Safeguarding Reviews

All schools and Multi-academy trusts will have a legal responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under Section 175/157 of the Education Act 2002. 

The safeguarding review has been designed to help safeguarding leads establish what is currently in place and then consider any developments that may be required to improve safeguarding practice. 

Reviews are undertaken by Robin Brivio and Claire Ray both previously KCC senior safeguarding advisor and Head of Service respectively. Both are Social Work England registered social workers with extensive child protection experience. It was their ground breaking work with the local authority that came up with a review tool and was primarily authored and updated by Robin Brivio. The reviews are not simply about whether schools are meeting their statutory requirements but provide a focus on whether children in the school are safeguarded in the most effective and best way possible.  

Responsibility and follow up actions 

School leaders and governors retain ultimate responsibility for the policies, procedures and processes in their school. As an independent consultant and a registered social worker they are accountable for any advice they offer. As a social worker's Claire and Robin have a responsibility to ensure all children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted throughout their work. The aim of this review is to work in collaboration with settings but to be open and honest where improvements may be needed. In discussion with settings, depending on any issues highlighted, there maybe a need to agree on a follow up activity to explore any actions that might have been suggested. This includes highlighting practice which is assessed as potentially placing children at risk of harm and advising the appropriate agencies where necessary. As ESS consultants are independent and do not work for the local authority they can also explore what can be done to support you as a team and if need be challenge our multi-agency partners. Vitally, you are our customers alongside the children. 

The review toolkit write up that has been re-designed in 2025 will have a rating section and action plan grid that settings have the option to use to help them going forward to continue improving their safeguarding practice. This can be completed by your settings and not by the consultant from ESS visiting the school.  

Our method involves the expectation that a member of the school safeguarding team completes a self-review tool prior to ESS visiting the school. On the visit they will speak with pupils and staff and check documentation to confirm the information shared by the senior leaders during a meeting to discuss the self-review tool. The visit will also provide an opportunity to observe whether the school is demonstrating a safe culture. Once the day has finished ESS will provide the setting with a comprehensive write up of the visit with observations, recommendations and resources that can be explored further.   

Monitoring visits 

 ESS can also provide a visit to audit the safeguarding records held by the setting where it has been identified that there is not a need to repeat a full safeguarding review. In this they will do a deep dive into the records held on a number of children in a school.   This visit will not result in a formal report.