Safeguarding Lead

We are currently looking for a Safeguarding Lead to join a local school in the Middlesbrough TS3 area.

Status: Permanent

**Salary**:(FTE £29,439- £31,099), pro-rata (£28,693- £30,311) Hours: 37 hours (full time) Term Time plus 6 weeks (including 5 PD Days)

To provide comprehensive and strategic coverage of daily tasks involving oversight of safeguarding and child protection including punctuality, attendance, and inclusion support. As Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, you will play a lead role in the running of systems that provide care and support for pupils and their families. The aim of this role is to support children’s well-being by breaking down barriers to learning by consulting closely with all academy staff, parents, and carers as well as partner agencies. This role also involves coordination of transport for all pupils, consulting with local authority transport teams, completing transport referrals and ensuring all information is up to date. You will also coordinate, chair and quality assure annual review processes for pupil Education, Health and Care plans and paperwork, again liaising with the local authority SEND team and families.

SAFEGUARDING
- Deputy designated Safeguarding Lead working in partnership with the academy’s safeguarding team, and under the line management of the Head Teacher, to ensure that all children are protected, following policies and procedures rigorously
- Offer advice, support, and guidance to colleagues to ensure children are safeguarded effectively
- Attend child protection conferences and other meetings related to the safeguarding and well-being of children
- Write reports and liaise with other agencies to ensure children are safeguarded
- Demonstrate the effectiveness of safeguarding through annual reviews and act upon recommendations
- Ensure staff are appropriately trained for safeguarding in line with legal requirements, understanding individual LA social care thresholds, and best practice
- Consult with senior leaders with reference to vulnerable students
- Lead referrals to outside agencies relating to safeguarding
- Work with external agencies to remove barriers for SEND, CLA (children looked after), vulnerable or targeted students
- Liaise with parents as required (regular and unannounced home visits are essential to the role)
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with parents and carers
- Providing professional challenge when required, to ensure that pupils are fully supported and able to achieve
- Feedback to SLT each week
- Act as the lead professional in safeguarding matters, including medical matters, when the headteacher and Deputy Headteacher are offsite
- Act as the lead professional providing support to children, families, and other agencies
- Keep a high profile around the academy and be visible and active during non-structured time.

ATTENDANCE
- Monitor and track attendance daily and by led by the AHT who leads on attendance.
- Identify attendance problems and work with children, families, and external agencies to find solutions
- Prepare regular attendance reports and present them at senior leadership meetings
- Ensure staff understand the importance of attendance and the impact of non-attendance on the safety, wellbeing, and progress of children
- Refine and review strategies and policies to improve academy attendance
- Support the academy in fulfilling its statutory duties in relation to attendance
- Lead on Attendance Case Conferences and be capable of instigating legal action following appropriate protocols
- Meet with Ofsted inspectors and provide detailed information relating to attendance and punctuality and case studies, as required.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
- Work with external agencies (e.g., Early Help, Social Care, Occupational Therapy) in the best interests of the children
- Be a point of contact for parents and carers
- Help parents, carers and families find support by ‘sign posting’ them to appropriate agencies including SENDIASS
- Find ways to build good relationships with parents, carers, and families to safeguard their children
- Advise on Personal Budgets/Direct payments and signposting parents to other sources of funding and support
- Coordinate and broker alternative education for pupils who are excluded or accessing alternative provision INCLUSION SUPPORT
- Liaise with LA transport teams and lead on transport arrangements at the academy
- Be available and visible to parents and carers who bring their children at the start and end of the academy day
- Lead referrals to outside agencies relating to access and inclusion
- Under the guidance of the Assistant Headteacher, schedule annual reviews of Education Health Care Plans
- Prepare reports and documents for submission to any potential Tribunal/appeals process related to place planning and admissions
- Ensure all records relating to safeguarding, inclusion, and accessibility, both electronic and paper, are up to date, accurate and effectively