Designated Safeguarding Lead

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is a member of the School’s Senior Leadership Team and takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the institution, supported by a safeguarding team comprised of two Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, and four counselors. The role holder ensures that safeguarding is embedded into all aspects of school culture, leads on multi-agency collaboration, manages child protection referrals, and provides strategicguidance to colleagues, trustees, and external agencies. The DSL has management oversight of a Safeguarding Administrative Assistant and the School Nursing team.

Summary of major responsibilities

Managing Referrals & Multi-Agency Working

• Act as the primary point of contact for local authority children’s social care, local safeguarding partners, and police (where the case leads to safeguarding/child protection
• Refer cases of suspected abuse, neglect, or harm immediately to Children’s Social Care, the Local Authority Designated Officer, Channel/Prevent, or the police, where required
• Lead and support early help assessments for children who require additional support before reaching statutory intervention thresholds
• Attend and contribute actively to child protection conferences, core groups, and multi-agency risk assessment conferences

Information Sharing and Record Keeping

• Maintain confidential, accurate, detailed, and up-to-date child protection records (separate from academic records), adhering to data protection (GDPR/Data Protection Act) standards
• Securely transfer child protection files to new educational settings when a student transfers, confirming receipt and ensuring seamless continuity of care
• In partnership with the Board of Trustees, monitor safeguarding trends within the school to inform local risk assessments and policy development
• Assist the Human Resources Department with maintaining a compliant, accurate and continuously updated Single Central Record, advising on and signing pre-employment risk assessments where required and permissible
• Serve as the School’s Attendance Champion, works in partnership with the divisional attendance officers, monitoring and reporting attendance concerns to the local authority

Raising Awareness and Staff Guidance

• Ensure the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is updated annually, publicly accessible, and aligned with statutory DfE guidance.
• Ensure all staff (including temporary and supply staff) receive safeguarding induction training and understand their duty to report concerns immediately
• Provide regular safeguarding updates, refresher training, and Level 2 training for employees and supply staff as appropriate, as well as arranging Level 3 training for the appropriate roleholders
• Promote a child-centric environment where children feel heard, respected, and safe to disclose concerns
• Chair weekly meetings with divisional safeguarding teams, discussing safeguarding cases and advising on appropriate next steps
• Monitor and approve tutoring and enrichment arrangements

Training and Professional Development

• Complete formal DSL training at least every two years to maintain expertise in safeguarding policy, local multi-agency procedures, and legal updates
• Update knowledge and skills regularly (at least annually) on emerging safeguarding issues, including online safety, peer-on-peer/child-on-child abuse, exploitation (CCE/CSE), radicalisation, domestic abuse, and filtering/monitoring systems

Online Safety, Filtering and Monitoring

• Oversee the online safety policy and collaborate with TILM leadership to ensure effective filtering and monitoring infrastructure
• Manage concerns relating to student cyberbullying, online harassment, cybercrime (e.g., Cyber Choices programme), and digital safety breaches

Working With Senior Leadership and Trustees

• Meet regularly with the Head of School and the Designated Safeguarding Trustees to report on safeguarding activity, staff training, and policy compliance
• Prepare a biannual safeguarding report, supported by contemporaneous data and evidence, to be presented to the Board of Trustees

Essential qualifications/experience

• Substantial experience working directly with children and young people in an educational or social care setting
• Certified Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training (or willingness to complete prior to start date)
• Comprehensive working knowledge of KCSIE, Working Together to Safeguard Children, EYFS statutory framework, data protection laws, and local multi-agency thresholds
• Strong analytical, record-keeping, and crisis-management skills under pressure.
• Ability to assimilate and communicate complex information succinctly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing
• Well-developed interpersonal skills that inspire trust, confidence and credibility with all constituencies
• Evidence of a commitment to continuous professional development, demonstrated by appropriate professional memberships, conference attendance, and presentations
• Strong leadership, decision-making, and a commitment to collaboration
• A proven commitment to support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and how it relates to safeguarding matters

Desirable qualifications/experience

• Experience managing multi-agency referrals and attending child protection conferences
• Advanced qualifications in child welfare, social work, or educational leadership
• Experience managing digital safeguarding software (CPOMS, My Concern, etc)