Decision-Making

  • Sign off on key partnership documents:
    • Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
    • Independent scrutiny plans
    • Annual reports
    • Local threshold documents
  • Ensure resources are allocated effectively to deliver safeguarding services.

 

Delegation & Collaboration

  • Appoint Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs) to act on their behalf in operational matters.
  • Maintain strategic oversight of DSP activities and ensure regular communication.
  • Work jointly with other LSPs to address cross-agency challenges and emerging risks.

 

Impact & Improvement

  • Ensure the voice of children and families informs safeguarding strategies.
  • Lead the implementation of recommendations from serious case reviews and audits.

Promote continuous improvement in safeguarding practice across the partnership.

Embedding Educational as an Equal Strategic Partner
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19:59 on 15/07/2025, Stockport

Education: Integration & Impact

This document explores potential structures through which safeguarding partnerships can elevate the role of education to a more strategic level. As safeguarding becomes increasingly complex and multi-faceted, the inclusion of education as a core strategic partner is essential to ensuring a holistic, preventative, and responsive approach. Educational establishments are uniquely positioned to identify early signs of harm, influence protective environments, and contribute to long-term safeguarding outcomes. 

By outlining a range of structural models—from formal representation on strategic boards to integrated governance frameworks—this document aims to support partnerships in designing inclusive, effective, and sustainable mechanisms for educational engagement at the highest level of decision-making.

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASAs)

Education plays an increasingly important role within Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASAs), established under the Children Act 2004 and updated by the Children and Social Work Act 2017. MASAs are led by three statutory partners—local authority, police, and integrated care board—who share responsibility for coordinating safeguarding efforts and setting strategic priorities.

While education was previously considered a “relevant agency,” recent updates to Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) have strengthened its role. Schools, colleges, and early years settings are now expected to have formal representation within MASA structures and safeguarding committees. This reflects growing recognition of education’s frontline role in identifying concerns and supporting early intervention.

As a result, regions are reviewing MASA structures to ensure education is strategically embedded—through Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs), Lead Safeguarding Partners (LSPs), and sector-specific committees—supporting more joined-up, informed safeguarding practice.

Embedding Educational Voice in MASAS-Guidance
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19:59 on 15/07/2025, Stockport

Education Subgroup: Core Functions & Purpose

Education Committees exist to strengthen the safeguarding of young people through effective collaboration between education colleagues and safeguarding partners. It aims to ensure that educational establishments are fully engaged in safeguarding processes and contribute meaningfully to multi-agency working through the shared identification and understanding of local safeguarding priorities. 

“LSPs should create an environment which enables all schools (including independent schools and academy trusts), colleges, early years, and other education and childcare providers in the local area to be fully engaged, involved and included in local safeguarding arrangements. This means making sure that the views and contributions of education and childcare providers are articulated at the highest level of decision-making.” 

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)

MASA Education Forum TOR
Uploaded
19:58 on 15/07/2025, Stockport

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