Record keeping

Safeguarding records for children

'Keeping Children Safe in Education' states:

"All concerns, discussions and decisions made, and the reasons for those decisions, should be recorded in writing. Information should be kept confidential and stored securely. It is good practice to keep concerns and referrals in a separate child protection file for each child. Records should include:

A clear and comprehensive summary of the concern;
Details of how the concern was followed up and resolved; and
A note of any action taken, decisions reached and the outcome."

It is important for children to receive the right help at the right time to address safeguarding risks, prevent issues escalating and to promote children's welfare.

Auditing of pupil safeguarding records

In order to support reflective safeguarding practice and ensure statutory requirements are met, DSLs should consider quality assurance checks of safeguarding records. Regular audit of records will enable identification of strengths and areas of development in record keeping, development of improvement actions which can be reviewed over time for progress.

Guidance for Schools & Colleges: Child Protection Record Keeping and the Transfer of Child Protection Records (Word doc) [69KB] sets out information and potential questions and framework to use when quality assuring and evaluating child protection records. This guidance as well as other helpful documents relating to record keeping can be found on our Safeguarding forms and templates webpage.

Front sheet for CP records
Chronology
Recording form for safeguarding concerns
Template for meetings
Template for telephone calls

When there has been a report of sexual violence, the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) should make an immediate risk and needs assessment. Where there has been a report of sexual harassment, the need for a risk assessment should be considered on a case-by-case basis. The risk and needs assessment for a report of sexual violence should consider:

the victim, especially their protection and support
whether there may have been other victims
the alleged perpetrator(s)
all the other children, (and, if appropriate, adult students and staff) at the school or college, especially any actions that are appropriate to protect them from the
alleged perpetrator(s), or from future harms, and
the time and location of the incident, and any action required to make the location safer.

The risk assessment/s should be recorded (paper or electronic) and should be kept under review. A risk assessment tool for harmful sexual behaviour is available.

Records relating to staff and other adults who work or support in education settings

'Keeping Children Safe in Education' states:

"Details of allegations following an investigation that are found to have been malicious or false should be removed from personnel records, unless the individual gives their consent for retention of the information. However, for all other allegations, i.e. substantiated, unfounded and unsubstantiated it is important that the following information is kept on the file of the person accused:

A clear and comprehensive summary of the allegation;
Details of how the allegation was followed up and resolved;
A note of any action taken, and decisions reached and the outcome as categorised above;
A copy provided to the person concerned, where agreed by children's social care or the police; and
A declaration on whether the information will be referred to in any future reference."

The purpose of the record is to enable accurate information to be given in response to any future request for a reference. It will provide clarification in cases where future DBS checks reveal information from the police about an allegation that did not result in a criminal conviction and it will help to prevent unnecessary re-investigation if, as sometimes happens, an allegation re-surfaces after a period of time.

Schools and colleges have an obligation to preserve records which contain information about allegations of sexual abuse for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), for the term of the inquiry (further information can be found on the IICSA website). All other records should be retained at least until the accused has reached normal pension age or for a period of 10 years from the date of the allegation if that is longer."

"Records should be reviewed so that potential patterns of inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour can be identified. Where a pattern of such behaviour is identified, the school or college should decide on a course of action, either through its disciplinary procedures or where a pattern of behaviour moves from a low-level concern to meeting the harm threshold, in which case it should be referred to the LADO. Consideration should also be given to whether there are wider cultural issues within the school or college that enabled the behaviour to occur and where appropriate policies could be revised, or extra training delivered to minimise the risk of it happening again. It is for schools and colleges to decide how long they retain such information, but it is recommended that it is retained at least until the individual leaves their employment."

Related files and downloads

Guidance for schools and colleges: Child protection record keeping and the transfer of child protection records
Front sheet for child protection records
Chronology for child protection records
Draft recording form for safeguarding concerns
Template record of telephone conversation
Template record of meeting
Risk assessment tool for harmful sexual behaviour in schools

These can all be found on our Safeguarding forms and templates webpage.