Recent guidance and professional resources highlight the importance of effective safeguarding decision-making, information sharing and accountability.
From new Home Office guidance on non-ideological extreme violence to updated Prevent resources and DBS learning, these developments are relevant to safeguarding professionals across education, health, social care, charities and other organisations.
1. Home Office publishes guidance on non-ideological extreme violence
Published: 27 October 2026
Source: Home Office — Non-Ideological Extreme Violence: Interim Guidance
The Home Office has published interim guidance to support professionals responding to concerns involving extreme violence where there is no clear ideological motivation.
The guidance is relevant to children and adults and is intended for professionals across education, health, social care, community safety and policing.
It highlights the importance of multi-agency assessment, information sharing and clear ownership of risk.
A particularly important distinction concerns individuals who do not meet the threshold for Prevent intervention but may nevertheless present serious safeguarding or public protection concerns.
The guidance does not introduce new statutory duties.
What this means for safeguarding practice
Professionals should not assume that a decision not to proceed through Prevent means wider risks have been resolved.
Organisations need clear arrangements for assessing concerns, identifying responsible agencies, escalating unresolved risks and ensuring that responsibility is not lost when cases move between services.
2. Updated Prevent guidance for NHS mental health services
Published: 19 October 2026 | Updated: 27 October 2026
Source: Department of Health and Social Care — Prevent Guidance for NHS Mental Health Services
DHSC has published guidance explaining how NHS mental health professionals can identify and respond to concerns about radicalisation.
It replaces the previous NHS England guidance from 2017.
The publication includes information about referral processes, professional responsibilities, information sharing and considerations involving people with mental health conditions or neurodivergence.
An additional referral-process poster was added on 27 October.
What this means for safeguarding practice
Organisations should ensure that professionals understand the distinction between mental health needs and concerns relating to radicalisation.
Assessments should remain evidence-informed, proportionate and free from assumptions based solely on diagnosis or neurodivergence.
Relevant NHS services should review training, local procedures and referral arrangements against the updated guidance.
3. DBS launches new podcast series on barring responsibilities
Published: 26 October 2026
Source: Disclosure and Barring Service — Safeguarding Podcast Series 3
The Disclosure and Barring Service has released six new episodes of DBS Discussions: Safeguarding in Focus.
The series explores how barring decisions are made and the responsibilities of organisations when concerns arise about individuals working with children or adults at risk.
Topics include the legal duty to refer, the meaning of harm, information sharing and DBS decision-making.
What this means for safeguarding practice
Organisations should ensure that managers, HR professionals and safeguarding leads understand the difference between reporting concerns internally, referring allegations to relevant statutory agencies and making a referral to DBS.
The legal duty to refer should be considered whenever the relevant statutory conditions are met.
This is a professional learning resource, not a change in DBS legislation.
4. New survivor advisory panel announced for child sexual abuse and exploitation
Announced: 26 October 2026
Source: Victims' Commissioner — Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Advisory Panel
The government has announced a new advisory panel bringing together adult survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The panel will be hosted by the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales and is expected to begin work in spring 2027.
It will provide opportunities for survivors to contribute directly to government policy and decisions.
Funding of up to £1 million has been allocated over three years to support the panel's work.
What this means for safeguarding practice
The announcement reinforces the importance of meaningful participation, trauma-informed engagement and ensuring that people with lived experience can influence the systems intended to protect and support them.
Organisations should consider whether consultation with people affected by abuse leads to meaningful changes in policy and practice.
5. Learning from serious safeguarding reviews remains essential
National learning resource
Source: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel — Persistent Themes
The National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel provides resources highlighting recurring issues identified through safeguarding reviews.
Themes include professional curiosity, understanding the child's lived experience, information sharing, escalation and effective multi-agency working.
What this means for safeguarding practice
Review learning should inform safeguarding audits, supervision, training and organisational quality assurance.
Leaders should consider whether learning is embedded into practice and whether changes are evaluated for effectiveness.
The wider safeguarding message
These developments highlight a recurring challenge across safeguarding systems: the importance of ensuring that risks are not overlooked, misunderstood or passed between services without clear accountability.
Strong safeguarding arrangements require professionals to recognise concerns, share information lawfully, exercise professional judgement and ensure that appropriate action follows.
RLB Safeguarding supports organisations to strengthen safeguarding governance, safer recruitment, professional practice and accountability through independent audits, training, consultancy and supervision.