SafeguardIS free tool

How strong is your safeguarding culture?

Answer eight questions about how your school runs safeguarding day to day. You get a maturity band and up to three areas to work on, at once and with no account.

What the audit is

The Free Mini Culture Audit is a short self-check for the people who run safeguarding in a school. You answer eight questions, one at a time. For each, you choose the level that fits your school: Emerging, Developing, Secure or Exemplary.

Your result is an overall maturity band with a score. It also shows a breakdown by area and up to three areas to work on first.

This is a self-assessment based on your own answers. It is not an inspection or a formal audit, and you should not use it as evidence of compliance.

The eight questions

The questions cover leadership, training, concern logs, supervision and hiring.

  • Does your DSL sit on the senior leadership team with protected time?
  • Does the governing board get a written safeguarding update at least once a term?
  • What share of staff finished safeguarding training in the last year?
  • Do new staff finish safeguarding induction before they work with children?
  • Do you keep a low-level concern log that all staff know how to use?
  • Does your DSL get supervision at least once a term?
  • Are staff DBS-checked, or checked in an equivalent way, before they start?
  • Does every interview panel include someone trained in safer recruitment?

Who it is for

The audit is for a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), a Head of School or Principal, a school business manager, or another safeguarding leader. It gives you a first view of where your school stands before a larger review.

The vetting question accepts an equivalent check, so schools outside the UK can answer it. You can also name your country when you submit.

How it works

  1. Answer eight questionsPick one of four levels for each. You can go back and change an answer.
  2. Add your policy if you likeYou can upload your safeguarding policy as a PDF or DOCX file up to 5 MB. This step is optional.
  3. Give your work email and roleChoose DSL, Head or Principal, school business manager, or another safeguarding leader. School name and country are optional.
  4. Read your resultIt opens on screen at once, at its own link that you can bookmark.

What happens to your answers

The audit is not anonymous. SafeguardIS keeps your email address and role with your result, and I am told when someone completes it.

  • Your result page shows scores and areas to work on. It does not show your email address or role.
  • Each result has its own link, made of 64 random characters. Anyone who has the link can read the result, so share it with care.
  • Search engines are told not to list result pages.
  • If you upload a policy, the tool checks whether the file looks like a safeguarding policy and then discards it. SafeguardIS keeps the file name and a yes or no result, not the document.

Questions school leaders ask

Is the culture audit free?
Yes. You do not need an account or a login, and there is nothing to pay.
Is the audit anonymous?
No. You give a work email and a role, and SafeguardIS keeps them with your result. The result page does not show them.
Can I use the result as evidence for an inspection or an accreditation visit?
No. The result reflects only the answers you gave. It is an indicative self-assessment, not an inspection, a certification or a formal audit.
Do I need to upload my policy?
No. The upload is optional. If you add one, the tool checks that the file looks like a safeguarding policy and counts that as one more signal in your result.
What do I get at the end?
An overall maturity band, a score, a breakdown by area and up to three areas to work on first.
What if I want a fuller review?
Your result page links to a booking page, where you can ask about a full safeguarding audit or a demo of the platform.