The DfE published an updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children on the 18th of March 2026, replacing the 2023 edition. It’s not a complete rewrite, but there are changes useful for nursery managers to know about.
In this blog, we share the latest update on the statutory safeguarding guidance, summarising the changes with an early years lens.
What statutory safeguarding documents apply to nurseries?
There’s often confusion about which documents apply specifically to schools, which ones are for nurseries, and which are simply good practice to be aware of
Working Together to Safeguard Children
This updated statutory guidance sets out how organisations across England (including nurseries, schools, health services, social care, and the police) must work together to safeguard children.
The EYFS framework and Working Together are designed to sit alongside each other. Between them, they cover what your setting must do internally and how you fit into the broader system.
Section 3 of the EYFS statutory framework is the operational guidance that is paired with this umbrella document.
The safeguarding and welfare requirements section of the EYFS Framework sets out:
- Nursery safeguarding policy requirements
- The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) role
- Staff training expectations
- Safe recruitment processes
- What to do when a concern arises
Keeping children safe in education (KCSiE)
KCSiE is statutory guidance for schools and colleges, and applies to maintained nursery settings. It covers individual staff responsibilities, safer recruitment, allegations against staff, and child-on-child abuse.
If you’re running a PVI nursery, you’re not required to follow it, but many managers find it useful to be familiar with, and it’s widely used as a reference point across the sector.
What’s new in the 2026 safeguarding update?
The guidance now covers more children
The 2026 version makes clear the guidance applies to all children regardless of their living situation, including:
- Children in kinship care or special guardianship
- Fostered and adopted children
- Children in residential settings
It also strengthens expectations around unborn children, especially where there are concerns, giving details on pre-birth assessments and when additional planning should be considered.
Anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice
This is one of the most significant changes in the document. Nursery leaders are now explicitly expected to create inclusive, anti-discriminatory cultures, and practitioners must actively challenge racism and discrimination.
For nurseries, having an equality policy and a strong underpinning of Fundamental British Values, and teaching children mutual respect aren’t enough on their own. The expectation is that anti-discriminatory practice is visible in how your team works and how families are supported.
Connecting directly to Ofsted’s inclusion evaluation area, ensuring all children in your setting are given every opportunity to belong, achieve and thrive.
It’s worth exploring as a nursery team how your anti-discriminatory practices are a priority across your day-to-day nursery environment and curriculum.
Hidden harms have a higher profile
The guidance has strengthened its coverage of harm types that can be harder to spot, including:
- Child sexual abuse
- Coercive control
- Teenage relationship abuse
- Honour or faith-based abuse
Online harms and exploitation
New references to online harms and group-based child sexual exploitation have been added in the latest guidance.
Covering the role early years practitioners have in spotting the early risk indicators in children’s behaviour or play. Alongside supporting families to understand the online risks children face whilst at home. This is an expected addition following the increasing focus on safe digital media use in early years over the past 12 months.
Family help: A new joined-up model
Chapter 3 for the updated Working Together to Safeguard Children introduces Family Help. Which combines targeted early help and section 17 support into a combined offer for families who need support.
Your nursery Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) should know what the local Family Help offer looks like and how to refer into it, as it’s likely to be the first step for many of the families you support.
Timelines for serious incident notifications
In the 2023 guidance, rapid reviews had to be submitted within 15 working days of the incident itself. The 2026 version changes the starting point as the clock now runs from the date of the serious incident notification (SIN) rather than the incident.
The SIN must be submitted within 5 working days of the local authority becoming aware, so the two timelines are connected.
This is primarily a change for local safeguarding partners, but nurseries can be asked to contribute information as part of the process, so it’s worth knowing the process has tightened.
Data sharing
Clearer expectations have been set around sharing information between agencies, including stronger requirements to identify disproportionality and racism in safeguarding data.
For nurseries, you must ensure sure the processes for sharing information with safeguarding partners are up to date and that your DSL is clear on their responsibilities.
What this means for your nursery in 2026
Most of what’s in the 2026 guidance builds on what nurseries should already be doing.
But it’s a good prompt to:
- Review and update your safeguarding policy against the 2026 guidance
- Share the key changes at your next team meeting or supervision cycle
- Check that your training covers hidden harms, online safety, and coercive control
- Speak to your local safeguarding partners about what the Family Help offer looks like in your area
Keeping up with guidance like this is part of what makes a nursery manager great at their job. Understanding what’s changed means your team can focus on what matters most, keeping children safe and well.
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