Source: Department for Education published on this website Friday 9 January 2026 by Jill Powell
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (the bill) is a key step towards delivering the government’s opportunity mission to break the link between children’s background and their future success.
The child protection measures strengthen multi-agency responses to significant harm. Clause 3 creates a new duty for safeguarding partners – local authorities, police and integrated care boards – to establish multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs).
It allows the Secretary of State for Education to use regulations to further prescribe the:
- functions of MACPTs
- qualification and skills requirements for MACPT members
- relevant agencies that safeguarding partners can approach to facilitate the operation of MACPTs
The purpose of this policy statement is to provide clarity on the intended scope and content of the regulations. It seeks to address concerns raised in the House of Lords about the operation of MACPTs and level of prescription in regulations. The information set out is the first step in developing the regulations.
To develop regulations further, we will:
- engage with sectors
- use existing best evidence of effective multi-agency working
- use emerging evidence from the Families First for Children pathfinder areas (pathfinders)
- use emerging evidence from the implementation of the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme national rollout
Regulations will be subject to consultation and robust Parliamentary scrutiny with the aim for them to come into force in late 2027, subject to royal assent.
To read the Multi-agency child protection teams: regulation-making powers policy paper published 7 January 2026
