Main responsibilities
From KCSIE 2026, Annex B:
- Manage referrals: to local authority children's social care, to the Channel programme, to the Disclosure and Barring Service, and to the police where a crime may have been committed; support staff who make referrals.
- Work with others: act as a source of advice for all staff; be the point of contact with safeguarding partners; liaise with the headteacher, the case manager and the LADO; liaise with SENCOs, senior mental health leads, pastoral staff and IT staff.
- Children with a social worker: know who they are, understand their progress and attainment, and support staff to provide academic support.
- Raise awareness: make sure staff understand the child protection policy; review it at least annually with the governing body; make sure it is publicly available.
Statutory duties and official sources
England. KCSIE is statutory guidance issued under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 and the Independent School Standards; schools must have regard to it. The 2026 edition came into force on 1 September 2026 and moved the DSL role description from Annex C to Annex B.
- Governing bodies and proprietors should appoint an appropriate senior member of staff from the leadership team as DSL; the proprietor should not be the DSL. Lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety and filtering and monitoring) should be explicit in the job description. Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraph 127.
- The DSL should have appropriate status and authority and be given the additional time, funding, training, resources and support needed. Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraph 128.
- The DSL or a deputy should be available during school hours in term time, with robust cover arrangements when the DSL is unavailable, for example a confidential shared mailbox. (New in 2026.) Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraph 129 and Annex B.
- Deputies should be trained to the same standard; activities can be delegated to them, but lead responsibility stays with the DSL and should not be delegated. Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraph 130 and Annex B.
- DSL training updated at least every two years, plus Prevent awareness training; knowledge refreshed at least annually. Source: KCSIE 2026, Annex B, "Training, knowledge and skills".
- Child protection files kept up to date, secure and separate, and transferred within 5 days (in-year) or within the first 5 days of a new term, separately from the main file, with a structured summary of current concerns and confirmation of receipt. (Expanded in 2026.) Source: KCSIE 2026, Annex B, "Information sharing and managing the child protection file".
- Filtering and monitoring effectiveness reviewed at least once every academic year by the SLT member responsible, with the DSL and IT support; checks recorded. (Wording strengthened in 2026.) Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraph 173; DfE filtering and monitoring standard.
- Schools contribute to multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and, once named as relevant agencies, must co-operate with the published arrangements. Source: KCSIE 2026, paragraphs 132–135; Working together to safeguard children.
- In settings with early years provision, a practitioner must be designated to take lead responsibility for safeguarding; the DSL liaises with local statutory children's services and safeguarding partners. Source: EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers, September 2026, paragraph 3.4.
- Prevent duty: schools must have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. Source: Prevent duty guidance.
Other nations. Wales: Keeping learners safe uses the designated safeguarding person (DSP). Northern Ireland: the Department of Education's child protection and safeguarding guidance uses a designated teacher for child protection. Scotland: schools follow the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 (updated 2023). Do not transfer English DSL duties to these systems by changing the title.
Key dates in the school year (2026 to 2027, England)
- 1 September 2026: KCSIE 2026 in force; all staff who work directly with children should have read Part one, and those who do not should now also read Part one (KCSIE, "School and college staff").
- Start of the year: child protection policy reviewed (annually as a minimum) and published; staff induction and updates.
- Once each academic year: filtering and monitoring review with the SLT lead and IT support (paragraph 173).
- At least annually: DSL knowledge refreshed; at least every two years: formal DSL training renewed (Annex B).
- Every in-year transfer: child protection file sent within 5 days.
- Census days (1 October 2026, 21 January 2027, 20 May 2027): the census includes attendance, suspension and exclusion items that DSLs often check (census dates). Children in need are not a school census item; local authorities report them in the separate children in need census.
Common challenges and good practice
- Capacity. KCSIE says the role carries a significant level of responsibility and needs additional time, funding and support (paragraph 128). Agree protected time and administrative support.
- Cover. Name deputies, publish how to reach them, and set up the cover arrangement KCSIE 2026 now expects (paragraph 129). Agree with the school what “available” means: in person is the general expectation, with phone or video only in exceptional circumstances. Name who checks any shared mailbox and when, and arrange cover for out-of-hours and out-of-term activities such as trips and clubs (Annex B, “Availability”).
- Records. KCSIE 2026 asks records to distinguish observed concerns, professional opinion and historic information (Annex B). Use the school's approved system.
- Online harms. KCSIE 2026 adds AI-generated nudes and semi-nudes, a mobile phone policy section and generative AI resources (Annex C, summary of changes).
- Safer recruitment changes. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 removed the "supervision exemption" from regulated activity; KCSIE 2026 Part three reflects this (Annex C). Check volunteer arrangements.
Common questions
- Does the DSL have to be a teacher? KCSIE does not require it; it requires a senior member of staff from the leadership team with appropriate status and authority.
- Can the DSL delegate? Activities can be delegated to deputies trained to the same standard, but lead responsibility for child protection stays with the DSL (KCSIE 2026, Annex B).
