Safeguarding Support Officer

Are you passionate about safeguarding children and young people and supporting families to overcome barriers to education?

We are seeking a compassionate, resilient, and proactive Safeguarding Support Officer to join Lift Four Dwellings Secondary. This is an important opportunity to play a key role in supporting the safety, welfare and wellbeing of our students and their families.

As Safeguarding Support Officer, you will work closely with our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and act as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL), supporting safeguarding and child protection across the school.

You will work directly with students and families, build positive relationships, coordinate support and work closely with colleagues and external agencies to ensure children receive the right help at the right time.

This role suits someone with experience working directly with children and families, a strong understanding of safeguarding, and confidence working sensitively with students, parents, professionals, and external agencies.

Your new school

Four Dwellings Academy is part of Lift Schools, a national trust of 58 schools across the country, including 10 schools in the Midlands.

Led by Principal Claire Stoneman, the school has undergone significant transformation and improvement. We are proud to be known as a "small school with a big heart", where students are supported in a nurturing and ambitious environment.

Recent highlights include:

• Most improved school in South Birmingham for progress in 2024
• Among the most improved schools nationally
• A recent Good Ofsted judgment
• The best GCSE results in the school's history
• Our school values are built around the Three R's:
• Respect - treating others with kindness and dignity
• Resilience - persevering through challenges
• Responsibility - taking ownership of our actions and our futures

These values underpin our culture and guide the way we support our students every day.

Your new role

As Safeguarding Support Officer, you will support the Designated Safeguarding Lead with the welfare and safeguarding of students across the school, acting as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

You will provide practical support and guidance to students and families, helping them overcome barriers to learning and promoting positive engagement with education. You will also support safeguarding referrals, coordinate Early Help cases and work closely with external agencies and other professionals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, working closely with the DSL to respond to safeguarding and child protection concerns
• Supporting safeguarding referrals and liaising with children's social care, police and other external agencies
• Coordinating Early Help cases and providing practical support to students and families to overcome barriers to learning
• Maintaining accurate and secure safeguarding records and contributing to multi-agency meetings where required
• Supporting the school's responsibilities around Prevent, FGM and the safe transfer of child protection files
• Acting as lead first aider, including maintaining relevant records, care plans and medication checks
• Supporting and mentoring Looked After Children and signposting students and families to appropriate services

You will work closely with safeguarding, pastoral and wider school teams, as well as external professionals, to ensure students and families receive effective and timely support.

What you'll need to succeed

We are looking for someone who:

• Holds GCSE Maths and English (Grade 4/C or above) or equivalent
• Has at least two years' experience working directly with children and families
• Has a good understanding of safeguarding, child protection and relevant legislation
• Holds a DSL Level 3 and first aid qualification, or is willing to undertake the required training
• Can build positive relationships with students, families and professionals
• Communicates sensitively and confidently, including in challenging situations
• Is calm, organised and able to use initiative while managing competing priorities
• Has a patient, empathetic and non-judgmental approach
• Is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people

Experience within an educational setting, working with external agencies and using Google Workspace would be advantageous.

Who is Lift Schools?

Lift Schools is made up of 62 primary, secondary and special schools, educating more than 35,000 pupils across the country. We believe education can transform lives - and we want every child in our schools to achieve their full potential.

How we support you

We want you to feel supported, valued and able to grow throughout your career with Lift Schools. From high-quality professional development and career progression to wellbeing support and opportunities to connect and collaborate across our network, we invest in you so you can do your best work.

This is a part-time position working 20 hours per week, term time only. This is a fixed-term contract until 31 August 2027.