Head of Safeguarding

**Job Title**: Head of Safeguarding/Designated Safeguarding Lead

**Main Function**: To be a member of the College’s Senior Management Team, taking lead responsibility for all safeguarding and child protection matters (including online safety) arising. To provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters, taking part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings, and/or supporting other staff to do so, and contributing to the assessment process for early help and statutory interventions.

**Hours of work**: Term time plus 2 weeks

**Reporting Line**: Principal

**Main Duties**

**Managing referrals**:

- To take lead responsibility for referring cases of suspected abuse and neglect to external agencies, as required, and to support other staff who have themselves made referrals.
- To take lead responsibility for referring cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern, as required, and to support other staff who have themselves made referrals.
- To refer cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service, as required by the Principal.
- To take lead responsibility for referring cases to the Police where a crime may have been committed, as required.

**Working with others**:

- To line manage the Pastoral Manager, supporting them in all aspects of their role which involves the delivery of wellbeing, support and safeguarding for pupils at Shoreham College.
- To line manage the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads in their role within the safeguarding team, supporting them where necessary with disclosures, investigations or referrals.
- To quality assure the work of the safeguarding team across the College in line with local authority recommended practices, Government guidance and the requirements of regulatory bodies.
- To lead weekly Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings with the safeguarding team to ensure information is shared and that the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy and procedures is consistent.
- To lead regular meetings with the safeguarding team to ensure safeguarding responsibilities are discharged effectively.
- To act as the main point of contact for all external agencies and to take part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings and/or to support other staff to do so.
- To liaise with the Principal and the LADO for child protection concerns in cases which concern a staff member, ensuring the child is not at risk, as required.
- To liaise with the Principal to inform them of specific safeguarding issues - especially ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations.
- To act as the senior mental health lead, promoting wellbeing and mental health ensuring a holistic ‘whole school’ approach to mental health and wellbeing.
- To promote supportive engagement with parents in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including where families may be facing challenging circumstances.
- During term time and during College hours, to be available for staff in the College to discuss any safeguarding concerns and to arrange adequate and appropriate cover arrangements for any out of hours/out of term activities.
- To ensure that the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are aware that they assume overall responsibility in the Head of Safeguarding’s absence and ensure the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are informed of ongoing cases and are able to respond to these as necessary.

**Leadership**:

- To lead the development of an overarching, coherent, cohesive, College-wide safeguarding approach and its implementation, using the data and formal feedback available to inform future planning and practice.
- To ensure the safeguarding team is embedded within the school and contribute actively to College initiatives maximising use of resources across teams and strategic planning.
- To promote educational outcomes by identifying the impact that welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues may be having on children’s attendance, engagement and achievement at the College.
- To champion safeguarding at the most senior levels to ensure the Senior Management Team and Governors recognise gaps, risks and key reputational issues, and address them.

**Other duties**:

- To ensure where children leave the College, that their child protection file is transferred to the new school as soon as possible, and within 5 days for an in-year transfer or within the first 5 days of the start of a new term.
- To ensure where the College is the receiving school that relevant information is shared with the appropriate staff, as required.
- To ensure the Safeguarding Policy is reviewed annually (as a minimum) and made publicly available, and that procedures are implemented consistently across the College and in line with current guidance.
- To attend the termly Governor meetings to provide regular updates on safeguarding matters and