Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

Local authorities have a duty to work under the Children Act 1989 and Children act 2004 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are in need and have an obligation of ensuring that children in need of protection in their areas are protected from significant harm. Policies which safeguard schools must develop a range of policies which ensure the safety, security and well-being of their pupils. These will set out the responsibilities of staff and the procedures that they must follow. Policies may be separate or incorporated into one health and safety policy, but they must include sections which cover the following issues of:

● safeguarding and protecting, and procedures for reporting
● e-safety
● bullying, including cyber-bullying

The department for Education (DFE) issues guidance for local authorities and schools:

Legislation and guidance
The legislative framework for the child protection system in England is the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004.
The Department for Education issues guidance to local authorities. The current guidance is working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (HM Government, 2013). Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) use this guidance to produce their own procedures which should be followed by practitioners and professionals who come into contact with children and their families in that particular local authority area.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards and children's services
England's 148 Local Safeguarding Children Boards are responsible for ensuring that the key agencies involved in safeguarding children work effectively together in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at the local level. Their core membership is set out in Working together and includes local authorities, health bodies, the police and two lay members The Act also requires every local authority in England to appoint a Director of Children's