What is Level 1/2 Safeguarding Training?
Level 2 safeguarding training is for people who have regular contact with patients, children, families, or the public. It builds on Level 1, which teaches you to spot the signs of abuse and neglect. Level 2 teaches you how to respond. That means knowing what to do with a concern, how to record it and when to refer it.
Only UK healthcare uses numbered safeguarding levels formally. Two competency frameworks set them out: one for children, updated November 2025, and one for adults, updated 2024. Schools, sport and the voluntary sector do not use official levels. Many people still call basic training “level 1 or 2” and lead training “level 3”.
Not sure which course you need? Browse all of our safeguarding courses or get in touch. Our team can also help you choose the right level for your role.
Level 1 vs Level 2 safeguarding: what is the difference?
Level 1 means recognising that something might be wrong. Level 2 means responding to it properly. Because Level 2 includes everything in Level 1, you do not need two separate courses if yours covers both.
| Level 1 | Level 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Recognising signs of abuse, harm and neglect. | Acting on concerns, then recording and referring them. |
| Who it is for | Everyone in a healthcare setting, including staff with little patient contact. | Staff with regular contact with patients, families or the public. |
| Typical roles | Porters, catering, maintenance, admin staff, volunteers and board members. | Nurses, doctors, pharmacists, dental teams and reception staff in services that see children. |
| Suggested learning | About 2 hours over 3 years. | About 3 hours over 3 years. |
| Can you do it online? | Yes. | Yes. |
If you are unsure which you need, choose the higher level. The frameworks link training to your level of patient contact. It is also easier to show an inspector you are over-trained than under-trained.
What has changed for 2026?
Several things have changed in the last year:
- New children’s framework (November 2025). The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) published a 5th edition intercollegiate document, replacing the archived 2019 version. It also expects Level 3 from all staff who treat children.
- Updated adults’ framework (2024). The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) published the second edition of its adult safeguarding framework.
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. The Department for Education published this on 18 March 2026, replacing the 2023 version.
- KCSiE 2026. The new schools guidance came into force on 1 September 2026, at the start of the school year. Read our summary of the KCSiE 2026 changes.
- A new information-sharing duty. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 adds a duty to share information relevant to safeguarding.
- Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and creates a duty for people in regulated activity with children in England. They must report child sexual abuse they witness or that someone discloses to them. This duty needs commencement regulations first, so check the Home Office factsheet for the latest position.
Where do safeguarding levels come from?
People use the word “level” in three different ways.
| What people mean | Where it comes from | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare levels 1 to 5, plus board level. | Intercollegiate frameworks from the Royal Colleges and professional bodies. | NHS and private healthcare staff in all four UK nations, including dental and pharmacy teams. |
| Informal training levels. | Shorthand for basic (level 1 or 2) and lead (level 3) training. | Schools, early years, sport, charities and other sectors. |
| Qualification levels. | Ofqual’s Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), such as a Level 2 Award. | Anyone taking an accredited qualification. |
These systems do not line up neatly. An RQF Level 3 qualification, for example, is not the same as healthcare Level 3. RQF Level 2 is similar to GCSE grades 9 to 4, and RQF Level 3 to A level. Always check which system your employer means.
Safeguarding levels at a glance
This table summarises both healthcare frameworks. The staff groups are only examples, so your employer’s training needs analysis decides the level for your role.
| Level | Children’s framework (RCPCH, 2025) | Adults’ framework (RCN, 2024) | Suggested learning (adults) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Recognition | All healthcare staff and volunteers. | All staff in healthcare settings, such as porters, admin and reception staff. | About 2 hours over 3 years. |
| 2 Response | Staff who meet children but do not give them clinical care. | Staff with regular patient or public contact, such as nurses, pharmacists and dental teams. | About 3 hours over 3 years. |
| 3 Action and expertise | All staff who deliver a clinical service to children. | Registered staff who assess, plan or deliver care when there are concerns. | About 8 hours over 3 years, at least half live or interactive. |
| 4 Leadership | Named professionals and senior safeguarding leads. | Named professionals, safeguarding leads and heads of safeguarding. | About 24 hours over 3 years, at least half interactive. |
| 5 Strategic | Designated professionals with system-wide roles. | Designated professionals in integrated care boards and health boards. | A yearly update. |
| Board Accountability | Senior managers and executives. | Chief executives and executive and non-executive directors. | At least 2 hours over 3 years. |
How the levels build on each other
Each level includes the ones below it. If you are up to date at Level 3, you count as competent at Levels 1 and 2 too. You only need to refresh at your own level.
The 2025 children’s framework no longer sets fixed hours. It recommends a yearly update for Levels 1 and 2 instead. Providers decide how long that training lasts and how they deliver it.
What is Level 1 safeguarding training?
Level 1 is the foundation for everyone who works in a healthcare setting. It focuses on recognition: the main types and signs of abuse, harm and neglect. You also learn who to tell and the basics of the law.
Who needs Level 1? Every healthcare worker needs it, and so do volunteers, contractors, agency staff and board members. New starters should finish it within their first six weeks, according to the adults’ framework.
What is Level 2 safeguarding training?
Level 2 moves from spotting a concern to responding to it. After Level 2 training, you should be able to:
- recognise risk factors and signs of harm, especially in people with disabilities or communication needs
- take a trauma-informed approach, because adverse childhood experiences can affect people for life
- act on concerns quickly and escalate them when nobody takes them seriously
- follow local referral routes and know when to refer to social care
- record concerns accurately while keeping fact and opinion separate
- share information safely, balancing consent, confidentiality and safety
- explain parental responsibility and who can consent to a child’s care
- meet specific duties, such as reporting known FGM in under-18s to the police
- raise concerns about a colleague, even when they hold a position of trust
Who needs Level 2 safeguarding training?
In healthcare, Level 2 is for staff with regular contact with patients, families or the public. Examples include roles such as:
- nurses, doctors and allied health professionals who do not treat children
- clinical support staff, healthcare assistants, phlebotomists and technicians
- reception staff, when their service sees children
- pharmacy, optical and audiology teams
- dental teams (see our guide to safeguarding levels in dentistry, as some dental roles now need Level 3)
- healthcare students, as well as staff who give care online
Level 2 safeguarding adults
The adults’ framework uses Level 2 for anyone with regular patient, client, family or public contact too. On top of Level 1, you learn to act on immediate risk and support advocacy. You also cover mental capacity in everyday decisions and how to refer to adult social care. Its suggested learning is about 3 hours over three years, and you can take it online.
Level 3, 4 and 5: specialist and leadership levels
Level 3 means taking action. It is for clinicians who assess, plan or deliver care where there may be safeguarding concerns, including everyone who delivers a clinical service to children. E-learning alone will not normally meet Level 3. The frameworks also expect live or interactive learning.
Outside healthcare, people often use “level 3” to mean safeguarding lead training. This covers roles such as designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) and sports welfare officers. Read our full guide to level 3 safeguarding training for more detail.
Level 4 is for senior safeguarding leaders in a healthcare provider, such as named doctors and nurses. Level 5 is for designated professionals who lead across a whole health system. You may also see “level 5” and “level 6” courses sold as qualifications. These are RQF levels rather than healthcare levels.
Which level of safeguarding training do I need?
Use this table as a starting point, then check with your employer, safeguarding lead or regulator.
| Your role | Children’s level | Adults’ level |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare staff with little or no patient contact, such as estates or catering. | 1 | 1 |
| Reception or admin staff, when their service sees children. | 2 | 1 |
| Clinical staff who do not treat children. | 2 | 2 or 3 |
| Clinicians who treat children, such as GPs, paediatric staff and school nurses. | 3 | 2 or 3 |
| Dentists and dental care professionals. | 2 or 3 | 2 (some dentists 3) |
| Named professionals and healthcare safeguarding leads. | 4 | 4 |
| School, early years, sport or voluntary sector staff. | No official levels | No official levels |
Safeguarding training outside healthcare
Most sectors dropped numbered levels years ago. Statutory guidance, regulators and governing bodies set the rules instead. There are usually two tiers: foundation training for everyone who works with children or adults at risk, and further training for the safeguarding lead.
Schools, colleges and early years
Schools and colleges follow Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE). It sets training for all staff, plus extra training for the designated safeguarding lead. Early years providers follow the EYFS framework instead. For each school role, see our guide to what safeguarding training you need to work in a school.
Popular courses include Safeguarding in Education and Keeping Children Safe in Education. We also offer Safeguarding in Early Years and Designated Safeguarding Lead Training.
Sport, charities, transport and other sectors
Coaches, volunteers, taxi drivers and youth workers usually need foundation safeguarding training. Some employers still call this “level 1” or “level 2”. Your welfare officer or safeguarding lead needs further, lead-level training.
- Foundation training: Safeguarding Children, or Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults if you also work with adults at risk. If you coach sport, try Safeguarding Children in Sport.
- Lead training: Designated Safeguarding Lead Training or Safeguarding Lead Training for Children and Vulnerable Adults.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 changed the rules on regulated activity, so some volunteers now need enhanced DBS checks. It is a good moment to review your safer recruitment training.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The healthcare frameworks apply in all four UK nations, but outside healthcare each nation has its own guidance. Wales, for example, uses six groups (A to F) instead of numbered levels. Our online courses include versions for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Safeguarding levels for dental teams
Dental teams follow the same healthcare frameworks, and the CQC expects practices to meet them for each role. Everyone in the practice needs at least Level 1, and clinical staff need at least Level 2. Under the 2025 children’s framework, some dental roles may need Level 3. This especially applies to clinicians who regularly treat children or lead safeguarding. For a role-by-role breakdown, read our guide to safeguarding levels in dentistry or see our dental safeguarding courses.
How long does a safeguarding certificate last?
There is no single national expiry date. It depends on your sector:
- Healthcare (children): the 2025 framework recommends a yearly update for Levels 1 and 2. Level 3 to 5 learning belongs in your annual appraisal too.
- Healthcare (adults): the framework spreads learning over three years: about 2 hours for Level 1, 3 hours for Level 2 and 8 hours for Level 3.
- Schools and colleges: all staff need updates at least once a year, and DSLs need formal training at least every two years.
- Other sectors: follow your employer, governing body or local safeguarding partnership. Many organisations renew every two or three years, and some prefer yearly updates.
Our online certificates last two years. Our learning management system can also send reminders when training is due.
Can you do Level 2 safeguarding training online?
Yes. Both healthcare frameworks allow Level 1 and Level 2 training online, face to face or as a mix. Most online Level 2 courses take one to three hours. From Level 3 upwards, healthcare staff also need live or interactive learning. If you prefer a trainer-led session for your team, see our face-to-face safeguarding training.
Sources and further reading
- Intercollegiate Document on safeguarding children and children in care (2025), RCPCH
- Adult Safeguarding: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff (2024), RCN
- Keeping children safe in education, Department for Education
- Working together to safeguard children, Department for Education
- Dental mythbuster 29: Safeguarding adults, children and young people at risk, CQC
- RCGP safeguarding standards for general practice
Related guides
- What is level 3 safeguarding training?
- What level of safeguarding training do I need to work in a school?
- Safeguarding levels in dentistry
- KCSiE 2026: what’s new?
- The difference between child protection and safeguarding training
Not sure which level or course is right for you? Call us on 01327 552030, email hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, use live chat or browse all of our safeguarding courses.
Safeguarding levels FAQs
Level 1 and Level 2 explained
Level 2 safeguarding training teaches you how to respond to a concern. For example, you learn to record concerns, share information and make referrals. In UK healthcare, two intercollegiate frameworks define it.
Level 1 is the foundation level for everyone in a healthcare setting. It covers the signs of abuse, harm and neglect, who to report to and the basics of the law. The adults’ framework suggests about 2 hours over three years.
Level 1 is about recognising signs of abuse and knowing who to tell. Level 2 then builds on this and teaches you to respond, record and refer. All healthcare staff need Level 1, while staff with regular patient or public contact also need Level 2.
Other safeguarding levels
UK healthcare frameworks have five levels plus a board level. They run from Level 1 (recognition) to Level 5 (strategic oversight). However, schools, sport and other sectors do not use official levels.
It is Level 2 training for healthcare staff with regular patient, client or public contact. It also covers immediate risk, advocacy, mental capacity and referring to adult social care. The 2024 adults’ framework suggests about 3 hours over three years.
Level 2 is about responding to concerns by recording and referring them. Level 3, by contrast, is for people who act on concerns as part of their clinical or lead role. It also needs more hours and some live or face-to-face learning.
Requirements and dental teams
In healthcare, anyone with regular contact with patients, families or the public needs Level 2. That includes roles such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists, dental teams and reception staff in services that see children. Other sectors have no official Level 2, but everyone working with children needs foundation training.
No single law requires everyone to complete Level 2. Statutory guidance and regulation make safeguarding training a requirement for many roles instead, including KCSiE for schools, the EYFS for early years and CQC regulations for healthcare. Your employer decides which level you need.
All clinical dental staff need at least Level 2. However, the 2025 children’s framework says some dental roles may need Level 3. This mainly applies to clinicians who regularly treat children or lead safeguarding in their practice.
Timing, renewal and online training
There is no fixed national expiry. The children’s framework recommends a yearly update for Levels 1 and 2. The adults’ framework instead spreads learning over three years. Many employers renew every two or three years, and our certificates last two years.
The adults’ framework suggests about 3 hours of Level 2 learning every three years. Most online Level 2 courses, though, take one to three hours.
Yes. Both healthcare frameworks allow online, face-to-face or mixed Level 1 and Level 2 training. From Level 3 upwards, healthcare staff also need live or interactive learning.
Level 2 builds on Level 1, so your training must cover the Level 1 content too. You can take it separately before Level 2 or as part of your Level 2 course. After that, you only need to refresh at that level.
Last updated: September 2026. This guide summarises the current frameworks and statutory guidance. Always check the full guidance and your employer’s training needs analysis.