Schoolwide Senior Safeguarding Lead

Position Responsibilities

The Safeguarding Lead provides strategic and operational leadership on all aspects of safeguarding and child protection across the school. This includes policy development, training, curriculum integration, case management, investigations, liaisons with external agencies, and institutional compliance with all safeguarding-related laws, standards, and best practices.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and foster a proactive safeguarding culture that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of students and employees with a culturally responsive and inclusive lens
• Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of child safeguarding and child protection policies, procedures, and systems across the school
• Promote a culture of safety, inclusion, and consent by ensuring student voice and participation in child safeguarding systems
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of local laws, international best practices, and external agency protocols related to child protection
• Build partnerships with relevant government and non-governmental agencies central to referral and support services
• Collaborate with operational departments of the school such as Legal Counsel, Human Resources, Admissions, Facilities, Technology, and Advancement to align with best child safeguarding practices
• Oversee safeguarding risk areas identified in the Enterprise Risk Management work
• Serve as the primary source of advice and expertise on all safeguarding matters to school employees, divisional leadership, and the School Board

• Oversee the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) team, convening regular divisional case review meetings and schoolwide systems meetings
• Oversee secure documentation of child safeguarding records and maximize the efficient and effective use of CPOMS, the school's child protection management system
• Manage the child safeguarding budget and resources to maximize training and professional development of child safeguarding team and collaborative partners
• Develop and oversee comprehensive employee child safeguarding training programs, ensuring ongoing compliance and professional learning
• Commission and deliver specialized training (including external providers) where necessary
• Develop and maintain employee training records and ensure monitoring of completion and refreshers
• Collaborate with counselors and educators to embed child safeguarding and consent education age-appropriately into student preventative education curriculum
• Communicate regularly with community stakeholders, including parents/carers, to raise awareness of safeguarding policies, procedures, and areas of particular focus
• Keep the Superintendent informed of all high level risk, vulnerabilities, and active cases as needed

• Maintain an investigation framework based on best practices to ensure school wide alignment, consistency, transparency, and procedural integrity
• Conduct or oversee investigations into serious student or employee misconduct, collaborating closely with HR, divisional leadership, and external partners as needed
• Gather and analyze evidence, conduct interviews, prepare reports, and present findings and recommendations to senior leadership
• Promote effective cross-divisional information sharing and case tracking through CPOMS for student cases
• Maintain external relationships with consultants, law enforcement, and relevant agencies as needed
• Consult and collaborate with school legal counsel on complex cases involving legal, reputational, or risk mitigation questions

• Conduct regular reviews of child safeguarding policies, procedures, and practices to ensure compliance with local regulations and international standards
• Monitor and evaluate internal controls, report findings, and recommend improvements
• Track child safeguarding concerns and referrals to identify trends, lessons learned, and areas for system strengthening
• Contribute to risk management, crisis management, emergency planning, and code of conduct reviews from a child safeguarding perspective

Position Requirements & Qualifications

• Master's degree (preferred) or Bachelor's degree in social work, counseling, child psychology, education, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in child safeguarding, child protection, or a related area.
• Strong knowledge of international child protection laws, best practices, and local Singapore regulatory frameworks.
• Proven leadership and project management experience, including coordination across departments
• Expertise in investigative processes, report writing, and presentation of findings
• Experience with child or student misconduct investigations and restorative practices
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and training facilitation skills
• Proficient in Google Workspace and CPOMS database system
• Demonstrated confidentiality, empathy, and resilience in working within complicated, sensitive and distressing familial and child welfare situations

Working Requirements

• Sponsoring and/or coaching after-school activities are part of the responsibility of the professional educator. Each faculty member is expected to complete a minimum of one Category 1 activity or sport per year.
• Required attendance at school professional learning days
• Chaperone and participate in evening and/or weekend school activities each year, as assigned (including "Back-to-School Night").