https://safeguardingsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/KCSIE_2026_Final_Changes_Highlighted.pdf
Here’s a summary of the key change:
📌 Racism and discrimination are now explicit safeguarding issues. Not just an Equality Act reference, staff are expected to recognise the impact on a child’s welfare and willingness to seek help. Check your child-on-child abuse training and relevant policies name this specifically.
📌 The definition of sexual abuse has been reworded and expanded. Clearer wording on penetration, online abuse, and the fact that children are more likely to know their abuser. Age-of-consent statements are now stated plainly – under 13s can never legally consent; under 16 is an offence regardless of agreement.
📌 Consensual image sharing between peers gets new clarity. Similar-age, consensual sharing may not be abusive but is still illegal. Non-consensual sharing remains both illegal and abusive – your response needs to distinguish between the two.
📌 Information sharing updates. The standalone Information Sharing Duty guidance is coming “shortly” (not just “in due course”), plus new detail on sharing special category data and a SAR clarification schools will want to know about.
📌 Both key flowcharts have been redesigned. If you’ve built these into policies, handbooks or training slides, swap them out.
⚠️ A renumbering note: new paragraphs earlier in the document have shifted numbering throughout. If your policies cite KCSIE by paragraph number, check every reference against the final version.
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