Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing

About The Role

As Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for safeguarding, student wellbeing and welfare across the College. Leading with integrity, compassion and professionalism, you will model the values and behaviours that underpin an inclusive, student-centred culture.

You will build strong, trusting relationships with students, colleagues and external partners, demonstrating sound judgement, resilience and confidence in decision-making. You will provide constructive professional challenge where appropriate, ensuring safeguarding remains everyone’s responsibility and that the highest standards of practice are maintained.

A key aspect of the role is inspiring and developing high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, reflection and continuous improvement. Committed to equality, inclusion and belonging, you will champion equitable access to support and opportunity for every student, acting as a visible advocate for safeguarding, wellbeing and the College’s unwavering commitment to putting students first.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading the operational delivery of the College Safeguarding & Wellbeing Strategy in line with the College’s strategic priorities.
• Supporting the Director of Safeguarding & Student Experience in delivering the College’s vision for safeguarding, wellbeing and student experience.
• Driving continuous improvement through innovation, quality assurance and evidence-informed practice.
• Promoting a whole-college culture where safeguarding, wellbeing and mental health are recognised as everyone’s responsibility.
• Leading organisational responses to emerging safeguarding risks, legislative changes and national priorities.
• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing, compassionate and reflective safeguarding and wellbeing team.
• Create a culture of trust, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Lead workforce planning to ensure the service has the capacity, capability and resilience to meet current and future need.
• Recruit, induct, supervise, coach and performance manage members of the safeguarding and wellbeing team.
• Set clear objectives and performance expectations, supporting staff to achieve high standards of practice.
• Fulfil the statutory responsibilities of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education and relevant safeguarding legislation.
• Provide expert safeguarding advice, guidance and support to staff across the College.
• Lead decision-making in complex safeguarding cases involving children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Assess and manage safeguarding risk, ensuring timely, proportionate and effective interventions.
• Ensure referrals to Children’s Social Care, Adult Social Care, Police, Health and other partner agencies are made appropriately and without delay.
• Lead the strategic development and implementation of the College Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy.
• Promote a whole-college approach to mental health, wellbeing and resilience.
• Ensure mental health support is accessible, preventative and evidence-informed.
• Develop effective pathways for early identification, intervention and ongoing support.
• Reduce barriers to learning associated with mental health and emotional wellbeing.
• Work collaboratively with curriculum teams, external partners and specialist services to coordinate support for students.

Skills & Expertise

• Evidence of substantial continuing professional development relevant to safeguarding, leadership and/or wellbeing.
• Significant experience of leading safeguarding within an education, social care or equivalent setting, including acting as a Designated or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Significant leadership and management experience, including leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience of managing complex safeguarding cases and undertaking effective risk assessment and decision making.
• Extensive knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, the Prevent Duty and relevant adult safeguarding legislation.
• Experience of working effectively with multi-agency partners, including Children’s Social Care, Adult Social Care, Police, Health and Local Authorities.
• Experience of developing safeguarding policy, procedures and quality assurance processes.
• Experience of preparing for and supporting Ofsted inspections, safeguarding audits and external reviews.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practice, contextual safeguarding, restorative approaches and adverse childhood experiences.

Qualifications & Training

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification.
• At least a Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training and a commitment to maintain up-to-date safeguarding knowledge in line with statutory requirements.

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