Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead (Multi-Site)

The Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead provides strategic leadership and specialist expertise across a group of nurseries to ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, child protection and inclusive practice. The post holder will act as the Group Designated Safeguarding Lead, providing professional leadership, advice, guidance, and oversight to nursery leaders, Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs), Welsh Co-ordinators, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos), Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinators (ALNCOs), Early Language Co-ordinators (ELCos), and practitioners across the group. The role is responsible for promoting high standards of safeguarding, inclusion, and support for children with additional learning needs, ensuring statutory and organisational requirements are met. The post holder will champion a culture where every child is safe, included, valued, and supported to achieve their full potential. Comprehensive training and ongoing professional development will be provided to support success in the role. Working collaboratively with operational teams and external agencies, the role ensures compliance with statutory guidance, promotes early intervention and drives continuous improvement in safeguarding and inclusion practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Safeguarding Leadership
  • Act as the Group Designated Safeguarding Lead across all nursery settings.
  • Oversight and management of CPOMS.
  • Provide expert advice on safeguarding, child protection and children with barriers to learning and or wellbeing.
  • Support nursery Designated Safeguarding Leads in managing complex safeguarding cases.
  • Provide professional guidance on: Child Protection (CP), Child in Need (CIN), Early Help, Team Around the Family (TAF), Domestic abuse, Neglect, Contextual safeguarding, Allegations management.
  • Ensure safeguarding concerns are managed in line with statutory guidance and organisational policies.
  • Support managers in making referrals to Children's Social Care, LADO, Police and other safeguarding partners.
  • Attend or support attendance at strategy meetings, child protection conferences, core groups and professional meetings where appropriate.
  • Maintain oversight of safeguarding activity and identify emerging themes and risks across the organisation.
  • Lead safeguarding audits and quality assurance visits.
  • Produce safeguarding reports, data analysis and recommendations for senior leaders.
  • Ensure safeguarding records are robust, accurate and compliant.
• Inclusion and SEND/ALN Leadership
  • Lead and coordinate the organisation's approach to inclusion across all nursery settings.
  • Provide specialist advice on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)/ Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
  • Support SENCos / ALN Support with: early identification of additional needs, graduated approach, provision planning, SEND / ALN Support Plans, Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes where appropriate.
  • Advise practitioners on adapting environments and teaching strategies to meet individual needs.
  • Promote inclusive practice which enables every child to participate fully in nursery life.
  • Support managers to meet statutory SEND / ALN responsibilities.
  • Monitor inclusion practice through visits, audits and coaching.
  • Develop resources and guidance to strengthen inclusive provision.
• Early Intervention and Family Support
  • Promote early identification of emerging needs.
  • Support practitioners in implementing effective Early Help processes.
  • Work collaboratively with families to achieve positive outcomes for children.
  • Develop positive relationships with external professionals including: Local Authority Inclusion Teams, Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, Social Workers, Family Support Teams, Portage.
  • Support smooth transitions for children with additional needs.
• Supporting SENCos, EALCos, ALNCos and Welsh Co-ordinators
  • Provide professional coaching and mentoring for SENCos and EALCos.
  • Provide professional coaching and mentoring for ALNCos and Welsh Co-ordinators.
  • Facilitate regular network meetings across the nursery group.
  • Share current legislation, research and best practice.
  • Support action planning following audits and inspections.
  • Develop leadership capability within inclusion teams.
• Championing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
  • Lead the organisation's approach to diversity, equality and inclusion.
  • Promote an inclusive culture where every child, family and colleague feels respected and valued.
  • Ensure learning environments reflect diverse cultures, identities and experiences.
  • Support practitioners to challenge discrimination and unconscious bias.
  • Develop initiatives that celebrate diversity across all settings.
  • Promote anti-discriminatory practice throughout the organisation.
• Quality Assurance
  • Conduct safeguarding and inclusion audits across all nurseries.
  • Monitor compliance against: EYFS / National Minimum Standards, CIW frameworks, Working Together to Safeguard Children, Keeping Children Safe in Education (where applicable), Local safeguarding partnership procedures.
  • Produce action plans following audits.
  • Monitor progress against recommendations.
  • Identify trends to inform organisational improvement.
• Training and Professional Development
  • Deliver safeguarding and inclusion training across the organisation.
  • Lead workshops for managers, SENCos and practitioners.
  • Support induction programmes for new staff.
  • Coach leaders to improve safeguarding culture and inclusive practice.
  • Keep abreast of legislative and policy developments.
  • Develop practical resources and guidance.
• Partnership Working
  • Build effective partnerships with: Local Authorities, Social Care, Health Services, Schools, External Professionals, Regulatory Bodies.
  • Represent the organisation at external safeguarding and inclusion forums.
  • Promote collaborative working to improve outcomes for children.
• General Responsibilities
  • Promote the organisation's values at all times.
  • Maintain confidentiality and GDPR compliance.
  • Maintain accurate records and reports.
  • Contribute to organisational quality improvement initiatives.
  • Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role.

Person Specification

• Essential Qualifications
  • Level 5 or above qualification in Early Years, Education or be working towards.
  • Designated Safeguarding Lead training and willing to work towards a higher level safeguarding training.
  • CPD in safeguarding and SEND / ALN.
  • Full UK driving licence and ability to travel across multiple sites.
• Essential Knowledge
  • EYFS Statutory Framework.
  • CIW Statutory Framework.
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children.
  • SEND Code of Practice.
  • ALN Code of Practice.
  • Child Protection procedures.
  • Early Help processes.
  • Equality Act 2010.
  • Inclusive practice.
  • Trauma-informed approaches.
  • Child development.
  • Speech, language and communication needs.
• Essential Experience
  • Safeguarding leadership experience.
  • Acting as a Designated Safeguarding Lead.
  • Supporting Child Protection, CIN and Early Help cases.
  • Supporting children with SEND.
  • Coaching and mentoring staff.
  • Multi-agency working.
  • Delivering training.
  • Conducting audits and quality assurance.
  • Working across multiple settings or teams.
• Skills and Competencies
  • Exceptional safeguarding knowledge.
  • Strong coaching and mentoring skills.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to influence and build professional relationships.
  • High levels of emotional intelligence.
  • Excellent report writing and analytical skills.
  • Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
  • Ability to remain calm under pressure.
  • Commitment to continuous improvement.

Why work for us

Our culture is built around our ARCH values: Accountability, Reliability, Caring and Honesty. We believe in recognising success, supporting wellbeing, and creating opportunities for everyone to reach their full potential. We're proud to be a Sunday Times Best Place to Work and a Great Place to Work certified organisation, reflecting our commitment to creating an engaging and supportive workplace.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Continuous professional development and fully funded training
• Leadership development programmes
• Excellent career progression opportunities across our growing group
• Employee recognition and reward schemes
• Wellbeing support and employee benefits platform
• Discounted childcare (where applicable)
• Team events and celebrations
• An inclusive, supportive, and values-driven culture

Grow Your Career With Us

Whether you're an experienced Nursery Manager or looking to take the next step in your leadership journey, we'll invest in your development and provide opportunities to progress within a growing organisation. Many of our leaders have developed their careers with us, and we're committed to helping our people achieve their ambitions.