RLB Safeguarding Ltd | 20 October 2026
The latest safeguarding developments highlight the importance of recognising patterns of harm, responding to emerging risks and ensuring that professional practice is informed by evidence.
This round-up covers significant developments between 17 and 20 October, alongside several recently published resources that deserve attention.
From new national findings about violence against women and girls to updated Prevent guidance, children's rights, online exploitation and recurring failures identified in child safeguarding reviews, there are important implications for organisations working with children and adults.
1. National assessment highlights repeat perpetrators and violence against women and girls
Published: 20 October 2026 | England and Wales
The National Police Chiefs' Council has published findings from a new Strategic Threat Risk Assessment produced by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection.
The assessment identifies significant patterns of abuse and offending.
Key findings include:
Domestic abuse accounts for 65% of violence against women and girls-related offences.
Repeat perpetrators are linked to at least a quarter of offences.
More than half of recorded rape and serious sexual assault offences involve a current or former partner.
Technology-facilitated abuse, including image-based abuse and online coercion, remains an important area of concern.
The findings reinforce the need to recognise repeated patterns of offending, rather than responding to incidents in isolation.
Why this matters for safeguarding
Domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation can involve overlapping risks, repeated victimisation and complex relationships.
For safeguarding professionals, it is essential to consider previous concerns, patterns of behaviour and the wider circumstances affecting victims/survivors.
Organisations should reflect on whether their safeguarding arrangements support effective information sharing, professional curiosity and escalation where repeated harm is identified.
A series of incidents may reveal a pattern of abuse that is not immediately apparent when each concern is considered separately.
2. New Prevent guidance for NHS mental health services
Published: 19 October 2026 | England
The Department of Health and Social Care has published new guidance for NHS mental health services on recognising and responding to susceptibility to radicalisation. The guidance replaces earlier NHS England guidance published in 2017. It provides practical information for clinical and non-clinical staff, alongside specific guidance for Prevent leads.
Areas covered include:
Recognising potential susceptibility to radicalisation.
Understanding the relationship between mental health needs and Prevent concerns.
Making appropriate referrals.
Information sharing and confidentiality.
Working with other agencies.
Supporting individuals through the referral process.
The guidance is non-statutory and supports existing legal responsibilities under the Prevent duty.
Why this matters for safeguarding
Professionals working in mental health services may encounter individuals experiencing complex needs, vulnerabilities or circumstances that require careful assessment. However, mental health conditions, autism or ADHD must not be treated as evidence of radicalisation. Prevent decisions should be based on relevant concerns and individual circumstances, not assumptions or stereotypes.
For healthcare organisations, the guidance provides an opportunity to review staff awareness, referral arrangements, training and safeguarding supervision.
Source: GOV.UK — Prevent guidance for NHS mental health services
3. National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel identifies 10 persistent themes
Published: 13–15 October 2026 | England
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published resources bringing together 10 persistent themes identified across safeguarding reviews involving children who have died or experienced serious harm.
The themes include:
The child's lived experience.
Understanding the whole family.
Naming and understanding harm.
Understanding and responding to risk.
Information sharing and triangulation.
Positive and skilled engagement with families.
Consent and responding when it is absent.
When cases become stuck.
Stepping back safely.
Culture, leadership and practice conditions.
The Panel has also published resources to support reflection, supervision, strategic leadership and partnership working.
Why this matters for safeguarding
The themes demonstrate that many safeguarding weaknesses are not new.
Difficulties involving information sharing, professional curiosity, risk assessment and multi-agency working continue to appear across serious safeguarding reviews. The challenge is therefore not simply identifying lessons, but ensuring they lead to sustainable changes in practice.
For safeguarding leaders, the resources offer an opportunity to examine whether their organisations are addressing the underlying causes of recurring weaknesses.
Learning from serious safeguarding incidents should influence everyday practice, not remain confined to review reports and action plans.
Source: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel — Persistent themes in safeguarding reviews
4. Record reports of online sexual extortion involving UK children
Published: 9 October 2026 | UK
The Internet Watch Foundation has reported a substantial increase in cases of online sexual extortion involving children and young people.
New figures show that by the end of June 2026, 462 confirmed Report Remove reports involved sexual extortion and child sexual abuse imagery.
This was already 17% higher than the total recorded during the whole of 2025.
Of those confirmed reports, 95% involved boys exclusively.
Sexual extortion, often referred to as sextortion, can involve offenders threatening to share intimate images unless a child pays money, provides further images or complies with other demands.
Why this matters for safeguarding
These findings reinforce the importance of recognising that boys can be particularly vulnerable to this form of exploitation.
Children experiencing sexual extortion may feel ashamed, frightened or unable to disclose what is happening.
Professionals should ensure children understand that they can seek help without being blamed or punished.
Safeguarding responses should prioritise reassurance, immediate safety, appropriate reporting and specialist support.
Organisations should also consider whether online safety education sufficiently addresses coercion, image-based abuse and financial sexual extortion.
Source: Internet Watch Foundation — Record number of UK under-18s facing sextortion
5. New research highlights online gaming risks and early digital experiences
Research published in October 2026 | UK
Two research publications provide important insight into children's digital experiences.
Ofcom: Growing Up Gaming
Ofcom reports that 55% of children who game online play with people they have never met offline at least sometimes.
Meanwhile, 64% of parents of children who game online are concerned about contact with strangers.
Despite this, only 43% of parents set rules about who their children can play with online.
The research highlights the importance of understanding who children interact with through gaming platforms, not simply how much time they spend gaming.
Source: Ofcom — Stranger danger tops parents' online gaming worries
Internet Matters: First Steps in a Digital World
Internet Matters has published research exploring how children aged five and under engage with digital technology.
Findings include:
95% of children in the research had access to at least one digital device.
Average daily screen use was approximately one hour and 22 minutes.
31% of parents were concerned about children accessing age-inappropriate content.
Parents identified the need for clearer guidance and practical support.
Why this matters for safeguarding
Online safety education needs to begin early and develop alongside children's experiences.
For schools, early years settings, youth organisations and parents, this means considering age-appropriate digital experiences, privacy settings, online contact, harmful content and opportunities for open conversations.
Source: Internet Matters — First Steps in a Digital World
6. Updated statutory guidance strengthens the focus on children's advocacy
Updated: 13 October 2026 | England
The Department for Education has replaced its previous guidance on advocacy services with Effective advocacy for looked-after children, children in need and care leavers.
The statutory guidance explains local authority responsibilities concerning advocacy for children and young people who are making, or considering making, complaints under the Children Act 1989.
Why this matters for safeguarding
Children and young people must be supported to understand their rights, express concerns and access appropriate advocacy.
This is particularly important for children in care, care leavers and those who may experience barriers to having their voices heard.
Organisations should consider whether children understand how to raise concerns, whether information is accessible and whether complaints arrangements provide appropriate independence and support.
Children's participation is not simply about asking for their views. It is about ensuring their experiences can influence decisions and responses.
Source: GOV.UK — Advocacy services for children and young people
7. Independent research identifies 1,720 deaths among people experiencing homelessness
Full findings published: 14 October 2026 | UK
The Museum of Homelessness has published findings from its Dying Homeless Project.
Its independent research identified 1,720 people who died while experiencing homelessness during 2025, including 51 children living in temporary accommodation.
The research reports that deaths increased by 6.8% compared with the previous year. It also identifies concerns about incomplete recording and reporting of deaths.
Why this matters for safeguarding
People experiencing homelessness may face overlapping risks involving poor health, exploitation, substance use, domestic abuse, social isolation and barriers to accessing services.
The findings reinforce the importance of recognising the safeguarding needs of adults and children experiencing housing insecurity.
For housing providers, local authorities, health services and safeguarding partnerships, this includes considering how agencies identify risk, coordinate support and learn from deaths and serious incidents.
The figures are drawn from independent research and should not be confused with official national mortality statistics.
Source: Museum of Homelessness — Dying Homeless Project findings
8. Ofsted announces independent complaints review pilot
Published: 16 October 2026 | England
Ofsted has announced a pilot independent complaints review service for state-funded schools inspected during the 2026/27 academic year.
The pilot will allow eligible schools that have complained about an inspection to request an independent review of how their complaint was handled.
Unlike existing arrangements, the review may also consider whether Ofsted's complaint response was fair and reasonable, including issues relating to inspection findings.
Why this matters for safeguarding
Although this is primarily an inspection accountability development rather than a direct safeguarding reform, it is relevant to schools and education leaders.
It highlights the importance of transparent inspection processes, fair challenge and confidence in regulatory oversight.
The pilot does not remove existing safeguarding responsibilities or inspection expectations.
Source: GOV.UK — Ofsted to pilot new independent complaint review service
Additional guidance worth revisiting
Several earlier October publications are also relevant to safeguarding practice, although they fall outside the main reporting window.
Kinship care guidance — updated 2 October 2026
The Department for Education updated statutory guidance to reflect new duties under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 and national kinship standards.
Read the updated kinship care guidance
Safeguarding children affected by parental alcohol or drug use — updated 1 October 2026
The Department of Health and Social Care updated guidance for adult treatment and recovery services, with additional emphasis on trauma, stigma, workforce expectations and the perinatal period.
A new self-assessment checklist supports commissioners and providers in reviewing their arrangements.
Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism — published 9 October 2026
The final review examines rising demand, inequalities, access to support, diagnosis and opportunities for earlier intervention.
Its findings are relevant to inclusive practice and service accessibility, although the report is not itself new statutory safeguarding guidance.
RLB Reflection: Are We Turning Safeguarding Knowledge into Effective Practice?
Across these developments, several common themes emerge.
Safeguarding professionals need to recognise patterns of harm rather than responding to incidents in isolation.
They need to understand people's experiences, including the effects of trauma, exploitation, discrimination and unmet support needs.
They must also ensure that information is shared appropriately, risks are reassessed and concerns are followed through.
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's work is a particularly important reminder that identifying safeguarding lessons does not automatically lead to improvement.
Organisations must consider whether learning is reflected in supervision, training, policies, leadership decisions and everyday professional practice.
The challenge is not simply knowing what good safeguarding looks like. It is ensuring that good safeguarding happens consistently.
How RLB Safeguarding can help
RLB supports organisations across education, charities, health and social care, housing, sport and workplaces through independent audits, consultancy, training, safeguarding supervision and leadership development.
We help organisations strengthen their safeguarding arrangements, respond to emerging risks and demonstrate effective practice.
Safeguarding people of all ages, in all places. Beyond compliance.