Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Riverside Bridge School, Barking, Essex, IG11 0FU

12 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP

• Closing date

  2 May 2026 at 12:59am

• Date listed

  20 April 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £27,237.00 Annually (FTE) Scale 5.12 Outer London Support £27,237 per annum (pro rata)

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead job summary

Riverside Bridge School is seeking a dedicated and resilient Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead to join our Specialist SEND setting. This role is pivotal in ensuring the safety and welfare of pupils aged 4 to 18 with complex needs, including Autism Spectrum Condition, profound learning difficulties, and non-verbal communication profiles.

The role of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) at Riverside Bridge School centres on supporting the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to ensure that safeguarding practice across the school is effective, consistent, and proactive. A key aspect of the role is the early identification of risk and the coordination of safeguarding responses for pupils with complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Given that many pupils are non-verbal or have limited communication, the role requires a high level of professional curiosity, vigilance, and the ability to interpret behaviour, presentation, and patterns as indicators of potential concern rather than relying on direct disclosure.

A significant part of the role involves managing safeguarding casework and maintaining accurate, detailed records in line with statutory guidance. The DDSL contributes to referrals to external agencies such as MASH and social care, monitors patterns of concern, and ensures that all actions are followed through effectively. Acting as a key point of contact for safeguarding matters, the DDSL also oversees operational issues such as pupil collection arrangements, ensuring all changes are verified and recorded appropriately. This aspect of the role requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously.

The DDSL also takes on a key worker role for identified pupils and their families, building professional and trusting relationships while maintaining clear safeguarding boundaries. This includes regular communication with parents and carers, providing both support and appropriate challenge, and helping families access relevant services. Home visits may be required, particularly where attendance or safeguarding concerns arise, reinforcing the importance of partnership working alongside professional accountability.

Working closely with external agencies is another core responsibility. The DDSL contributes to multi-agency meetings, including child protection conferences and team around the family meetings, ensuring that information is shared accurately and that the needs of pupils with complex SEND are effectively advocated for. Alongside this, the role promotes a proactive safeguarding culture within the school by identifying early signs of risk and supporting early intervention strategies.

Finally, the DDSL plays an important role in supporting staff practice by providing guidance, modelling effective safeguarding approaches, and contributing to training. Ensuring clear communication, maintaining confidentiality, and supporting staff to interpret non-verbal communication are essential to embedding a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Overall, the role is demanding and requires resilience, sound judgement, and a commitment to safeguarding the welfare of all pupils.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Riverside Bridge School

• School type: Free School, ages 4 to 16
• School size: 249 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Riverside Bridge School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/riverside-bridge-school

School location

Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed

Find more school jobs in Barking and Dagenham and Essex, Southend and Thurrock