Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2026
On 18 March 2026 the Department for Education (DfE) published refreshed versions of the following two pieces of key statutory guidance:
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 (Working Together)
- Children’s Social Care National Framework 2026 (National Framework)
The following is a message from the DfE for your information:
There has been a more targeted update to Working Together, reinforcing the continued commitment to strengthening multi‑agency help, support and protection. Updates include:
- Aligning with Families First Partnership programme reforms, including clarifying that Family Help now brings together Targeted Early Help and Section 17 support into a single, more seamless offer.
- Reinforcing expectations for multi-agency child protection.
- Strengthening responses to child sexual abuse, domestic abuse and the safeguarding of babies, unborn children and children in any care arrangement, including those who are looked after.
- Streamlining the chapter on learning from serious safeguarding incidents to provide clearer direction on when and how incidents should be notified and reviewed.
- A stronger focus on anti-racist, anti-discriminatory and culturally informed practice.
The National Framework was first published in December 2023 alongside the previous update to Working Together. Following stakeholder engagement undertaken during autumn 2025, the National Framework has been reviewed. Updates include:
- Strengthening the language to align with the direction of CSC reform, recognising that this is the context which all local authorities are now operating in. This has included updating the purpose of children’s social care to reflect the importance of early intervention and providing the right help at the right time.
- Reflecting key publications and policy developments since December 2023, e.g. Practice Guides published by Foundations (What Works Centre for Children and Families) which showcase interventions proven to support the National Framework outcomes.
- Re-ordering of outcomes 2 and 3 and bringing the outcomes chapters to the start of the document.
- Improving useability of the document – in response to feedback from the sector. The revisions make the guidance shorter and more usable, setting clear expectations for practice whilst retaining the existing principles, outcomes and enablers.
Your feedback has been invaluable in shaping these updates and strengthening both pieces of guidance to support improved outcomes for children, young people and families.
Please share both guidance documents across your organisations, and use them to inform and shape best practice within your local area.
To support you to continue embedding both pieces of guidance into practice:
- We have updated our improving practice webpage, including case studies of how local authorities have embedded the National Framework.
- We are offering webinars in April to support understanding of the updated guidance and make it clear how both pieces interact with other guidance, reform and inspection. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A. Sign up to the webinars through the links below:
- We have the Children’s Social Care Dashboard, which uses a national set of indicators, to help central and local government understand progress towards the children’s social care outcomes, and support learning and improvement at a local, regional, and national level.
- We have commissioned Foundations (What Works Centre for Children and Families) to produce a series of Practice Guides, showcasing which interventions are proven to support achievement of the outcomes in the National Framework.
We welcome feedback on the revisions, and any questions, to the following mailboxes:
Thank you for engaging with the updated guidance.