Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Are you passionate about safeguarding and committed to making a real difference to the lives of young people?

We are looking for an exceptional Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) to join our school and play a key role in ensuring that every pupil feels safe, valued, heard and supported to achieve their full potential.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and committed safeguarding professional to join our team and make a significant contribution to the safeguarding culture and wider pastoral provision of our school. Working closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead and wider Senior Leadership Team, you will help ensure that safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do.

About the Role

As Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, you will play a central role in promoting and maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding and child protection across the school. You will support the DSL in responding to safeguarding concerns, managing referrals, assessing risk and ensuring that pupils receive the right support at the right time.

You will build strong relationships with pupils, staff, parents/carers and external professionals, bringing professional curiosity, sound judgement and compassion to every aspect of your work.

The role will involve supporting safeguarding case management, contributing to multi-agency working, advising colleagues, maintaining accurate safeguarding records and helping to identify emerging risks and trends. You will also contribute to staff training and the continued development of safeguarding systems and practice across the school.

Working within a senior and sixth form environment , you will have the opportunity to support young people at a particularly important stage of their education and development. You will understand the changing safeguarding landscape for older pupils and be confident in recognising and responding to issues such as exploitation, online harm, peer-on-peer abuse, sexual harassment and violence, serious violence and contextual safeguarding.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about safeguarding and committed to putting the safety and wellbeing of young people first.
• An experienced safeguarding, pastoral, education, social care or related professional with a strong understanding of child protection practice.
• Confident in making professional judgements, assessing risk and knowing when concerns need to be escalated.
• Naturally professionally curious , with the confidence to ask questions, challenge appropriately and ensure that no concern is overlooked.
• An excellent communicator who can build positive and trusting relationships with young people, colleagues, families and external agencies.
• Calm, resilient and able to respond effectively to complex and sometimes challenging situations.
• Highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate and confidential records.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively as part of a wider safeguarding and pastoral team.
• Committed to continuous improvement and developing their own professional knowledge and practice.
• Able to demonstrate the Trust values of Honesty, Faith and Courage in their everyday work.

Why Join Us?

This is more than a safeguarding role — it is an opportunity to make a lasting difference .

You will be joining a team that understands that effective safeguarding is not simply about responding to concerns; it is about creating an environment where young people feel secure, listened to and empowered to seek help.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Play a meaningful role in shaping and strengthening safeguarding practice across the school.
• Work alongside experienced safeguarding, pastoral and senior leaders.
• Develop your expertise through ongoing training and professional development.
• Build strong professional relationships with a wide range of agencies and services.
• Influence the experience and outcomes of vulnerable young people.
• Contribute to a positive, inclusive and supportive school culture.

Our Values

Our Trust values of Honesty, Faith and Courage underpin everything we do.

We are looking for someone who will demonstrate these values through their leadership and professional practice — someone who has the honesty to act in the best interests of pupils, the faith to believe in their potential and the courage to speak up, challenge and act when it matters.

If you are an experienced safeguarding professional who is ready to take the next step in your career and make a genuine difference to young people, we would love to hear from you.

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