Safeguarding Lead

We are seeking an experienced and committed professional to join our school as Safeguarding and Mental Health Support Lead, a pivotal senior role at the heart of the school community. Combining the responsibilities of Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Mental Health Lead, you will hold operational responsibility for safeguarding, pastoral systems and mental health provision, ensuring the highest standards of practice, compliance and care across the school.

You will lead safeguarding provision, ensuring that all concerns are identified, recorded and acted upon promptly and in line with statutory guidance. You will maintain robust, compliant systems and provide confident leadership in multi-agency working, securing effective collaboration with external professionals to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable students.

You will lead a team of experienced pastoral and safeguarding staff, establishing clear expectations and holding colleagues to account for the quality, consistency and impact of their work. You will oversee and coordinate in-school counselling provision, ensuring it is strategically deployed, aligned with safeguarding priorities, and subject to regular quality assurance to maximise impact.

You will drive a coherent whole-school approach to mental health, shaping strategy, building staff confidence and ensuring early intervention, inclusion and resilience are embedded in practice. In this role, you play a key role in supporting students whose attendance is affected by mental health needs, ensuring barriers to learning are identified and addressed effectively.

Working in partnership with families and external agencies, you will ensure a coordinated and proactive approach to safeguarding and wellbeing, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for the most vulnerable students.

You may be our ideal candidate if you:

• have experience as the DSL, or ready to step into this role
• demonstrate secure knowledge of statutory safeguarding guidance and multi-agency working
• have successful leadership experience within pastoral, safeguarding or wellbeing teams
• have a strong understanding of mental health and the impact it can have on young people’s engagement and attendance
• are highly organised and able to manage complex caseloads
• are passionate and committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable students

This is a rewarding opportunity for a knowledgeable and compassionate leader who is committed to making a lasting difference to the lives of young people.

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Source: UK Teaching Vacancies Service (teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.