The Department for Education (DfE) has published a ‘call for evidence’ to help shape the safeguarding policy and practice for Out-of-School Settings. Out-of-School Settings (OOSS) include a wide variety of settings, including church-based Sunday schools, church or non-church youth groups (including those which take place in private dwellings), after-school clubs, community activities, uniformed groups (such as the Scouts and Girls Brigade), tuition lessons and ‘religious supplementary sessions’.
All Churches and organisations who work with Children and Young People (CYPs) have the opportunity to contribute to this exercise, and to share their perspectives of how they ensure that the CYPs they work with are kept safe from harm. DfE are also asking for views on whether the government should introduce a registration-based approach for all OOSS, potentially also with a regulation-based approach to ensure compliance with nationally set safeguarding standards.
Thirtyone:eight (a CTE Charity and Network in Association) have been working with the UK Christian Youth Work Consortium and CTE to ensure that as many Christian groups as possible are aware of this ‘call for evidence’, and the proposals being explored within this exercise.
Thirtyone:eight have put together a helpful guide and briefing paper to accompany this proposal on their website.
You can contribute to the ‘call for evidence’ here. Contributions can be made until 21 August 2025.