The DSL Checklist – 5 Non-Negotiable Safeguarding Audit Points
- Nov 24, 2025
- 2 min read
The ISI Annual Review of Inspections (2024-2025) reported that 82.1% of schools met the standards. Importantly, most unmet standards were related to welfare, health, and safety of pupils. Safeguarding, of course, is the golden thread that runs through every aspect of school life.
Therefore, here is a Top 5 for DSLs to consider in terms implementing an audit to inform their practice.
1. ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’ – this widely used phrase fits perfectly with the provision of high impact safeguarding and child protection. Whilst the ISI Annual Review states that there was strong evidence of positive safeguarding cultures across the 500+ inspections in 2024-2025, it remains true that ‘culture’ must evolve, be nurtured and develop.
Challenges include staff turnover – both in terms of teaching and operations, consistency of implementation, continuity of approach and the delivery of robust safeguarding training/education to all stakeholders.
2. Case Management – It is essential that each DSL in every school identifies the way that software solutions will work most effectively in their setting, i.e. they are not ‘off the shelf’ solutions and the implementation must be constantly reviewed. DSLs must ensure chronologies are carefully monitored, external referrals are easily identifiable, all decisions are recorded and that there is clear mitigation in terms of drift and/or delay.
Accurate and detailed recording of incidents of child-on-child abuse - across the 9 stated categories - is a non-negotiable (KCSIE 2025 – Paragraph 33)
3. Multi-Agency Working – Safeguarding and Child Protection should also involve collaboration, both in terms of internal and external stakeholders. Importantly, DSLs must ensure that parents/carers are engaged as safeguarding partners. DSLs must be confident that, in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (updated 2023), the school is ‘plugged’ into statutory partner pathways, i.e. Children’s Social Care, Police and Health.
Of course, in terms of Allegations against Staff and Volunteers (ASVs) and Low Level Concerns (LLCs) , the DSL must develop an excellent relationship with the LADO.
4. Safer Recruitment – The DSL is the local KCSIE expert in any school. As such, the DSL should be involved and consulted in Safer Recruitment practices. In 2024-2025, ISI Inspectors found, in some schools, that leaders did not ensure that recruitment checks were completed or recorded accurately.
Whilst the DSL will not be the ‘lead agency’ in this work, it is vital that they contribute to policies and procedures relating to, for example, the online checks process, DBS renewal policies, recruitment of short-term/agency staff, temporary/infrequent staff, e.g. coaches, risk assessment, safeguarding competency at interview, training etc.
5. Learning Lessons – DSLs must be able to show evidence of reviewing, evaluating and refining practice. The willingness to learn from situations where things did not go as hoped, including mistakes (DSLs are humans, too!) is essential. Humility is an essential quality in a DSL. There should be no ego in safeguarding!
Words by Jeff Kayne
