https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3535926422bec01b117860/Lead_Child_Protection_Practitioner_Standards.pdf
Department for Education has published the Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP) standards, back in June. They set out the knowledge and skills required for this expert role within multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs), which become a statutory requirement in 2027.
Every area is expected to have MACPTs in place by March 2027 – making this important reading for Designated Safeguarding Leads in schools.
Some reflections for school DSLs as MACPTs develop locally:
🏫 Schools hold unique, day-to-day knowledge of children’s lives – attendance, behaviour, relationships and changes in presentation – that will be invaluable to LCPP formulation and planning
📝 The standards place significant emphasis on precise, analytical recording – a shared professional commitment that strengthens multi-agency decision making
🤝 LCPPs will lead strategy discussions and Section 47 enquiries – understanding their role helps DSLs engage as confident, equal partners in that process
⚠️ The standards are clear that information sharing alone is not enough – professional judgement, actively contributed by all agencies including schools, is what drives effective analysis
👁️ Extra-familial harm, including online harm, is explicitly within scope – schools are often best placed to identify early indicators
📋 Where child protection plans are in place, schools will be key contributors to reviewing progress and identifying when harm is not reducing
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