Safeguarding

Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE) identifies education settings as an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children. It recognises their staff as being in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, and prevent concerns from escalating. The Statutory Framework sets out the legal framework for safeguarding in early years settings and the information and resources on these safeguarding pages support that.

Education Safeguarding Team

In Essex, we have an Education Safeguarding Team which covers all education settings and all early years settings. The team members are:

Jo Barclay, Head of Education Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Matthew Lewis, Senior Education Safeguarding Adviser
Alex Darvill, Senior Education Safeguarding Adviser
Derai Lewis-Jones, Education Safeguarding Adviser (North-East)
Samantha Stevens, Education Safeguarding Adviser (Mid)
Emma Roles, Education Safeguarding Adviser (South)
Jo Sullivan, Education Safeguarding Adviser (West)
Gemma Harris, Education Safeguarding Officer (MARAC)
Clare Wallis, Business Support Assistant

To contact the team, email educationsafeguarding@essex.gov.uk

Key safeguarding information

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. National and local guidance sets out how organisations must work together to keep children safe and promote their welfare.

Working together to safeguard children

Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE, 2026) is statutory guidance that explains how organisations and agencies must work in partnership to keep children safe.

This guidance places a shared and equal duty on three key safeguarding partners

local authorities
police
health services

These organisations must work together through local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

In Essex, safeguarding arrangements are overseen by the Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB). The statutory safeguarding partners are:

Essex County Council
Essex Police
the three NHS Integrated Care Boards covering Essex

Keeping children safe in education

Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2026) is statutory guidance for schools and colleges. It explains the legal duties and responsibilities that education settings must follow to keep children safe.

The guidance should be read alongside:

Early years foundation stage framework

The Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK sets out the legal requirements that early years providers must meet and Section 3 contains the safeguarding and welfare requirements.

SET child protection and safeguarding procedures

In Essex, the SET Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures (ESCB 2026) describe how professionals and organisations in Southend, Essex and Thurrock should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.

The Procedures provide practical guidance for managing safeguarding concerns, sharing information and responding to children who may be a risk of harm.

All professionals must follow these procedures at all times.