Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2023

What is Working Together to Safeguarding Children?

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 is statutory guidance, published by the UK Government. The guidance is designed to ensure that multi-agency working is in place and effective, to help, protect and promote the welfare of children. 

As stated within the Guidance, “Nothing is more important than children’s welfare. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support. This requires individuals, agencies, and organisations to be clear about their own and each other’s roles and responsibilities, and how they work together.”

Within the guidance, “a child” is defined as a young person who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. 

For the purposes of this guidance, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: 

  • providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
  • protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
  • preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
  • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

What does Working Together to Safeguard Children cover? 

The guidance covers three key areas, which are: 

  1. The legislative requirements that apply to individuals, organisations and agencies
  2. A framework for the three local safeguarding partners (the local authority, an ICB for an area, any part of which falls within the local authority area, and the Chief Constable for police for a police area, any part of which falls within the local authority area) to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of local children, including identifying and responding to their needs
  3. The framework for the two child death review partners (the local authority and any ICB for an area, any part of which falls within the local authority area) to make arrangements to review all deaths of children normally resident in the local area, and if they consider it appropriate, for those not normally resident in the area

Who is Working Together to Safeguard Children for? 

The guidance should be read and followed by leaders, managers and frontline practitioners of the following organisations and agencies: 

  • local authorities and district councils that provide children’s and other types of services, including children’s and adult social care, public health, housing, sport, culture and leisure services, licensing authorities and youth services
  • NHS organisations and agencies and the independent sector, including NHS England, ICBs, NHS Trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts and general practitioners
  • the police, including Police and Crime Commissioners and the Chief Officer of each police force in England and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, where they exist
  • the British Transport Police
  • the Probation Service
  • governors or directors of prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs)
  • directors of secure training centres (STCs)
  • youth offending teams (YOTs)
  • maintained schools (including maintained nurseries)
  • independent schools (including academies, free schools, alternative provision academies) and non-maintained special schools
  • pupil referral units
  • early years providers
  • organisations and agencies working with children and families 

Everyone who provides support to children, young people and their families should read Working Together to Safeguard Children and they should ensure they are aware of how this guidance relates to their practice, to ensure that they support children, young people and their families to achieve the most positive outcomes possible.

What information is included in Working Together to Safeguard Children? 

The guidance includes a raft of information to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The information is set out into the following sections: 

  • Chapter 1 – A Shared Responsibility
  • Chapter 2 – Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements
  • Chapter 3 – Providing Help, Support and Protection
  • Chapter 4 – Organisational Responsibilities
  • Chapter 5 – Learning from Serious Child Safeguarding Incidents
  • Chapter 6 – Child Death Reviews 

Key Documents 

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (summary of changes)

Children's Social Care National Framework 2023

Children's Social Care National Framework 2023 (easy read)

Children's Social Care National Framework 2023 (illustrated guide)