What is Level 3 Safeguarding Training?
Level 3 safeguarding training is for people who do more than spot and pass on concerns. At Level 3 you are expected to take action: contributing to assessments, working with other agencies, writing reports, supporting colleagues and, in many roles, leading safeguarding in your setting.
In UK healthcare, Level 3 is a defined competency level for clinicians who assess, plan or deliver care where there may be safeguarding concerns, including everyone who delivers a clinical service to children. Outside healthcare, there are no official levels, but “level 3” is widely used to describe Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and safeguarding lead training. This guide covers both, including level 3 safeguarding adults, how many hours you need, whether you can do it online, and what changed in 2025 and 2026. For an overview of every level, see our guide to safeguarding training levels 1 to 5.
Taking on a safeguarding lead role? Our live trainer-led DSL training and online Designated Safeguarding Lead Training help you understand the role, make referrals and manage allegations with confidence.
Level 3 safeguarding at a glance
| Where you work | Who needs Level 3 | How it is usually met |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare (children) | All staff who deliver a clinical service to children, plus adult mental health and substance misuse services where children are affected | Role-specific learning, reflection and appraisal. No fixed hours in the 2025 framework |
| Healthcare (adults) | Registered staff involved in assessing, planning, delivering or evaluating care where there are safeguarding concerns | Around 8 hours over 3 years, at least half participatory |
| General practice | GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, advanced practitioners and similar roles, plus practice safeguarding leads | Induction e-learning, an annual update and ongoing reflection. No fixed hours |
| Schools, early years, sport and other sectors | Designated safeguarding leads, deputies, welfare officers and other safeguarding leads (no official level) | DSL or lead training, refreshed regularly (at least every two years in schools) |
What has changed for Level 3 in 2025 and 2026?
- New children’s framework (November 2025). The RCPCH’s 5th edition intercollegiate document now expects Level 3 competence from all healthcare staff who deliver a clinical service to under-18s. It no longer sets fixed hours, and instead expects Level 3 learning to be refreshed regularly and discussed at annual appraisal.
- RCGP safeguarding standards (October 2024). General practice moved away from counting hours to an annual update plus ongoing learning and reflection, covering both children and adults.
- Adults’ framework, second edition (2024). The RCN’s updated document keeps suggested hours for Level 3 and says e-learning should not be the only or main way of meeting it.
- KCSiE 2026 (in force 1 September 2026). DSLs in schools and colleges now need to lead on new areas such as AI-generated images, the new information-sharing duty and annual filtering and monitoring reviews. See our KCSiE 2026 summary.
- Mandatory reporting. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 creates a duty to report child sexual abuse in England once it is brought into force. Safeguarding leads will need to know how it works and help colleagues meet it.
Level 3 safeguarding children training in healthcare
The 2025 intercollegiate document describes Level 3 as action and expertise. It builds on Levels 1 and 2, so Level 3 training should also cover the earlier competencies.
Who needs Level 3 safeguarding children training?
Examples of staff groups at Level 3 include:
- staff working only or mainly in paediatric and neonatal services, including community services
- adult mental health staff, perinatal staff, psychiatrists and child and adolescent psychologists
- professionals in adult services whose caseloads include under-18s, including those who regularly treat 16 and 17 year olds
- staff who regularly provide services to children, including out of hours and emergency care
- doctors and nurses who treat children in care and care leavers
- practitioners with specific responsibility for children, such as dentists, diagnostic radiographers and orthoptists
- staff in youth justice, sexual health, substance misuse, early pregnancy, school nursing, children’s learning disability, SEND and children’s hospice services
What does Level 3 safeguarding children cover?
At Level 3 you should be able to use your clinical and professional knowledge to recognise and respond to complex forms of harm, and to work with other agencies. Areas covered include:
- intra-familial and extra-familial child sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse images and harmful sexual behaviour
- child exploitation, including county lines, criminal exploitation, trafficking and radicalisation
- neglect in all its forms, including medical and dental neglect, and fabricated or induced illness
- female genital mutilation, domestic abuse, forced marriage and online harm
- contextual and transitional safeguarding, including the risks as young people move into adult services
- the health needs of children in care, care leavers and children seeking asylum
- the impact of a parent’s or carer’s mental health, substance use or domestic abuse on children, including unborn babies
- contributing to multi-agency assessments and strategy meetings, and writing reports and professional opinions
- challenging and escalating when a response is not good enough
- applying learning from child safeguarding practice reviews and taking part in reflective practice and peer review
- recognising and managing the personal impact of safeguarding work, such as vicarious trauma and burnout
Some roles, such as clinicians who carry out child protection medical assessments or statutory health assessments for children in care, need additional competencies on top of Level 3.
Dental teams and Level 3
The 2025 framework says dental services may span Levels 2 and 3, depending on each person’s duties. Clinicians who regularly treat children, work in paediatric or special care dentistry, or lead safeguarding in their practice should consider Level 3. Our guide to safeguarding levels explains what this means for each role in a dental practice, and our dental safeguarding training page lists our Level 1 and Level 2 courses for dental teams.
Level 3 safeguarding adults training
The adults’ framework (RCN, 2024) sets Level 3 as the minimum for registered healthcare staff who have regular contact with patients, clients, families or the public and who assess, plan, deliver or evaluate care where there are safeguarding concerns. It also applies to commissioners and quality teams in integrated care boards.
Who needs Level 3 safeguarding adults training?
Examples of staff groups include safeguarding professionals, medical staff, registered nurses, urgent and unscheduled care staff, psychologists and psychotherapists, learning disability practitioners, substance misuse and sexual health staff, ambulance staff, care home managers, health visitors, midwives, dentists, pharmacists with a lead role in adult protection, and ICB commissioners.
What does Level 3 safeguarding adults cover?
- carrying out risk and harm assessments where appropriate
- communicating effectively with adults at risk, including people with learning disabilities, communication needs or who may lack capacity
- assessing mental capacity, coordinating best interests decisions and recognising a deprivation of liberty
- contributing to safeguarding enquiries, inter-agency assessments and protection plans
- documenting concerns in a way that is suitable for safeguarding and legal processes
- taking part in multidisciplinary meetings and case reviews, such as safeguarding adults reviews and domestic homicide reviews
- understanding transitional safeguarding and the risks young people face as they become adults
- recognising the impact of trauma, and giving and receiving safeguarding supervision
How many hours is Level 3 safeguarding adults training?
The adults’ framework suggests around 8 hours of learning over three years. At least half should be participatory, meaning face-to-face sessions, live virtual classrooms or discussion with experienced colleagues, and e-learning should not be the only or main method. Over the three years, you should also be able to show reflection or learning from at least three different aspects of safeguarding, covering both adults and children.
Staff moving into a Level 3 role are expected to reach the Level 3 competencies quickly. Anyone who has not yet reached them should complete tailored learning equivalent to at least 8 hours within 12 months of appointment, with supervision in place.
Level 3 safeguarding in general practice
The RCGP safeguarding standards, published in October 2024, apply to every general practice setting in the UK, including NHS and independent practices, primary care networks and out-of-hours services. They combine child and adult safeguarding into a single life-course standard.
Level 3 applies to GPs, practice nurses, physician associates, nursing associates, pharmacists, paramedics, advanced clinical and nurse practitioners, social prescribers, mental health workers, physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians and similar roles, as well as PCN safeguarding coordinators.
Rather than counting hours, the standards expect:
- a safeguarding induction, including relevant Level 3 e-learning and a meeting with the practice safeguarding lead within the first month
- an annual Level 3 safeguarding update, which can be face to face, virtual or recorded
- ongoing learning and reflection across both children and adults, which can be used as evidence for appraisal and revalidation
The RCGP is clear that GP practice safeguarding leads need Level 3, not Level 4 or 5. Levels 4 and 5 are for strategic roles such as named GPs and designated professionals.
Can you do Level 3 safeguarding training online?
Partly. E-learning is a useful part of Level 3, and many NHS staff complete modules through NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare (elfh) or the RCGP. But in healthcare, e-learning alone will not normally be enough. The frameworks expect a mix of live or face-to-face learning, case discussion, supervision and reflection. Check with your organisation’s safeguarding team what format they accept before you book.
| Framework | Suggested amount | How it should be delivered | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children’s framework (RCPCH, 2025) | No fixed hours | Role-specific, based on adult learning principles, with reflection and appraisal | Regular refresh, discussed at annual appraisal |
| Adults’ framework (RCN, 2024) | Around 8 hours over 3 years | At least 50% participatory. E-learning should not be the main method | Over each 3-year period |
| RCGP standards (2024) | No fixed hours | Induction e-learning, updates that can be live or recorded, and reflection | Annual update |
| KCSiE (schools and colleges) | Not set | Formal DSL training, plus ongoing updates such as bulletins and DSL networks | At least every two years, with a refresh at least annually |
Level 3 outside healthcare: designated safeguarding lead training
Outside healthcare, there is no official Level 3. When people talk about “level 3 safeguarding training” in schools, early years, sport, charities or other sectors, they almost always mean training for the person who leads on safeguarding. This includes:
- designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) and deputies in schools and colleges
- the lead practitioner for safeguarding in an early years setting
- welfare officers and safeguarding officers in sports clubs and governing bodies
- nominated safeguarding leads in charities, training providers, faith groups and youth organisations
- managers with safeguarding responsibility in care, transport and other services that work with children or adults at risk
What does DSL training cover?
Lead-level training builds on foundation safeguarding training and focuses on what the lead needs to do. It usually covers:
- the responsibilities of the safeguarding lead and deputy
- safeguarding law and statutory guidance for your nation
- early help, thresholds and when to make a referral
- working with children’s social care, the police and local safeguarding partners
- recording concerns and sharing information safely, including the new information-sharing duty
- managing allegations against staff and volunteers, and handling complaints
- writing and reviewing safeguarding policies and building a positive safeguarding culture
- supporting and training colleagues
Schools and colleges
KCSiE requires the designated safeguarding lead and any deputies to have formal training, updated at least every two years, with their knowledge refreshed at least annually in between. The DSL should be a member of the senior leadership team. Some local authorities ask DSLs to attend their own training, so check with your local safeguarding partnership. For training requirements for everyone else in a school, see our guide to what level of safeguarding training you need to work in a school.
Our safeguarding lead training
- Designated Safeguarding Lead Training: an online course for DSLs and deputies who have already completed our Safeguarding Children course.
- Safeguarding Lead Training for Children and Vulnerable Adults: an online lead course for organisations that work with both children and adults at risk, taken after Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.
- Live trainer-led DSL training: a live online session with an expert trainer for anyone taking on a DSL role, plus a DSL refresher for existing leads.
- Face-to-face safeguarding training: training delivered at your organisation and tailored to your setting.
Our lead courses are designed for safeguarding leads outside healthcare. If you work in healthcare, check with your organisation’s safeguarding team how your Level 3 requirement should be met.
Level 3 safeguarding in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The healthcare frameworks apply across all four UK nations. Outside healthcare, each nation has its own approach. Wales uses six groups (A to F) in its National Safeguarding Training, Learning and Development Standards instead of numbered levels. Organisations decide which group each role belongs to, and anyone whose role straddles two groups should be trained to the higher one. Designated safeguarding lead training in Wales is commonly delivered at Group C, and Group F is described as equivalent to Level 5 in health.
In Northern Ireland, safeguarding leads work within Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People in Northern Ireland, and in Scotland within the national child protection guidance and the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. Our online DSL courses include versions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Level 3 safeguarding qualifications
You will also see accredited “Level 3 Award” or “Level 3 Certificate” safeguarding qualifications. Here, “Level 3” refers to Ofqual’s Regulated Qualifications Framework, where Level 3 is comparable to A level. It describes how demanding the qualification is, not the role it prepares you for.
A Level 3 safeguarding qualification can be a useful addition to your CV, but it does not automatically meet healthcare Level 3 competence (which needs role-specific, participatory learning and appraisal) or a local authority’s requirements for DSL training. Check with your employer before you pay for one.
Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4: what is the difference?
| Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Responding to concerns | Taking action and contributing expertise | Leading safeguarding across an organisation |
| Typical roles | Staff with regular contact with patients or the public | Clinicians working with children or with adults where there are concerns. Outside healthcare, safeguarding leads | Named professionals, heads of safeguarding and senior safeguarding leads in healthcare providers |
| Suggested learning (adults’ framework) | Around 3 hours over 3 years | Around 8 hours over 3 years | Around 24 hours over 3 years |
| Can it be done online? | Yes | Only in part. At least half participatory | Only in part. At least half participatory |
Read more about Levels 1, 2, 4 and 5 in our guide to safeguarding training levels.
How to choose the right Level 3 training
- Confirm which framework applies to you. Healthcare staff follow the intercollegiate documents (or the RCGP standards in general practice). Schools follow KCSiE. Other sectors follow their own statutory guidance or governing body.
- Check your role against the staff groups. If your role sits between two levels or groups, train to the higher one.
- Ask what format is accepted. Your safeguarding team, local authority or governing body may require live, face-to-face or locally approved training.
- Make sure your foundation training is up to date. Level 3 and lead courses build on Level 1 and 2 or foundation safeguarding training.
- Plan your refresher now. DSLs in schools need formal training at least every two years. Healthcare staff should cover Level 3 learning at annual appraisal.
- Keep evidence. Certificates, reflective notes and records of case discussions all help at appraisal, revalidation and inspection.
Sources and further reading
- Safeguarding children and young people and children and young people in care: Competencies for health care staff (Intercollegiate Document, 2025), RCPCH
- Adult Safeguarding: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff, second edition (2024), RCN
- RCGP safeguarding standards for general practice, Royal College of General Practitioners
- Keeping children safe in education, Department for Education
- Working together to safeguard children, Department for Education
- National Safeguarding Training, Learning and Development Standards, Social Care Wales
If you need help choosing the right lead or Level 3 training for yourself or your team, call us on 01327 552030, email hello@smarthorizons.co.uk or browse all of our safeguarding courses.
Level 3 safeguarding FAQs
Level 3 safeguarding training is for people who take action on safeguarding concerns, not just recognise and report them. In UK healthcare, it is a defined competency level for clinicians who assess, plan or deliver care where there may be safeguarding concerns. Outside healthcare, the term usually means designated safeguarding lead (DSL) or safeguarding lead training.
In healthcare, all staff who deliver a clinical service to children, plus registered staff who assess, plan or deliver care for adults where there are safeguarding concerns. This includes GPs, practice nurses, paediatric staff, school nurses, health visitors, midwives and many dentists. Outside healthcare, designated safeguarding leads, deputies and welfare officers usually need lead-level training.
Level 3 safeguarding adults training is for registered healthcare staff involved in assessing, planning, delivering or evaluating care where there are safeguarding concerns. It covers risk assessment, mental capacity and best interests decisions, contributing to safeguarding enquiries and protection plans, case reviews and supervision. The 2024 adults’ framework suggests around 8 hours over three years.
The 2024 adults’ framework suggests around 8 hours over three years, with at least half participatory. The 2025 children’s framework and the RCGP standards for general practice no longer set fixed hours and instead expect regular updates, reflection and discussion at appraisal.
Only in part. E-learning is a useful part of Level 3, but in healthcare it should not be the only or main method. The frameworks expect live or face-to-face learning, case discussion, supervision and reflection as well.
In healthcare, Level 3 learning should be refreshed regularly and reviewed at annual appraisal. The adults’ framework spreads around 8 hours over each three-year period, and the RCGP standards expect an annual update. In schools, DSL training must be updated at least every two years.
Outside healthcare, designated safeguarding lead training is often called level 3 because it goes beyond foundation training, but there is no official level in education. In schools, KCSiE requires DSLs and deputies to update their training at least every two years. In healthcare, Level 3 has a specific meaning set by the intercollegiate frameworks.
No. The RCGP safeguarding standards say GP practice safeguarding leads need Level 3, not Level 4 or 5. Levels 4 and 5 are for strategic roles such as named GPs and designated safeguarding professionals.
Not necessarily. A Level 3 Award or Certificate refers to the Regulated Qualifications Framework, where Level 3 is comparable to A level. It does not automatically meet healthcare Level 3 competence or a local authority’s DSL training requirements, so check with your employer first.
Yes. Level 3 builds on Levels 1 and 2, so that content must be covered first or within your Level 3 training. Once you are up to date at Level 3, you are treated as competent at Levels 1 and 2.
Outside healthcare, Wales uses six groups (A to F) instead of levels. Designated safeguarding lead training is commonly delivered at Group C. Healthcare staff in Wales still follow the UK intercollegiate frameworks and their numbered levels.
Last updated: September 2026. This guide summarises the current intercollegiate frameworks, RCGP standards and statutory guidance. Always check the full guidance and your organisation’s requirements for your specific role.