Safeguarding Audits: Ensuring Child Safety in Schools Written by Sharon Barnes …

10 Tasks for the Designated Safeguarding Leads in Schools for October
As a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in a school, your role is crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of students. October is an excellent time to review and refresh your safeguarding practices to ensure that your school environment remains secure. In this blog post, we will explore 10 essential tasks for Designated Safeguarding Leads to complete during the month of October.
- Plan a schedule for pupil voice: One of the fundamental aspects of safeguarding is listening to the students themselves. Create a schedule for gathering pupil feedback through various methods, such as questionnaires, focus groups, one-on-one meetings, and even school maps for children to identify key safe and unsafe areas. This will help you gain valuable insights into their concerns and needs.
- Meet with key staff members: Collaborate with key staff members, including the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDco), Mental Health Lead, and Looked After Children (LAC) Lead. Building strong relationships with these individuals is essential for addressing safeguarding issues related to vulnerable students.
- Attend the OFSTED webinar: Stay informed about changes in safeguarding regulations and inspection processes by participating in the OFSTED webinar on school safeguarding inspections. If you can’t attend in real-time, remember that they usually provide recorded sessions for later viewing.
- Prioritise Supervision for your well-being and your DSL Team: Amidst the demanding responsibilities you face as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), it’s essential not to overlook the well-being of both yourself and your DSL team. Supervision plays a pivotal role in maintaining your health and effectiveness in this critical role. Given the magnitude of your responsibilities, it’s imperative to ensure that you are receiving the necessary support to fulfil your role effectively. If you’re uncertain about where to access supervision resources, we invite you to click here to explore our DSL supervision offer.
- Plan safeguarding training: Work with your DSL team and the headteacher to plan a comprehensive safeguarding training program for the school year. Remember that safeguarding is an ongoing process, and regular training for staff is crucial.
- Update your own training: As a DSL, you must stay up-to-date with your own training, including DSL, Prevent, and Online Safety training. If you need to refresh your knowledge or access training resources, please do check out our safeguarding training here.
- Review the Safeguarding reporting system: Regularly check the effectiveness of your school’s safeguarding reporting system. Ensure that staff members are using the system correctly and provide additional support to individuals if necessary.
- Assess monitoring and filtering processes: Familiarise yourself with your school’s monitoring and filtering processes for online safety. Ensure that these processes are in line with your policies and adequately protect students from online risks.
- Update your Safeguarding Action Plan: Review and update your school’s Safeguarding Action Plan, making any necessary changes or improvements. Ensure that it reflects the current safeguarding priorities and concerns within your school community.
- Schedule a Safeguarding Audit: If you haven’t already, book a Safeguarding Audit to evaluate the effectiveness of your safeguarding measures. If you need assistance with this process, please do click here to check out our safeguarding audit.
October is an opportune time for Designated Safeguarding Leads to reevaluate and enhance their safeguarding practices. By following these ten tasks, you can help create a safer and more secure environment for students in your school. Remember, safeguarding is an ongoing commitment that requires dedication and vigilance throughout the year.
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