VOL - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Tops Day Nurseries; Lower Blandford St Mary; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Tops Day Nurseries Ltd. is seeking a Deputy Company Designated Safeguarding Lead to strengthen safeguarding across our nurseries.

You will support the Company DSL, collaborate with Area Designated Safeguarding Leads and Nursery Managers, and help ensure concerns are managed promptly and consistently. You will bring practical safeguarding experience, a strong understanding of child protection procedures and the confidence to handle sensitive information with care, discretion and sound judgement,

Qualifications

• Practical safeguarding experience and strong understanding of child protection procedures.
• Ability to manage sensitive information with care, discretion and professional judgement.
• Highly organised with ability to prioritise and maintain accurate records.

Responsibilities

• Support safeguarding across Tops Day Nurseries and work with Company DSL to manage concerns promptly.
• Monitor referrals, ensure timely actions, and escalate where necessary.
• Review records and follow up actions to ensure procedures are effective.
• Assist safeguarding investigations and work with external agencies when appropriate.

Job description

Protecting children. Strengthening practice. Making sure nothing is missed.

Location:

Peripatetic - travel across Tops Day Nurseries

Salary:

£40,000 per annum

Hours:

40hrs

Contract:

Permanent

At Tops, protecting children is our greatest responsibility. Every child has the right to feel safe, be protected from harm and grow up in an environment where their welfare comes first. We believe safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and we are committed to making sure concerns are recognised, taken seriously and acted upon.

We are looking for a Deputy Company Designated Safeguarding Lead to help strengthen safeguarding across Tops Day Nurseries. Working alongside our Company Designated Safeguarding Lead, you will play an important role in making sure concerns are managed effectively, risks are identified and followed up, and the right actions are taken to protect children.

This is an opportunity for an experienced safeguarding professional who is organised, thoughtful and confident in their judgement, and who understands that even the smallest detail can make a difference to a child's safety.

About The Role

Working closely with the Company DSL, Area Designated Safeguarding Leads and Nursery Managers, you will help ensure safeguarding concerns are managed promptly and consistently across our nurseries.

You will provide practical advice and support to colleagues, monitor cases and referrals, and make sure decisions, records and follow-up actions are completed accurately and within appropriate timescales. Where concerns are complex, urgent or present a significant risk to a child, you will ensure they are escalated without delay.

A key part of the role will be looking beyond individual cases to identify patterns, recurring concerns and areas where practice needs to improve. Through reviewing records, carrying out checks and following up agreed actions, you will help ensure safeguarding procedures are not only in place, but are working effectively in practice.

You will also support safeguarding investigations and case reviews, work with external agencies where appropriate, and help colleagues build their confidence and understanding of safeguarding responsibilities.

When required, you will deputise for the Company DSL, helping maintain continuity of safeguarding leadership and ensuring that concerns continue to receive the attention and action they need.

About You

You will bring practical safeguarding experience, a strong understanding of child protection procedures and the confidence to manage sensitive information with care, discretion and sound professional judgement.

You will be highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities, maintain accurate records and make sure important actions are not overlooked. You will be comfortable recognising when something does not feel right, asking questions, following up concerns and challenging delays or gaps in practice.

You will also understand the importance of working collaboratively. You will support colleagues with care and respect, while remaining clear that protecting children must always come first.

Above all, you will share our commitment to learning and improvement, recognising that effective safeguarding means continually asking what more we can do to keep children safe.

Why join Tops?

Tops is an employee-owned business, and we care deeply about the difference we make to children, families, our colleagues and the communities we serve.

This is an opportunity to play a meaningful part in strengthening safeguarding across our nurseries, working alongside colleagues who share your commitment to protecting children and ensuring they receive the care, attention and protection they deserve.

If you are passionate about safeguarding, have a keen eye for detail and want to help ensure concerns are acted upon and improvements make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.

Join us and help ensure every child in our care is safe, protected and given the best possible start in life.