Enriching Education - Beyond Compliance: The DSL’s guide to creating a school-wide culture of safeguarding

Schools are now carrying more of society’s safeguarding responsibilities than ever, and the Child Protection Lead sits at the centre. According to a recent UK survey, 93% of UK teachers reported that, over the last year, the number of safeguarding referrals made within their school had increased.¹ Around 1,700 children are referred to social care every day in England – much of this is signposted by schools themselves.²

Meanwhile, the risks that young people face continue to evolve, from harmful content spreading online to the ongoing impact of child poverty and rising mental health challenges. Even pop culture has begun to reflect these concerns: earlier this year, the Netflix series Adolescence pushed school-age risk and responsibility into the mainstream conversation, reminding us what can be at stake when it comes to safeguarding young people. 

At the same time, statutory guidance keeps evolving, with the UK Department of Education’s updated Keeping Children Safe in Education report released last September – a lengthy document that time-pressed Child Protection Lead's are expected to be familiar with.³ All this adds up to a simple truth that Child Protection Lead's know all too well: responsibility for safeguarding is simply too much for one individual. To be truly effective and sustainable, it must be a shared, embedded culture.

In her new book, Beyond Compliance, Delyth Lynch draws on over 15 years’ experience as a Child Protection Lead and expert in her field to set out a practical, sustainable approach to safeguarding that is embedded across all aspects of school life. It serves as both a mirror for schools to reflect on their culture and vulnerabilities, and a map outlining steps for lasting safeguarding improvement.  

Combining clear theory with case studies and ready-to-use tools, the book shows readers how to continuously improve their practise using a cyclical strategy of assessment, review and action. Readers can dip into specific chapters for practical guidance, or read more deeply to engage with the research and theory underpinning safeguarding practice. Above all, it is a source of encouragement and reassurance, reminding Child Protection Lead's that safeguarding is a shared responsibility, not a burden to carry alone.

Delyth Lynch has over 25 years’ experience of teaching and senior leadership in education and is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading experts in safeguarding, particularly in the independent sector. She speaks regularly about the issue of culture within schools and the work that she has pioneered at Wellington College around values, behaviours and attitudes.