Start dates set for child protection teams under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act

Safeguarding partners in every local authority area in England will have to set up at least one multi-agency child protection team from 1 April 2027, under a timetable for the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 that the Department for Education has now set in law.

The Act was passed on 29 April 2026, but much of it only takes effect when ministers make commencement regulations. The latest set was signed on 4 November and published on legislation.gov.uk on Monday. It brings sections in over five dates, the first of them next week.

Wednesday 18 November 2026

The first changes deal with independent educational institutions in England. The Secretary of State gains wider powers to prescribe the standards they must meet, and can make regulations so that rules written for independent schools also apply to institutions that are not independent schools. Tribunal procedure rules will be able to suspend certain enforcement decisions against such institutions while a proprietor's appeal is heard.

The same date brings in a power for ministers to require teachers in academies to hold qualified teacher status and to complete a statutory induction period. Any such requirement would be set by regulations made under that power.

Wednesday 16 December 2026

Section 10 amends the Children Act 1989 to strengthen the duty on councils to allow reasonable contact between children in care and their brothers and sisters. Unlike the other changes in this set, it covers Wales as well as England.

Sunday 31 January 2027

Local safeguarding partners in England will have to make arrangements for designated childcare and education agencies to work with them.

Thursday 1 April 2027

The child protection teams follow. They will be set up through the same safeguarding arrangements and will support councils in carrying out the duty to investigate under section 47 of the Children Act 1989.

Wednesday 1 September 2027

Five more changes start on this date:

• Councils in England must appoint at least one person to promote the educational achievement of children with a social worker and children in kinship care. Children under a special guardianship order and those living in kinship care are brought within the definition of a relevant child.
• The rest of section 44 comes in, making further changes to the standards, enforcement and appeals framework for independent educational institutions in England.
• Courts gain the power to make a prevention order against someone convicted of running an unregistered independent educational institution.
• Ofsted gets powers of entry, investigation and seizure when it suspects one is operating, with offences for obstructing or failing to cooperate with an investigation.
• Academies and alternative provision academies must have regard to the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document.

Earlier commencement regulations brought other parts of the Act into force between June and September 2026.