Fife’s Contextual Safeguarding Pilot began on 1 September 2026 in the Lochgelly High School Cluster.
Contextual Safeguarding is about understanding and preventing harm to children and young people wherever it happens — not just at home. This could include places such as schools, neighbourhoods, community spaces, friendship groups and online.
Rather than only looking at what an individual child or their family might need to do differently, this approach also looks at what is happening around them. This might mean making physical places safer, tackling risks online or working with groups of young people to improve relationships and reduce harm.
The approach has been shaped by learning from previous reviews, quality checks and partnership work, as well as by direct involvement from young people who helped design the pilot.
A new Contextual Safeguarding Hub has also been created to support the work. It brings together useful information, guidance, practical tools and resources, including information for children and families and opportunities for staff to learn more about Contextual Safeguarding.
Contextual Safeguarding resources
- Contextual Safeguarding Hub
- Contextual Safeguarding 7-Minute Briefing
- Contextual Safeguarding Training and Learning Opportunities
Improvements to the Child Protection Committee
Alongside this new development, there is also ongoig work to improve the Child Protection Committee's (CPC) response to neglect.
Neglect remains one of the most common reasons for child protection registration in Fife. Over recent years, significant partnership work has been undertaken to strengthen recognition, assessment, and intervention.
The CPC's Neglect Hub brings together practical guidance, assessment tools, training resources, and information about local improvement activity in one accessible location.
