Advanced Safeguarding for Designated Safeguarding Leads

Ensure regulatory compliance and master defensible decision-making. Accredited, expert-led training for professionals protecting children, adolescents, and adults.

Being a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is the most high-stakes role in your organization. Whether you are protecting early years children, vulnerable adolescents, or adults with care and support needs, the pressure is immense. You are expected to navigate complex disclosures, challenge multi-agency networks, and ensure absolute compliance with rapidly shifting legal frameworks.

You don’t need generic, pre-recorded theory. You need practical, battle-tested strategies from the frontline.

Led by Michael Hawkins, a Safeguarding Expert with over 30 years of experience managing complex multi-agency referrals for tens of thousands of individuals, this 1-day accredited masterclass (formerly Level 3 / Level 4) equips you with the tools to protect your service users and pass your next inspection with total confidence.

Universal Compliance: Fully Updated for 2026

This masterclass is rigorously updated to ensure compliance across all major regulatory bodies (Ofsted, CQC, Charity Commission) and aligns with the latest statutory guidance, including:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026) (Including the new ‘Targeted Family Help’ thresholds)
• The Care Act 2014 & Mental Capacity Act 2005 (For adult and post-16 settings)
• The Prevent Statutory Duty & Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Tailored to Your Specific Sector

Safeguarding is not one-size-fits-all. Our training addresses the unique legal and practical challenges of your specific environment:

Schools and Early Years Settings Master the latest KCSIE 2026 updates. Learn how to navigate the new Family Help thresholds, write Section 47 referrals that get accepted by MASH, and ensure your school culture is entirely Ofsted-compliant.

Colleges and Post-16 Providers Navigate the complex overlap between child and adult law. Learn how to protect vulnerable adolescents and young adults by applying both KCSIE and the Care Act 2014, ensuring full Ofsted compliance for FE environments.

Adult Social Care, Charities, and NGOs Master the principles of ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’. Gain confidence in managing Section 42 Enquiries, navigating the Mental Capacity Act, and ensuring compliance with the CQC and the Charity Commission.

Training and Apprenticeship Providers Protect learners in the workplace. Learn how to manage employer engagement, handle complex disclosures, and ensure compliance with the Prevent Duty and the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF).

The Core Syllabus

• The statutory roles, legal liabilities, and responsibilities of the DSL.
• Defensible decision-making: Managing referrals and multi-agency escalation.
• Navigating the intersections of Child Law (Children Act 1989) and Adult Law (Care Act 2014).
• Managing complex disclosures: Peer-on-peer abuse, exploitation, radicalisation, and domestic abuse.
• Managing allegations against staff and safer recruitment practices.
• Action planning for your next regulatory inspection (Ofsted, CQC, BSO).

What Leaders Say About This Course:

• “If only we’d come on this course before our Ofsted!” — Headteacher
• “I came back on this course after 2 years because the practical advice I was given about making referrals really worked.” — Secondary DSL
• “This was easily the best Safeguarding course I’ve been on.” — Assistant Principal, BHASVIC
• “Amazing opportunity to share best practice – Michael was happy for us to share experiences and gave us the space and time to do so. Fabulous!” — Centre Manager, NGO

About the Trainer

Michael Hawkins is currently a senior leader in Children’s Services for a large London local authority, overseeing safeguarding for 100 schools and settings from Early Years to Post-16. He works daily alongside professionals in education, health, child and adult social care and the police. This active, frontline experience means you are trained on what is happening in safeguarding today, not just what is written in a textbook.