How you'll make a difference:
At South Gloucestershire Council, we are ambitious for children and young people, ensuring they are safe, supported and able to achieve their full potential. We are committed to continually improving outcomes through effective partnership working and a strong focus on safeguarding.
As the Education Safeguarding Lead within the Multi-Agency Child Protection team (MACPT), you will bring specialist education safeguarding knowledge and leadership to child protection practice across the partnership. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring education settings are fully engaged in safeguarding processes, educational information is effectively used to assess risk and need, and that children's experiences in education contribute meaningfully to decision-making and planning.
What you will be doing:
- You will provide professional leadership, challenge and guidance throughout the child protection process, ensuring education remains central to safeguarding assessments and interventions.
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As a key member of the MACPT, you will strengthen partnership working between schools, academies, colleges and early years settings, promoting effective information sharing and ensuring education experiences inform the assessment of risk and need.
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Using your safeguarding expertise and influencing skills, you will enhance the contribution of education within multi-agency child protection arrangements, helping to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people across South Gloucestershire.
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It will be your responsibility to ensure educational information and the voice of schools, colleges and early years settings effectively inform strategy discussions, child protection enquiries and planning.
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A key part of the role will be developing strong relationships with Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), headteachers, governors and academy trust leaders across South Gloucestershire.
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You will participate in and contribute to strategy discussions, Section 47 enquiries, Child Protection Conferences and other safeguarding forums as required, including contributing to audits, case reviews and safeguarding learning activity.
What we need from you:
- We require you to have significant experience of safeguarding leadership within education, children's social care, or a related safeguarding environment.
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You will have extensive knowledge of statutory safeguarding guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and relevant child protection legislation.
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It is essential that you have experience of working effectively within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, ensuring the voice of the child is reflected in safeguarding decisions.
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Given the nature of this work, you must have a strong understanding of child protection thresholds, risk assessment and decision-making processes.
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Using your strong communication, presentation and relationship-building skills, you will be able to engage confidently with schools, partner agencies and senior stakeholders.
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You will be able to analyse complex information, identify safeguarding risks and support defensible decision making.
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Although not essential, you may hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or a social work or safeguarding qualification.
What you need to know:
- This is for a two year limited term contract.
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Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
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Although this post is advertised as a full-time position, we encourage and welcome applications from experienced practitioners seeking part-time, job share or flexible working arrangements.
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This post involves regular engagement with schools, academies, colleges, early years providers and multi-agency safeguarding meetings so you will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area. You must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel.
- Business insurance will need to be added to your insurance policy.
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You can claim back mileage expenses.
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This is a strategic and operational safeguarding role, you will not hold a caseload.
Interviews will be held on 14th September 2026.
How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different:
- As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
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We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
- We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives, and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance.
- What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the training.
- We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.
Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.
- We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
- We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.
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We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.
We’re making a difference, be part of it!
To view the full job description, please click this link: Education Safeguarding Lead - Job Description
