Best Practice

Safeguarding the safeguarders: How are you supporting your DSL?

Safeguarding Staff wellbeing Workload
Designated safeguarding leads will need further support if they are to meet the challenge of looking after pupils in the wake of the pandemic, says Hannah Glossop


There have been plenty of quiet heroes keeping our schools going over the past 14 months or so.

Now that the last lockdown is receding into the past and we’re well into the summer term, the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is one of those quiet heroes who I think will need a bit more space and support as they deal with the impact a year of disruption has had on our children and young people.

The extent of that fallout on pupils is not yet clear, but there are worrying indications that it wasn’t a positive experience for many.

The NSPCC recently reported a record rise in calls and messages to its helpline and suggested that the increase has heightened fears that children who could not attend school during the lockdowns were more vulnerable to abuse and neglect (NSPCC, 2021). Meanwhile, back in the autumn the County Councils Network said there had been a rise in child protection referrals (CCN, 2020).

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