ACS Cobham is looking for a Designated Safeguarding Lead on a 0.5 basis. The DSL will take lead responsibility for all Safeguarding and Child Protection matters arising at the School during designated times supporting the Head of Safeguarding and all other members of staff in relation to any Safeguarding or Child Protection concerns that arise to deliver the effective provision of Safeguarding, Child Protection and promotion of welfare at the School.
The successful candidate will be responsible for managing safeguarding and child protection referrals from staff and taking the appropriate action to safeguard students in line with the School’s statutory duty.
Key Duties:
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding matters and caseload as directed by the Head of Safeguarding, to maintain open channels of communication with local partnership agencies and to monitor the effectiveness of policies and procedures in place during the designated times
• Keep detailed, accurate, secure records of concerns, allegations and referrals for any Child Protection issues including staff concerns.
• Communicate as required with their Head of School/Deputy Head of School, in accordance with KCSIE and will discuss with him/her any cases of concern relating to children during designated times or at any time appropriate to promote the welfare of children in accordance with legislative responsibilities.
• Keep the Head of School informed immediately of all concerns and allegations relating to Safeguarding and Child Protection involving a member of staff.
• Take lead responsibility for referring all cases of suspected abuse of any student at the School to the local authority Partnership Hub or appropriate agency during designated times. • Responsible for identifying and referring any child or family who may benefit from Early Help support during designated times.
• Responsible for referring to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) team, all Child Protection concerns which involve a member of staff during designated times. • The role will require you to also deliver training to the wider staff teams to ensure that the School keeps safeguarding at the heart of everything they do.
Key Skills and Experience:
• Recent experience of working in a similar role in social work, youth and community work, advice and guidance or education.
• Experience of managing a safeguarding case load is desirable.
• The ability to be self-motivated and organised is essential as the right candidate will need to be able to prioritise their own workload responding to the most urgent referrals to ensure that the School is compliant in child protection procedures.
• Knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education(KCSiE) is essential.
The successful candidate will be supported through access to supervision and be provided ongoing training and development to assist them in their role. The role will be based in the Cobham campus working alongside the Group Lead for Safeguarding
ACS celebrates diversity as an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and, as an employee of ACS, you are expected to share this commitment. This position is therefore subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
To apply online go to https://www.acs-schools.com/working-acs/dsl
