Schools Safeguarding Officer| Permanent| Full-Time in Preston

Salary £40,777 - £46,142 Per annum | Permanent | Full Time, 37 hours per week. The County Council's overriding ambition is to make Lancashire a place where everyone matters. As a School Safeguarding Officer, you will play a vital role in supporting schools and education settings to ensure robust safeguarding and child protection arrangements are in place. This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to make a real and lasting impact on safeguarding practice in schools across Lancashire. The role is varied, dynamic and highly collaborative, offering the opportunity to work closely with education leaders, designated safeguarding leads and partner agencies.

About Us: Lancashire County Council Children and Education Services is a progressive and innovative workplace that embraces strengths-based approaches and the Family Safeguarding model of practice. This is an exciting time to join us as we continue to develop and strengthen our services to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. Our supportive and experienced management team is committed to helping you thrive, providing reflective supervision, high-quality training and a strong culture of collaboration.

Core Purpose of the Role: You will work as part of the Safeguarding, Inspection & Audit Service, supporting service managers and the wider leadership team to deliver high-quality safeguarding support to schools in line with the School Safeguarding Service Service Level Agreement. Your work will contribute directly to positive outcomes for children and young people by strengthening safeguarding practice, improving compliance and promoting a strong safeguarding culture across education settings. You will be committed to a One County, One Service, One Team approach, working collaboratively with colleagues, schools and partner agencies to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Providing high-quality safeguarding and child protection advice to schools on a wide range of issues, including thresholds, safer recruitment, the role of the DSL and emerging safeguarding risks.
• Delivering and contributing to the ongoing development of Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training and bespoke safeguarding training packages tailored to the needs of individual schools.
• Completing safeguarding audits within schools, supporting the development and monitoring of action plans to ensure safeguarding policies and practices are effective and embedded.
• Supporting schools with complaints and concerns arising from OFSTED and other external sources, ensuring issues are addressed appropriately and concluded in a timely way.
• Keeping education settings informed of legislative and regulatory changes and providing clear, practical guidance on their implementation.
• Preparing and contributing to safeguarding documentation, including the development and review of safeguarding and child protection policies.
• Supporting schools with Serious Case Review timelines, Joint Audit Reviews (JARs) and Child Death Review Meetings (CDRMs).
• Providing reflective consultation and safeguarding supervision to school staff, promoting high standards of professional practice.
• Working in partnership with other agencies and contributing to multi-agency learning and training where appropriate.

You will join a well-supported and experienced team, allowing you to focus on delivering high-quality, timely and proportionate safeguarding support. The role values the active involvement of children, young people and families and promotes strong multi-agency working to achieve the best possible outcomes. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy relationship-based practice and are passionate about improving safeguarding in education, this role offers a fantastic opportunity.

About You: We are looking for a passionate, skilled and motivated professional who:

• Has significant experience working within a child protection or safeguarding context.
• Has strong knowledge of children's legislation, safeguarding practice and procedures, including safeguarding in education and the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Is confident in working collaboratively with schools and partner agencies to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to deliver training to a high standard.
• Is able to manage their own workload effectively, work to deadlines and demonstrate a high standard of professional judgement.
• Is able to drive and has access to their own vehicle.

Why Join Us? Benefits: We offer excellent flexibility and support to help you achieve a healthy work–life balance, including:

• 26 days annual leave rising to 32 days with service, plus 10 statutory/bank holidays.
• The option to purchase up to an additional 20 days annual leave.
• Access to a generous Local Government Pension Scheme.
• An Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
• An extensive employee benefits platform offering discounts on shopping, travel, holidays and entertainment, with salary sacrifice options for technology, bicycles, white goods and cars.

Development: We are committed to your professional growth and development. You will receive:

• A comprehensive induction and ongoing training opportunities.
• Regular reflective supervision and peer support.
• Opportunities for career progression both within Children's Services and across the wider organisation.

Inclusivity: We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and have staff networks and support groups available to ensure everyone feels valued and supported.

Closing Date: Friday 13th March 2026 | Interviews: to be held 19th or 23rd March (to be confirmed).

Should you require any additional information or for an informal discussion then please contact Team Manager Victoria Wallace or Senior Manager Catherine Bailey.

Whilst the role is advertised as full-time, we are open to consider term time only. The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website. We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.