Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of safeguarding legislation in ensuring that organisations outside of formal education settings comply with statutory guidance.

This government is committed to safeguarding children. We believe the majority of the out-of-school settings sector does a good job, providing safe and enriching education and activities for children.

Providers have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of children who attend their setting and protect them from harm. Local authorities are also legally responsible for safeguarding children in their areas and, when there are concerns, the department expects them to intervene using the wide range of powers available to them.

In December 2023, the department updated the statutory safeguarding guidance 'Working together to safeguard children' to strengthen multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection.

We have already acted to improve sector safety by updating the safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school setting providers and accompanying guidance for parents and carers, both in September 2023. We will also publish new e-learning for out-of-school providers and strengthened guidance for local authorities.

In addition, the department will publish a call for evidence in due course to help us improve our understanding of safeguarding in out-of-school settings and to gather information on potential approaches to enhance the safety of these settings.