The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Safer Recruitment and Allegations 20.02.2026

Aims

For Managers and DSL’s the training provide with a wide range of knowledge and skills to fulfil their statutory duties in safeguarding children. 

To facilitate a learning environment where managers and DSL’s have the opportunity to come together with their peers to refresh, reflect on and extend their safeguarding knowledge and practice.

You will be introduced to practices which can support you to have safer recruitment and allegation procedures in place, where safeguarding children is embedded throughout every stage of the process.

Summary

• To build on their own and to support their colleagues in developing their existing knowledge in identifying children at risk of harm or maltreatment
• Review in detail the Southwark Threshold guidance to gain a better understanding of which level of referral is appropriate to either Family Early Help or MASH
• Identify the importance of supervisions, information sharing and professional discussions to support safeguarding children and families
• Reflect on what documents and records we keep and if they are sufficient for identifying stability, family history and functioning and parenting capacity.
• Safer recruitment from planning the adverts to obtaining the correct checks and references.
• Post recruitment activities, including induction, peer observation and supervision.
• The difference between an allegation and a complaint in the early years settings and the actions to be taken, including how to carry out the initial enquiries, the investigation and the employment, child protection and criminal processes that may need to be pursued.
• The roles of the different agencies when an allegation has been made, including that of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Ofsted, Health and the Police.
• What makes an organisation / setting safe and best practice to avoid allegations