Head of Safeguarding

City of Bristol College; Bristol; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading further education institution in Bristol is looking for a dedicated Head of Safeguarding to enhance the safety culture within the college. This key role involves leading a safeguarding team, managing complex cases, and advocating for vulnerable students. Ideal candidates should possess strategic thinking skills and a passion for promoting inclusive practices. The college offers generous benefits, including holiday entitlement, a pension scheme, and professional development opportunities, creating a supportive environment for staff.

Benefits

Two-week paid Christmas closure

Membership to Local Government Pension Scheme

Paid volunteering leave

Family-friendly policies

Access to benefits portal with discounts

Right to Disconnect policy

Qualifications

• Experience in managing complex multi-agency safeguarding cases.
• Expertise in promoting safeguarding across diverse communities.
• Ability to support vulnerable students effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead a professional safeguarding and welfare team.
• Champion equity in safeguarding practices.
• Influence and collaborate with external partners.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Advocacy

Multi-agency collaboration

Trauma-informed care

Welfare management

Education

Relevant safeguarding qualifications

Job description

An Aspiring Leaders programme open to all plus our Management Academy for all management roles covering management skill and internal processes.

Welfare Rooms at all our sites for professional breakout and relaxation spaces.

A bespoke programme of recognition, reward and celebration for colleagues throughout the year to recognise your hard work.

We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community – a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply to join us. As a disability confident employer, we take a trauma informed approach to our work, support the Care Leavers covenant, and have been awarded accreditation as a College of Sanctuary for refugees.

You can have a look here at our Employee Benefits Booklet for even more.

About your role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our College Leadership team as the Head of Safeguarding at a busy, diverse Further Education college that spans the city. We are seeking a strategic, expert Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to drive a robust and trauma‑informed safety culture across our entire community.

You will be accountable for leading a professional safeguarding and welfare team while personally managing the most complex, high‑risk multi‑agency cases. A crucial part of your mission will be championing equity, ensuring our practices specifically meet the needs of vulnerable students, including care‑experienced young people and adults, young carers, unaccompanied asylum seekers, and those with complex SEND. We expect you to be a forward‑thinking advocate, strategically influencing external partners (Police, Local Authority) and actively representing the critical work of the FE sector.

This role offers the chance to make a profound, measurable impact on the access, engagement, and attainment of some of our most disadvantaged students.

We have four main sites across the city with state‑of‑the‑art facilities. Further future investment in our estates is now allowing us to provide the best possible outcomes for our students and local communities, delivered by our fantastic community of colleagues.

At City of Bristol College, we have one goal: to help our students succeed. We offer the widest range of academic and vocational qualifications in the area, with more than 1,000 courses available from entry to degree level and we provide education and training to approximately 10,000 students each year.

At City of Bristol College, we deliver transformative education in inclusive and dynamic learning environments and for our employees, this is no different so why not come and join us? With recent investments in our already outstanding facilities, the College has a great deal on offer for you.

One of our key strategic aims is our unrelenting focus on our people‑first culture, ensuring you feel valued, empowered, and recognised for your individual contributions and expertise whether that be in a teaching capacity or a professional services team.

All colleagues within the College contribute to the success of our students and we actively work to eliminate any barriers at work, ensuring you have the opportunity to thrive.

We have an exciting opportunity for a dedicated and compassionate Head of Safeguarding join our college community.

What we offer

• Two‑week paid Christmas close down and additional paid time off over Easter on top of a generous holiday entitlement of 30 holiday days, plus bank holidays (pro‑rata for part‑time roles).
• Membership to the Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of 18.0 %.
• Paid volunteering leave (3 days a year).
• Family‑friendly policies including paid fertility and foster‑friendly policy.
• A menopause policy outlining support available.
• A person‑centred annual appraisal focusing on your wellbeing and CPD.
• Access to a benefits portal including shopping discounts and cycle‑to‑work scheme plus lots more!

The ‘Right to Disconnect’ from work outside of your normal working hours.