Core Purpose 

Lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection at school. Lead responsibility for the leadership and management of the pastoral team and the wider staff body with regard to behaviour and standards.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

General Duties & Strategic Pastoral Leadership

• To deputise for the Headteacher in their absence and lead on the strategic planning and evaluation of school improvement 

• To lead the school pastoral strategy ensuring a culture of high expectations for behaviour attendance and student well-being

• To oversee the implementation of the Behaviour Policy ensuring consistency and fairness across the school to reduce exclusions

• To take strategic responsibility for student attendance and direct interventions for persistently absent or vulnerable students

• To line manage and coach identified staff and oversee their appraisal and professional development

• To share responsibility for the recruitment and induction of high quality staff

• To attend and act as a professional adviser to Governors meetings providing high level reports on pastoral and safeguarding outcomes

• To share responsibility for the daily running of the school including rotas assemblies and major school events

• To take responsibility for developing operating and evaluating specific school policies

• To lead assemblies and public events while promoting the ethos and aims of the school

• To undertake any duties the Headteacher may reasonably require

Duties as Designated Safeguarding Lead

• Take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection at the school. 

• Contribute to creating a safe and welcoming learning environment. 

• Ensure that child protection policies and procedures are understood by all staff members and are implemented correctly.

• Provide comprehensive induction training to new staff and NQTs with the aim to strengthen their safeguarding skills and experience.

• Identify students who may be at risk and use the correct protocol to reduce these risks. 

• Respond appropriately to disclosures or concerns relating to the wellbeing of a student. 

• Refer cases of suspected child protection issues to the appropriate investigating agency. 

• Work closely with staff on safeguarding and child protection matters, ensuring that staff members understand when it is necessary to make a referral. 

• Keep detailed, accurate and secure records of concerns and referrals using an online management system. 

• Be alert to, and understand, the specific needs of vulnerable students. 

• Encourage a culture of listening to students and taking into account their wishes and feelings. 

• Organise adequate and appropriate cover arrangements for any out-of-hours/out-of-term activities.

• Collaborate and effectively implement child protection plans.

• Monitor students at risk of harm or those that have been subject to harm, providing support and ensuring their welfare. 

• Lead a team who will review and monitor any cause of concern relating to the welfare of students.

• Act as the first point of contact for staff members raising safeguarding and child protection concerns. 

• Receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates, ensuring the school complies with all relevant legislation.

• Understand the assessment process for providing early help and intervention, and take the lead when early help is appropriate.

Multi-Agency Work

• Have a working knowledge of local plans for the transition to the new multi-agency arrangements led by the three safeguarding partners (the LA and a clinical commissioning group and a chief officer of police from within the LA), and act as the main point of contact with the safeguarding partners.

• Have a working knowledge of how LAs conduct a child protection case conference and be able to attend these, as well as effectively contribute to these when required.

• Refer cases of suspected abuse to the LA and children’s social care services (CSCS), and to the police where appropriate. 

• Where radicalisation is a concern, refer cases to the Channel programme.

• Support staff members who make referrals to external agencies. 

• In collaboration with the Headteacher notify the DBS of staff who have been dismissed or have left due to posing risk or harm to a child.

• Liaise with the LA and follow up any referrals made, ensuring the school aids the LA’s work where necessary. 

• Where necessary, securely transfer child protection files, and any additional safeguarding information considered appropriate, to other educational establishments, ensuring that confirmation of receipt is obtained. 

• Contribute to inter-agency plans to provide additional support to students subject to child protection plans.

• Attend and contribute effectively to ‘Child in Need’ meetings and child protection conferences, including those taking place out of normal working hours. 

• Ensure that the actions resulting from meetings are carried out in a coordinated way. 

• Work closely with the school board to create effective safeguarding policies and protocols. 

• Maintain up-to-date contact details of previously-LACs’ LA personal advisors, liaising with them as appropriate. 

• Be aware of the contact details and referral routes of the Local Housing Authority, raising concerns with them or CSCS where a child is being harmed, is at risk of harm or the homelessness may not be family-based.

Training

• Undertake appropriate training and updates on an annual basis; this should include the additional risks that students with SEND face online, and the associated support measures.

• Attend comprehensive DSL safeguarding and child protection training at least every two years.

• Ensure staff members have access to and understand the Trust Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy.

• Provide advice and support to staff members regarding child protection issues such as radicalisation.

• Keep staff members up-to-date with guidance regarding safeguarding, including the Prevent duty. 

• Ensure staff members are aware of the training opportunities that are available to them. 

• As part of all staff members’ inductions, conduct safeguarding training that includes the following systems:

• The Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy

• The Behaviour Policy

• The Staff Code of Conduct

• Details about their role, including theirs and the identities and contact details of the deputy DSLs 

• Provide safeguarding and child protection guidance to deputy DSLs, where appropriate.

Raising Awareness

• Act as the primary source of safeguarding-related support, advice and expertise within the school, including where staff have concerns about FGM. 

• Ensure the school’s safeguarding and child protection policies are available publicly. 

• Liaise with the Trust Safeguarding Lead to review the Child Protection & Safeguarding policy and present it to the school board for approval.

• Continuously keep the headteacher informed of any safeguarding issues or ongoing enquiries.

• Ensure the school board is kept up-to-date on a regular basis regarding all child protection issues and investigations. 

• Maintain an appropriate level of confidentiality whilst at the same time liaising with relevant professionals. 

• Represent the school at external DSL team meetings and circulate the information to staff members. 

• Ensure staff members receive frequent updates and are able to identify any safeguarding concerns. 

• Encourage staff members to challenge behaviour that breaches the Staff Code of  Conduct. 

• Provide written reports to the school board and headteacher in a timely manner. 

• Collaborate with the Subject Leader with responsibility for PSHE to ensure that relevant safeguarding issues are covered within PSHE lessons.

• Ensure all Alternative Provision placements have suitable safeguarding policies in place and adhere to trust expectations.

General

• Keep up to date with and follow school and Danes Educational Trust ( the ‘Trust’) policies