Working Hours:  35 Hours per week
Contract Type: Full time / Temporary (24 Months)
Working style:  Onsite - Employees carry out their job primarily from a physical workplace, such as an office 
Closing date:  05 November 2026
Interview Method:  In Person (Face to Face)
Location: Manchester (North, Central or South locality)


Skilled Worker Sponsorship  
You must already have a valid right to work in the UK documentation, as we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Are you an experienced school Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) looking to influence safeguarding outcomes across the whole of Manchester?

Manchester is seeking an outstanding safeguarding professional from the education sector to join our new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs) during this exciting period of transformation. This is a unique opportunity to bring your school-based safeguarding expertise into a city-wide role, helping to shape decisions for children at risk of significant harm and ensuring that the education voice is fully embedded within child protection practice.

As Manchester implements the Families First Partnership reforms, education is a critical safeguarding partner. The MACPT Education DSL will work alongside Children's Social Care, Health, Police and Family Help colleagues to ensure that children's educational experiences, attendance, inclusion and lived experiences are central to safeguarding decision-making.

The role sits at the heart of multi-agency safeguarding and child protection activity.

You will:

  • Provide expert safeguarding advice and consultation to schools and partner agencies.
  • Act as the key conduit for safeguarding information sharing between schools, education services and the MACPT.
  • Review and analyse safeguarding concerns, education intelligence, attendance information and inclusion data.
  • Contribute directly to multi-agency child protection decision-making where there are concerns about significant harm.
  • Liaise with schools, academies, colleges, alternative provision, SEND, Attendance, Children Missing Education (CME) and Elective Home Education (EHE) services.
  • Support strategy discussions, child protection conferences and safeguarding planning.
  • Identify patterns, risks and emerging safeguarding issues affecting children and communities.
  • Help strengthen relationships between schools and safeguarding partners across Manchester.
  • Contribute to safeguarding quality assurance, audits, learning reviews and inspection readiness. 

Who are We Looking For?

An exceptional safeguarding leader who has:

  • Significant experience as a school Designated Safeguarding Lead.
  • Extensive safeguarding expertise and a strong track record of working with children, young people and families.
  • Experience of complex child protection decision-making and multi-agency working.
  • Excellent knowledge of safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
  • Strong analytical skills, professional curiosity and sound judgement.
  • Experience of attending and contributing to Child Protection Conferences and safeguarding processes.
  • The credibility and confidence to work effectively with senior leaders, social care, health and police colleagues. 

Why Apply?

This is a rare opportunity to:

  • Influence safeguarding practice and decision-making across the city.
  • Develop strategic and operational expertise in child protection and multi-agency safeguarding.
  • Be part of Manchester's transformational Families First programme.
  • Help shape how education contributes to child protection in the future.
  • Work within a highly skilled multi-agency environment focused on achieving better outcomes for vulnerable children and families. 

If you are passionate about safeguarding, have substantial DSL experience, and want to make a difference for some of Manchester's most vulnerable children, we would love to hear from you.

 For queries about the role, please contact Raamona Johnson Statutory Lead for Safeguarding and Community Education team on raamona.johnson@manchester.gov.uk to arrange a convenient time to discuss the role. This route is for vacancy related enquiries only and should not be used to submit applications.  

 

Pre-employment Checks

If you are successful, your appointment will be subject to completing the relevantpre-employment checks. These checks will be carried out as part of our recruitment process and may include:

  • DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Clearance – This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced DBS check as appropriate. Information provided by you or the DBS will be handled confidentially and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice. We have policies covering the secure handling of DBS information and the recruitment of ex-offenders, which are available on request. - If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years, or 12 months or more in the last 10 years (while aged 18 or over), please refer to GOV.UK guidance on obtaining overseas police checks or Certificates of Good Character.
For more information on these checks, please visit checks page. 

We are looking for an experienced school Designated Safeguarding Lead to join our new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs) to bring your school-based safeguarding expertise into a city-wide role, helping to shape decisions for children at risk of significant harm and ensuring that the education voice is fully embedded within child protection practice.

You will have significant experience as a school Designated Safeguarding Lead, strong safeguarding expertise and experience of complex child protection decision-making and multi-agency working.
You will need excellent knowledge of safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children as well as strong analytical skills, professional curiosity and sound judgement.

We’ll use the following essential criteria to decide which candidates to invite to assessment. Use your personal statement to provide evidence of how you meet each one, supported by relevant examples:

  • Significant experience as a school Designated Safeguarding Lead, including oversight of child protection and safeguarding records
  • Extensive safeguarding experience knowledge of safeguarding practice as well as a strong track record of working with children, young people and families
  • Experience of attending and contributing to Child Protection conferences and multi-agency decision-making
For guidance on how to write your personal statement, please visit How to Apply - Manchester City Council.

If you’re invited to assessment, we’ll look at a wider range of the role requirements. For more detail, please see the role profile.  

Use of AI 

You may use AI to support your application, but all examples must be your own and based on real experience. Applications may be withdrawn if content is misleading or presents someone else's experience as your own. Internal candidates may also face disciplinary action. 

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme 
Applicants who meet the essential shortlisting criteria and are eligible under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme will be progressed to the assessment stage.  

 

Support and Adjustments  
If you're successful in securing a role, we'll make every effort to provide the support, equipment and reasonable adjustments you need to carry out your duties. Where needed, we'll consider adapting aspects of the role. Find out more about our inclusion and wellbeing. 


Working for Manchester City Council is a chance to make a real difference in a diverse city. You’ll help improve lives and support our local communities. Working together, we can create better public services for everyone. 

Benefits we offer

  • Up to 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years’ service
  •  Buy up to two extra weeks’ leave
  •  Up to 3 days’ volunteering leave 
  •  A 35-hour work week for full-time roles
  •  We review pay each year and recognise three trade unions
  •  A defined benefit pension scheme
  •  Enhanced parental and carers leave 
  •  Employee discounts and perks  

Learn more at Careers - Manchester City Council 

Our commitment to inclusion 

At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that fully reflects the diversity of our local communities. We actively encourage applications from people of all ages and backgrounds and are particularly keen to hear from applicants from ethnic minority communities and disabled people, who remain underrepresented in parts of our workforce. 

GM Elevate Programme 

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the 'Personal Statement' section or 'Supporting Statement' section of your application. 

 

Accessible Formats: 
Use ReciteMe  through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. It has tools such as text-to-speech, language translations, and adjustable text size and colour. 

Calculate your take home pay. 

Privacy Notice 

Ready to apply?

Location

Town Hall Extension, Albert Square, , Manchester, M60 2LA, United Kingdom

Job ID

9226

Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey

We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.

This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.

You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.

Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester

Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

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Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

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Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

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Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

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Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

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Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

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Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

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Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

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Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future

Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.

  1. Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay

    Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

    Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)

  2. Check Your Benefits Entitlement

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Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

    • Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job

    • Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role

    • All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms

    AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.

    Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.

  2. Using AI in Your Application

    When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team. 

    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

    Your application is your chance to show us:

    • Who you are

    • What you can bring

    • The values you hold

    • Why you want to make a difference

    AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.

    AI is most helpful when used to:

    • Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria

    • Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

    • Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors

    • Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something

    But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.

  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

    Do:

    • Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement

    • Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure

    • Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice

    • Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience

    • Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself

    Don’t:

    • Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application

    • Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have

    • Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements

    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice

Stay Safe When Applying

To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please only apply for roles through the official greater.jobs website and associated recruitment systems. We will never ask for your personal information outside of this process.