Early Years Safeguarding Lead

• The primary work location is County Hall, Taunton, with opportunities for remote work, as per manager approval.
• Permanent role, 37 Hours a week.
• 30 Days Annual Leave, not including bank holidays.

We’re working to improve the lives of young people in Somerset- and you’ll be a key part of that. As an Early Years Education Safeguarding Lead, you will be reporting to the Service Manager, Education Leadership Advisory and will be instrumental in ensuring the Local Authority fulfil its statutory responsibility for safeguarding by providing safeguarding advice guidance and training across all education settings 0-19 to ensure statutory compliance and improve outcomes for children and young people.

Working with the Service Manager and as part of the Education Safeguarding Team, you will identify and develop appropriate tools and resources for leaders and governors to draw upon to ensure they are compliant within their settings and identify appropriate intervention strategies as required.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you have:

• A relevant degree or comparable related work experience.
• Up to date training in statutory requirements for schools and early years settings.
• A track record in creating clear, accessible and usable guidance and resources that help practitioners improve their understanding and practice.
• Experience of working within Schools or settings providing safeguarding advice with the impact of raising performance.
• Specialist knowledge and skill in Early Years Safeguarding and the ability to engage knowledgeably with senior leaders across any phase of education 0-19.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve. 

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

The Salary for the Early Years Safeguarding Lead role is Grade 9, ranging from £41,771 to £46,142 per annum.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Samantha Simmons, Service Manager – Education Leadership Advisory at samantha.simmons@somerset.gov.uk

Interviews are due to take place on 10^th November 2025.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button - we can’t wait to hear from you.

This post requires a criminal background check via the disclosure procedure.