School Safeguarding Officer & Student Welfare Lead

Location: Redbridge, East/Outer London

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent (37 hours per week, Term-Time + 1 or 2 Weeks)

Start Date: Immediate / ASAP or January Start

An exceptional, high-achieving secondary school and Sixth Form in the London Borough of Redbridge is seeking a dedicated, compassionate, and highly organized School Safeguarding Officer to join their pastoral and child protection team. Operating in a key student-welfare capacity, this position is ideal for an experienced safeguarding caseworker, pastoral manager, social care professional, or school DSL/DDSL looking to drive child protection best practices, coordinate early help intervention, and ensure every student learns in a safe, supportive environment.

About the Role

As the Safeguarding Officer, you will serve as a core practitioner within the school’s Designated Safeguarding Team. Reporting directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Senior Leadership Team, you will manage day-to-day child protection concerns, liaise with local authority children's services (Redbridge MASH), manage statutory record-keeping, and coordinate multi-agency support plans to champion pupil safety, mental health, and wellbeing.

• Environment: A welcoming Outer London secondary school with robust pastoral frameworks, modern safeguarding management software (e.g., CPOMS, MyConcern), and established multi-agency partnerships

• Culture: A child-centered, vigilant, and supportive community where pupil safety, early intervention, mental health awareness, and inclusive pastoral care are paramount

Key Responsibilities

• Case Management & Record Keeping: Respond promptly to safeguarding disclosures, manage daily child protection concerns, and maintain rigorous, confidential digital case records using CPOMS in compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) standards.

• Multi-Agency Collaboration: Serve as a key operational liaison between the school, Redbridge Children’s Social Care (MASH), CAMHS, police teams, and third-sector support agencies; attend and contribute to Child Protection (CP), Child in Need (CIN), and Team Around the Family (TAF) conferences.

• Early Help & Pastoral Support: Identify vulnerable students early, design structured early help packages, and deliver targeted pastoral interventions to address attendance, emotional wellbeing, online safety, and home challenges.

• Staff Guidance & Training Support: Assist the DSL in delivering staff safeguarding inductions, refreshing annual KCSIE training, and providing day-to-day advice to teachers and support staff regarding child protection protocols.

• Policy & Audit Compliance: Help audit safeguarding procedures, monitor vulnerable student registers, track trend data, and ensure robust compliance across statutory reporting guidelines.

Requirements

• Relevant professional qualification in Child Protection, Social Work, Youth Work, Pastoral Care, Counseling, or Education (Level 3 or higher Designated Safeguarding Lead / Officer certification is essential).

• Substantial, practical experience handling safeguarding cases, child protection disclosures, and multi-agency procedures within a school, local authority, youth service, or social care setting.

• Deep operational understanding of statutory safeguarding frameworks (Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and regional MASH protocols).

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, emotional resilience, and the ability to build trust with young people and families while maintaining absolute confidentiality and professional boundaries.

• Strong digital proficiency with school safeguarding software (e.g., CPOMS, MyConcern) and MS Office suite for precise record-keeping and case management.

Salary & Benefits

• Pay Scale: Outer London Support Staff Scale (commensurate with safeguarding qualifications and pastoral experience).

• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), generous holiday entitlement, funded advanced safeguarding/mental health first aid training, and access to staff health and wellbeing services.

How to Apply

If you are a passionate safeguarding practitioner dedicated to protecting and empowering young people at a thriving secondary school in Redbridge, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your application and CV as soon as possible for consideration.