Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people who have experienced abuse are able to access support services if they disclose domestic abuse in school; and what support is provided to teachers to deal with such disclosure.

The department’s statutory safeguarding guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) includes detailed information about all forms of harm and abuse, including domestic abuse, its impact on children and how to recognise the signs. KCSIE sets out that all school and college staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated. Every school and college should have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who will provide advice and support to staff to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise closely with other services such as children’s social care. KCSIE is clear that if staff have any concerns about a child and/or a child makes a disclosure, they should follow the school or college’s child protection policy, and speak to the DSL to seek support and advice on what to do next. Where a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer harm, it is important that a referral to children’s social care, and if appropriate the police, is made immediately.

Local authority children’s social care should act as the principal point of contact for safeguarding concerns relating to children. Once a referral has been accepted, the lead practitioner role falls to a social worker. For children who are in need of immediate protection and removal is required, action must be taken by the social worker, the police or the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, as soon as possible after the referral has been made. It is essential that social workers provide effective support to children and families affected by domestic abuse. Our children’s social care reform programme is working to improve social work practice across the country through initial education, continued professional development and tougher professional regulation.