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Introduction The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards was published by the Department for Education to accompany the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The guide provides detailed explanations of the regulations and sets out how children’s homes should interpret and apply them in practice. Its purpose is to support providers, managers and staff to deliver high-quality care and positive outcomes for children and young people living in residential settings. The guide recognises that children living in residential care are often among the most vulnerable in society and may have experienced significant adversity, trauma, neglect or abuse. It emphasises that every child should receive the right placement at the right time and that residential care should be a positive and beneficial experience that helps children to develop, thrive and achieve their potential. Context The guide sits within a wider regulatory framework established by the...

  Introduction   The Information Sharing Duty Statutory Guidance was issued following the introduction of the new information sharing duty within Section 16LA of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which amended the Children Act 2004. The guidance has been produced to address a long-standing problem identified by safeguarding practitioners: uncertainty about when information can legally and appropriately be shared to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.   For many years, safeguarding reviews repeatedly identified poor information sharing in many cases where children experienced significant harm. Practitioners often felt constrained by concerns about confidentiality, consent, data protection legislation, or uncertainty about thresholds for intervention.   This guidance seeks to remove those barriers by creating a clear expectation that relevant information should be shared when doing so may help another agency assess need, identify ris...

  Learning outcomes By the end of the briefing, participants will be able to: 1.       Explain the key KCSIE expectations relating to children who are questioning their gender and requests for support with social transition. 2.      Identify the safeguarding considerations leaders must take into account, including vulnerability, bullying, family context, mental health, psychosocial needs and the welfare of other children. 3.      Describe the school or college decision-making process for considering requests, including parental involvement, DSL input, professional advice, documentation and review. 4.      Understand the governance role in assuring that policies, records, staff practice and leadership decisions are consistent with the updated guidance. Overall aim The briefing should give leadership teams and governance roles a clear understanding of: ·     ...