Working Together 2023- updated Guidance and information briefing

The Department for Education (DfE) published a new edition of its statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children in December 2023.

This 2023 edition replaces Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, which underwent a limited factual update in 2020.

The guidance outlines what organisations and agencies must and should do to help, protect and promote the welfare of all children and young people under the age of 18 in England.

The NSPCC have created a useful briefing outlining the main changes in the 2023 edition, including updates around:

• multi-agency expectations for all practitioners

• working with parents and families

• clarifying the roles and responsibilities of safeguarding partners

• the role of education and childcare providers

• multi-agency practice standards

• support for disabled children

• tackling harm that occurs outside the home.

The NSPCC Briefing can be found here.

Working Together 2023 can be found here.

Safeguarding Bedfordshire offers Working Together to Safeguard Children (£75 per person), a one-day training course to support those with safeguarding responsibilities to understand multi-agency working.

View our training offer here.