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Designated Safeguarding Leads and their Deputies are required to refresh their knowledge at least annually.
Stay fully up to date with the latest developments at the Designated Safeguarding Lead Annual Update Conference - the essential event for DSLs and school leaders responsible for safeguarding practice.
This focused one-day conference provides a comprehensive and practical update on safeguarding for 2026, including proposed changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the evolving expectations of Ofsted and safeguarding partners. Expert speakers will guide you through what these changes mean in practice, helping you to identify the key actions required ahead of September 2026.
You will explore some of the most complex challenges facing DSLs today, including harmful sexual behaviour and child-on-child abuse, contextual safeguarding beyond the school gates, affluent neglect, and managing cases that fall ‘just below threshold’. The conference will also support you to move beyond policy into confident, consistent safeguarding decision-making in real-world scenarios.
You will also gain clarity on the Online Safety Act, emerging forms of digital harm and exploitation, including AI-related risks, and your new responsibilities around mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. Alongside this, you will begin to prepare for forthcoming guidance relating to supporting children who are questioning their gender.
Packed with practical insights, actionable strategies and the latest guidance from leading safeguarding specialists, this conference will ensure your school is confident, compliant and well prepared to strengthen and sustain a robust culture of safeguarding excellence.
Who should attend?
Designated Safeguarding Leads, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, Assistant Heads, Deputy Heads, Headteachers, Pastoral Leads and any other member of the school staff who wish to update their safeguarding knowledge.
This conference will enable you to:
Get a comprehensive safeguarding update on new legislation, statutory guidance and inspection changes for 2026.
Understand proposed updates to KCSIE for 2026 and Working Together and how they impact school policies and practice.
Begin preparing for guidance of supporting pupils who are questioning their gender.
Strengthen your approach to harmful sexual behaviour and child-on-child abuse, including culture change and complex case management.
Audit and improve safeguarding provision in line with the safeguarding standards from September 2025.
Apply contextual safeguarding principles to risks such as grooming, sextortion, gambling and wider exploitation.
Meet new responsibilities for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse and understand associated legal and multi-agency processes.
Recognise and respond to affluent neglect, including hidden harms and indicators.
Improve decision-making in ‘just below threshold’ cases, using escalation, challenge and professional curiosity effectively.
Enhance online safety practice in response to the Online Safety Act, Ofcom guidance and emerging digital risks.
