Designated safeguarding lead (DSL): model job description

Download our model job description and person specification for a DSL and adapt it to meet your school's needs.

Last reviewed on 25 April 2025See updates
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 32031
Contents
  1. Model job description and person specification
  2. Requirements
  3. Get more support with The Key Safeguarding

Model job description and person specification

Download and adapt it to reflect the role in your school.

It's based on the requirements in the statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (which we look at in the next section).

KeyDoc: model job description and person specification – designated safeguarding lead DOCX, 118.0 KB
Download

Make sure your job advert complies with safeguarding guidance and equality law

You're not required to advertise this position internally or externally, but it's good practice to do so. Find out what you need to include in your job advert to help you recruit safely.

KeyGPT can help

Use KeyGPT, our AI-powered assistant, to help you fill out some sections of our model job description and write your advert – just adapt the prompts in our interview wizard to see your personalised result.

Every school should have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL), as set out in paragraph 8 of Keeping Children