Staying Safe covers the full span of the Every Child Matters ‘stay safe’ outcome – keeping children safe from neglect and abuse, accidents, bullying, crime and anti-social behaviour and providing a safe and stable home environment. It was launched for consultation by the DCSF in July 2007, with an action plan published in March 2008. Staying Safe is supported by a PSA to Improve Children and Young People’s Safety and 16 indicators within the national indicator set.

Staying Safe identifies three levels of safeguarding children and young people:

• Universal safeguarding – working to keep all children and young people safe and create safe environments for all children
• Targeted safeguarding – targeting policies and services to groups of children and young people who are more at risk than others to help keep them safe from harm
• Responsive safeguarding – responding quickly and appropriately when children and young people suffer harm; supporting children and dealing with those who harm them.

One of the areas identified for action is around ‘Play and taking part in Positive Activities’. A key message within this is the importance of managing and understanding risks including:

• helping play providers understand the importance of balancing the benefits of offering children opportunities to take risks in their play with ensuring the levels of risk are reasonable
• working with the Health and Safety Executive and other partners to reinforce the message to schools that risk assessment must be proportionate in order to minimise risk without denying children the opportunity to experience the benefits of learning outside the classroom.

The action plan confirms that play should be a priority in the early years. The Early Years Foundation Stage, in force from September 2008, makes clear that providers should offer access to outdoor play areas wherever possible, or undertake outings on a daily basis to allow children to play outdoors.

The strategy also confirms government initiatives set out in ‘The Children’s Plan’ and ‘Aiming High for Young People’ to resource and provide more and better quality play, parks and urban green spaces and youth facilities for children and young people that provide both safe places to go and more opportunities for young people to experience different play and leisure time activities.

Other key areas of relevance to culture and sport that the action plan addresses include:

• ensuring that all culture and sport providers for children and young people are included in safeguarding work, and receive appropriate training in child protection and other safety issues
• fully utilising positive culture and sport activities to help prevent young people from getting involved in anti-social behaviour, gangs and youth crime.

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