Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Safeguarding

13 November 2025 · Department for Education

Proposed by Bridget Phillipson Lab Houghton and Sunderland South

Safeguarding & DBS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

View on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Key points

  • The government announces measures to strengthen child protection in response to the death of Sara Sharif.
  • Compulsory Children Not in School registers will be introduced to enhance child safeguarding practices.
  • Increased investment in prevention services and improvements in information sharing are proposed to bolster child protection.

Issue summary

The statement addresses the tragic death of Sara Sharif and outlines actions taken by the government to improve child safeguarding practices.

Action requested

The minister announces measures to strengthen child protection, including the introduction of compulsory Children Not in School registers, improvements in information sharing, and increased investment in prevention services. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is highlighted as a key legislative tool for these reforms.

Key facts

  • Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into Sara Sharif's case has been published by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership.
  • The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aims to improve clarity of information sharing and help ensure children not in school are safe.
  • Compulsory Children Not in School registers will empower local authorities to better identify children needing support and protection.
  • Investment in prevention services is being more than doubled.
  • Family Help services will provide a single offer of support for families, reducing the need for multiple handovers between different professionals.
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