From 1st September 2025, we’ll see the biggest shake-up of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) since the full update in 2021 (with a few tweaks in late 2023 and early 2024). But this isn’t just about red tape, these changes are rooted in real-life lessons and are designed to strengthen safeguarding across the board.
What’s New in Safeguarding?
1. Safer Recruitment and Referencing
Recruitment processes are tightening up. You’ll now need to:
- Obtain references before employment starts (not afterwards)
- Keep clear records of DBS checks, including reference numbers and dates
- Outline your recruitment and vetting processes clearly in your safeguarding policy
References also need to go a bit further. They should clearly state whether the referee believes the applicant is suitable to work with children, and they must include any substantiated safeguarding concerns.
It’s about getting things right from the outset, not relying on assumptions.
2. Tracking Attendance and Unexplained Absences
Unexplained absences can sometimes be an early warning sign that something isn’t right at home.
The updated framework now expects:
- Prompt follow-up on unexplained or prolonged absences
- Contact with all emergency contacts, not just the first listed
- Monitoring of absence patterns or trends over time
Every child should have at least two emergency contacts (ideally more!) That extra name or number could make all the difference.
3. Ongoing Safeguarding Training
Safeguarding training must be ongoing, not a one-off event. In the UK, schools are required to ensure that all staff receive safeguarding and child protection training appropriate to their role, including how to recognise and respond to abuse and neglect.
Key expectations include:
- Initial Training: All new staff should receive safeguarding training during induction, covering key policies, procedures, and reporting mechanisms.
- Role-Specific Content: Training should be tailored to each staff member’s level of responsibility. DSLs, for example, require more in-depth training.
- Regular Updates: All staff must have their knowledge refreshed regularly, with DSLs undertaking full refresher training at least every two years.
Other early years settings are now expected to mirror the standards set in schools. Your safeguarding policy should clearly outline how training is delivered, how often it’s reviewed, and how staff are supported to apply it in practice.
This is about building confidence and competence, not just ticking a box.
4. Safer Eating – With Good Reason
This update is rooted in heartbreak. It follows the tragic choking death of nine-month-old Oliver Steeper in 2021. His case has led to firmer, clearer guidance to help prevent future tragedies.
Key changes include:
- Talking to parents about weaning stages before a child starts, don’t just assume based on age
- Gathering detailed information on dietary needs, allergies, and intolerances and keeping it up to date
- Ensuring a paediatric first aider is not just on site, but within sight and hearing of children while they eat
All staff must know how to recognise and respond to allergies and anaphylaxis. Providers are now required to keep a record of any choking incidents, allowing settings to spot patterns and reduce risks.
It’s about being proactive, not reactive.
5. Whistleblowing and Toileting Privacy
There’s also a renewed emphasis on two important (but often overlooked) areas:
Whistleblowing: Your policy must clearly explain how staff can raise concerns and how they will be supported if they do. This process must be robust and can’t be vague or dismissed.
Toileting and Nappy Changing: Children’s privacy must be respected, but safeguarding oversight remains crucial. The updated guidance now reinforces how to strike that balance effectively.
Why It Matters (Especially for PVIs and Childminders)
If you’re in a PVI setting or working independently, these updates are particularly relevant. Schools often already follow similar procedures, so they may need fewer changes. But for standalone nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders, there may be policy gaps or record-keeping tweaks needed to meet the new standards fully.
Take the safer eating changes, for example. Between 2001 and 2021, ONS data recorded around 40 choking deaths of under-ones in England and Wales. While rare, these tragedies (and countless near misses) remind us that clear procedures save lives. This isn’t about panic. It’s about preparation.
The updated absence tracking guidance is also timely. It brings early years more closely in line with how schools monitor safeguarding concerns. It’s not about questioning whether a child is genuinely unwell, it’s about checking in, following up and not letting silence become a missed opportunity to protect.
One case that has stuck with me is the death of 10-year-old Shay Kang in Sandwell, just 15 minutes from where I grew up. Her mother was later convicted of her murder, and a safeguarding review followed.
What hit me hardest was how things might have been different with earlier follow-up and more rigorous absence checks. That case is a haunting reminder of why multiple emergency contacts, timely follow-up, and strong safeguarding procedures truly matter. These aren’t just protocols, they’re part of a life-saving safety net.
These reforms are more than just updates; they’re a meaningful step forward in making early years settings even safer. Safeguarding is never “done”, it’s always evolving, and so must we. This new EYFS framework helps bring early years more closely in line with school expectations, losing gaps, strengthening practice and putting children’s safety first.
