Working Together to Safeguard Children – May Update

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

New Materials to Support Working Together to Safeguard Children

The UK government’s statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, was updated on 8 May 2025. 

Whilst there are no statutory changes to practice, this update includes the addition of an illustrated guide, an animated video and details of a toolkit for children, young people and their families and practitioners working with them.

Whether you’re a teacher, healthcare provider, social worker or anyone with safeguarding duties, these new tools are fantastic for children and young people to gain a really good understanding of what safeguarding means for them and how children can be supported.

These resources were co-produced with children, young people and the Department for Education’s Social Care Advisory Board, facilitated by the National Children’s Bureau. The aim is to ensure that safeguarding practices are transparent and that children and families are well-informed about the support systems available to them.

In the next paragraph, we look in more detail at what resources were produced.

Illustrated Guide for Children and Families

One of the most valuable additions is a child-friendly illustrated guide created specifically for children, young people and their families. It is colourful, engaging and age-appropriate, the guide breaks down complex safeguarding information into relatable content. This includes:

• Explains safeguarding clearly and looks at how children can be protected from harm at home, in school, online and in their community.
  
• Describes what happens when a concern is raised, how professionals respond and the steps involved in keeping children safe in a child-friendly way.
  
• Emphasises the importance of speaking up, reinforcing the message that children’s views are listened to and can help make a difference.
  
• Includes real-life stories of children who have been through safeguarding processes.

You can view the guide here.

Animated Video

To build on the illustrated guide, the DfE has also released an animated video helping professionals communicate safeguarding concepts in a way that children can understand. It is specifically designed to explain how individuals and organisations collaborate to help, support and protect children and provides a clear overview of safeguarding processes. You can view the animated guide on YouTube here.

Toolkit

Accompanying the animated video is a practical toolkit intended for use by practitioners working with children and families. This toolkit offers resources to facilitate discussions about safeguarding, helping children and young people understand their rights and the support available to them. To access the toolkit, practitioners can request it by emailing: workingtogether.statutoryguidance@education.gov.uk

Summary

These resources bring safeguarding scenarios to life through accessible storytelling and clear visuals and provide practical support for professionals with ready-to-use materials that can be incorporated into lessons, conversations and one-to-one interactions.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and encourage anyone and everyone working with children to read the guide, watch the video and access the toolkit, so that we can all keep children safe whilst including them with a child-centred approach.

For more detailed information and to access the full suite of resources, you can visit the official DfE page on “Working Together to Safeguard Children”.

If you would like more help choosing the best safeguarding course for yourself or your organisation, you can get in touch with our friendly customer service team by calling us on 01327 552030, emailing us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk or using the contact form on our website.