Schools Early Intervention And Safeguarding Officer

Blackpool Council’s Children’s Services is looking to appoint a Schools Early Intervention and Safeguarding Officer to support, strengthen and champion safeguarding and early help practice across Blackpool’s schools, academies and education settings. This is an important role within the School Standards, Safeguarding and Inclusion service. You will work closely with schools, academies, Targeted Intervention Services and safeguarding partners to build confidence, capacity and consistency in early help and safeguarding practice. You will provide expert advice, coaching, training and challenge to education settings, helping to ensure that children, young people and families receive the right support at the right time.

The role includes delivering safeguarding training to Designated Safeguarding Leads and Deputies, supporting audits and quality assurance activity, contributing to multi‑agency safeguarding arrangements, and helping schools to further develop effective early help systems. The post will also involve contributing to safeguarding operational groups, LADO meetings, Channel Panel, CSAP activity, Ofsted safeguarding complaint responses, and wider partnership work aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people across Blackpool.

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced safeguarding professional who is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families. You will have significant knowledge and experience of safeguarding, child protection and early help, ideally within a school, college or residential setting. You will understand relevant legislation, guidance, safer working practice and the Ofsted framework, and you will be confident in applying this knowledge in a complex education and partnership context. You will need to be able to build strong and productive relationships with schools and partners, while also providing professional challenge where this is needed. You will be confident delivering training, writing reports, analysing information, and supporting settings to improve practice. The successful candidate will be solution‑focused, resilient, reflective and able to manage competing demands. You will be comfortable working independently and using your initiative, while remaining firmly connected to the wider Children’s Services and safeguarding partnership arrangements.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing expert advice to schools and academies on early help and safeguarding processes.
• Supporting and challenging education settings to strengthen their early help offer.
• Delivering safeguarding training and briefings to Designated Safeguarding Leads, Deputies and other education colleagues.
• Completing safeguarding audits and quality assurance activity across education settings.
• Contributing to safeguarding operational groups, LADO meetings, Channel Panel and CSAP activity.
• Collating and analysing information from schools to support reporting, planning and improvement.
• Supporting responses to Ofsted safeguarding complaints where required.
• Working with internal and external partners to improve safeguarding practice and outcomes for children.

Blackpool is a unique and ambitious place to work. We are committed to improving outcomes for children and families and to working in a relational, strengths‑based and partnership‑focused way. This role offers an exciting opportunity to make a real difference across Blackpool’s education system by supporting schools and safeguarding partners to identify needs early, respond effectively and keep children safe.

In return, Blackpool Council offers a supportive working environment, opportunities for professional development, and the chance to contribute to meaningful system‑wide improvement across Children’s Services and education. Blackpool Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. Blackpool Council is also committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/vulnerable adults. This post is subject to satisfactory reference history of at least two years, Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, medical clearance, evidence of any essential qualifications and proof of Right to Work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and amendments to the exemptions order, which mean that certain offences are ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed. Guidance on the filtering of offences can be found at the official GOV.UK site.