Recommendation 61: Nationally accredited safeguarding training in schools
From The Residential Schools Investigation Report, published 1 March 2022.
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: set nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools; make the highest level of safeguarding training mandatory for headteachers, designated safeguarding leads in England or designated safeguarding persons in Wales, designated safeguarding governors, or the proprietor or head of the proprietorial body; and undertake an urgent review in order to improve the provision and effectiveness of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for children with special educational needs and disabilities, both for children who are in mainstream settings and for those in special schools.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked the Department for Education to establish accredited school safeguarding training standards. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, in a summary of June 2022 published in July 2022, recorded that the UK Government pledged to consider setting accredited standards and had strengthened guidance for headteachers and designated safeguarding leads (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022). The summary noted that the government also planned an evaluation of relationships and sex education, including in special schools, though training for school governors or proprietors was not mentioned (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022). It also reported that the Welsh Government was developing training standards through Social Care Wales for independent schools and considering reviewing its Relationships and Sexuality Education Code for children with additional learning needs (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Department for Education has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
The tracker describes this as a long-term recommendation: systemic or cultural, with no single completion point.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (25 July 2022)
On 30 June 2022, the UK government stated that it will further consider setting nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools. It also stated that Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance was strengthened and sets a ‘strong framework’ for a higher level of training to be undertaken by designated safeguarding leads and headteachers. The UK government also stated a national evaluation of Relationships and Sex Education implementation, including in special schools, is planned and that it would consider the options for a specific piece of work to support teachers of Relationships and Sex Education in special schools. On 30 June 2022, the Welsh Government stated National Minimum Safeguarding Training Standards and a framework training requirements by role are being developed by Social Care Wales. This will apply to independent schools. It also stated that as part of the strengthening of the independent school regulations, options for strengthening the requirements for safeguarding training and prescribing the levels of training for those identified in the recommendation will be considered. In addition, it will consider the provision and effectiveness of its new Relationships and Sexuality Education Code for children with additional learning needs in Wales.
From: Recommendations - Residential schools investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Residential Schools investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 25 July 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding