The right safeguarding course depends on your role, your level of responsibility and what your employer requires. Because safeguarding duties vary between early years settings, no single course suits everyone.
Course providers often use different training levels to describe the depth of safeguarding learning. However, the EYFS framework sets the safeguarding training requirements for early years settings in England. The course you choose should reflect both your responsibilities and your employer’s expectations. For DSLs and those with wider safeguarding leadership responsibilities, Royal Open College’s Safeguarding Children Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) course can support the development of relevant safeguarding knowledge.
Safeguarding training covers recognising abuse and neglect, responding appropriately and following the correct reporting steps. Under the EYFS, this applies to all practitioners in early years settings in England rather than only senior roles.
Safeguarding training explains how to recognise possible abuse or neglect, respond to concerns and record information accurately. It also helps practitioners understand how to follow their setting’s safeguarding procedures.
Alongside this, practitioners need to understand their own safeguarding responsibilities and know when a concern should be reported or referred. Training for a Designated Safeguarding Lead goes further, covering referrals, multi-agency working and more complex safeguarding concerns.
Course content varies between providers, but the learning should support rather than replace your setting’s own safeguarding policy. A nursery practitioner, for example, still needs to follow the reporting process used in their workplace.
All practitioners working in EYFS settings in England need safeguarding training that meets the relevant EYFS criteria.
Designated Safeguarding Leads need additional training on top of this baseline, since they carry greater responsibility for managing concerns and referrals within the setting.
In a childminding setting, the childminder acts as the Designated Safeguarding Lead and must complete training that meets the DSL criteria. Any assistants need their own safeguarding training too.
Course providers sometimes use labels such as Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 to describe different depths of learning. These labels sit alongside the EYFS criteria rather than inside them, so it’s worth checking a course’s content against your actual role.
The training you need depends on your role and safeguarding responsibilities, not the course label alone. Some providers use labels such as Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 to describe different depths of learning. These are not official EYFS safeguarding categories.
Level 1 courses usually introduce the basics of safeguarding. They cover what safeguarding means and the common signs of abuse and neglect. They also explain how to report a concern.
Practitioners working within the EYFS still need safeguarding training that meets the relevant EYFS criteria. A Level 1 title on its own doesn't confirm that a course covers everything required for your role.
Level 2 courses generally explore safeguarding in greater depth. They cover responding to disclosures, recording concerns and understanding reporting or referral procedures.
Course providers may use level labels differently, so check the learning outcomes against your responsibilities. The relevant EYFS safeguarding criteria matter more than the Level 2 title itself.
Courses marketed as Level 3 are generally designed to provide more advanced safeguarding knowledge. They may cover referrals, working with other agencies and managing safeguarding concerns or allegations.
If you're a Designated Safeguarding Lead, check that the course meets the relevant EYFS criteria for DSL training. The Level 3 label alone doesn't confirm that a course is suitable for the DSL role.
Yes. Early years providers in England must ensure practitioners receive safeguarding training that meets the relevant EYFS criteria.
The EYFS doesn’t require practitioners to take one named commercial course. Instead, safeguarding training must meet the criteria set out in Annex C. Additional training requirements apply to Designated Safeguarding Leads.
This means employers can choose an appropriate provider or course, but they still need to make sure the training covers the EYFS requirements for the practitioner’s role.
Employers decide based on the responsibilities attached to each role and whether the training meets the relevant EYFS criteria. The training needed may differ depending on whether someone is a general practitioner, holds additional safeguarding responsibilities or acts as the setting’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
For DSL training, employers should also take account of advice from local safeguarding partners or the local authority when choosing an appropriate course.
If you’re unsure what training you need, ask your manager or Designated Safeguarding Lead before enrolling rather than relying on a course level or job title alone.
If you’re the Designated Safeguarding Lead, the training you choose needs to go beyond general safeguarding requirements. This includes referring and escalating concerns and following local child protection procedures. It also includes liaising with children’s services and safeguarding partners, and managing safeguarding concerns or allegations.
If you support the DSL, your training should reflect the safeguarding responsibilities you carry within the setting. Your employer can confirm what additional learning is appropriate for your role.
When choosing a course, check that its content meets the relevant EYFS criteria for DSL training rather than relying on a Level 3 label alone.
Safeguarding training under the EYFS must be renewed every two years.
Providers may also consider annual refresher training during that period where staff need to maintain their knowledge, keep up with changes to procedures or respond to safeguarding concerns within the setting.
Regular renewal helps practitioners stay familiar with current safeguarding procedures and responsibilities. A certificate from several years ago may no longer meet the current training requirement.
Check your training record or speak to your employer to confirm when your next renewal is due.
CPD training supports ongoing knowledge and skills development. A regulated qualification is officially recognised and subject to regulatory requirements. The two serve different purposes.
A CPD safeguarding course can help you understand key concepts, current guidance and good practice. It’s different from a qualification listed on Ofqual’s Register of Regulated Qualifications.
This distinction matters because employers may ask for different types of evidence depending on the role. Check whether you need CPD learning, a regulated qualification or both before choosing a course.
No. Completing a safeguarding course doesn’t by itself show that an early years setting meets EYFS, Ofsted or local safeguarding requirements. A certificate provides evidence of learning, but compliance also depends on how safeguarding is applied in practice.
Ofsted inspectors consider how well staff understand and apply safeguarding procedures. They also look at the setting’s policies and how concerns are actually handled.
A CPD course can support this by building relevant knowledge. Settings still need effective safeguarding systems, appropriate supervision and consistent day-to-day practice.
The most common mistakes come from choosing a course by its title alone or misunderstanding what the training demonstrates. Checking the course content against your role and the relevant EYFS criteria helps you avoid these problems.
Assuming every member of staff needs the same depth of training, regardless of their role or responsibilities.
Choosing a course based only on a Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 label without checking what it actually covers.
Treating a CPD certificate as if it were a regulated qualification.
Assuming that completing a course alone proves workplace competence.
Confusing an employer's training policy with requirements set out in the EYFS.
Assuming that one course automatically meets Ofsted expectations or local safeguarding arrangements.
Overlooking the additional Annex C training criteria that apply to Designated Safeguarding Leads.
Before enrolling, check that the course content matches your role and covers the relevant EYFS safeguarding criteria for early years settings in England.
Look at the learning outcomes carefully, as these show what the course actually covers and help you compare the training with your workplace responsibilities.
If you’re choosing training for a Designated Safeguarding Lead role, also consider any advice from local safeguarding partners or your local authority about appropriate training.
If CPD accreditation matters to your employer, check who provides it and what it covers. CPD accreditation is separate from Ofqual regulation and does not make a course a regulated qualification.
Finally, ask your employer whether the course meets their training policy. Individual settings may have additional requirements or preferred training arrangements.
Royal Open College offers a Safeguarding Children Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) course for learners who want to develop their safeguarding knowledge through structured CPD learning.
The course covers recognising and responding to abuse, making referrals and understanding safeguarding law. Learners can study online at their own pace, making it easier to fit the training around existing responsibilities.
It is a CPD-accredited course rather than a regulated qualification. Completing the course does not automatically meet every employer’s training policy or demonstrate that a setting meets EYFS or Ofsted requirements.
Before enrolling, check that the course content matches your role and your employer’s safeguarding training requirements.
All Categories
Top Courses
Health Care
Health and Social Care
Not all nursing assistant certificates carry the same weight with Birmingham employers. This guide covers the CPD versus Ofqual distinction no competitor explains, clarifies why an online course does not complete the Care Certificate, and gives you a clear picture of what Birmingham NHS trusts, care homes, and private providers check before offering you a role.
Safeguarding certificate recognition depends on your role, workplace responsibilities and employer requirements. Explore how different training levels, CPD learning and safeguarding expectations vary across sectors, helping you choose suitable training that supports your professional responsibilities and workplace needs.
Flexible safeguarding courses make it easier for professionals to study around shifts and other commitments. The right option depends on the learner’s role, setting and employer requirements. Online, self-paced CPD learning can strengthen safeguarding knowledge, but completing a course alone does not prove workplace competence or meet every regulatory requirement.
Royal Open College provides high-quality online courses covering a variety of topics along with certificates issued by top organisations.
Quickly and easily check the validity of your
Royal Open College course certificates with Royal Open College’s Course Certificate Validator tool.
Payment methods possible
Copyright © 2026 Royal Open College. All Right Reserved.
Not a member yet? Register now
Are you a member? Login now
