What the deputy role is
Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance schools and colleges in England must have regard to. The current version, KCSIE 2026, came into force on 1 September 2026. The deputy DSL role is set out in Part two (paragraphs 127 to 131) and in Annex B, Role of the designated safeguarding lead.
KCSIE says three things about deputies:
- It’s optional. “It is a matter for individual schools and colleges as to whether they choose to have one or more deputy designated safeguarding leads” (Annex B; paragraph 130).
- Same training standard. Any deputies “should be trained to the same standard as the designated safeguarding lead”.
- Written into the job description. The role “should be explicit in their job description”.
What a deputy can and can’t hold
The DSL can delegate activities to “appropriately trained deputies”. In practice that covers most of the day-to-day work in Annex B:
- taking concerns from staff and deciding next steps
- referring cases of suspected abuse or neglect to children’s social care, and to the Channel programme, the Disclosure and Barring Service or the police where needed
- keeping child protection files up to date and transferring them when a child moves school
- attending strategy discussions, child protection conferences and other multi-agency meetings
- supporting staff who make referrals
What a deputy can’t take on is the lead responsibility. KCSIE says “the ultimate lead responsibility for child protection … remains with the designated safeguarding lead, this lead responsibility should not be delegated.” A deputy can make a referral, but the DSL remains accountable for safeguarding and child protection across the school, including online safety and understanding the filtering and monitoring systems.
The DSL is also expected to keep the headteacher informed, especially about section 47 enquiries and police investigations. A deputy who handles a case should make sure the DSL knows, so that this still happens.
Covering availability and absence
This is where deputies matter most. During term time, KCSIE says the DSL “or a deputy” should always be available during school or college hours for staff to discuss safeguarding concerns. Generally this means in person, but each school, working with its DSL, decides what “available” means and whether phone or video calls are acceptable in exceptional circumstances.
KCSIE 2026 adds a new expectation (paragraph 129 and Annex B). Schools should put robust cover arrangements in place for when the DSL is away through illness, leave or other reasons. It suggests a confidential shared mailbox or equivalent system so concerns are “received, monitored, and acted upon without delay”, and says it would be good practice for there to be a “clear, reliable, and known arrangement” whenever the DSL is unavailable.
A trained deputy is the obvious way to meet this. Make sure staff know who the deputies are, how to reach them, and who covers when both the DSL and a deputy are out, for example on a trip.
Training
Because deputies are trained to the same standard, the same timescales apply to them as to the DSL:
- formal DSL training, updated at least every two years
- Prevent awareness training
- knowledge and skills refreshed at least once a year, for example through e-bulletins, meeting other DSLs or reading about new developments
Annex B lists what the training should cover, including the assessment process for Family Help and statutory intervention, child protection conferences, information sharing, the Prevent duty, online safety and the needs of children with SEND. See how often DSL training needs renewing for more.
Protected time
KCSIE doesn’t set a number of hours. It says the DSL role “carries a significant level of responsibility” and that the postholder should be given “the additional time, funding, training, resources and support” needed to do it well (paragraph 128 and Annex B). It doesn’t repeat this for deputies separately, but a deputy doing delegated DSL work needs time to do it, and that should be agreed and written into the job description alongside the role itself.
Things to agree before taking the role on:
- how many hours or sessions a week are set aside, and what comes off your timetable or workload to make room
- which activities the DSL will delegate to you, and which they keep
- how you’ll be available, including breaks and the end of the day
- how cover works for trips, training and out-of-hours activities
- what support you’ll get after difficult cases (see safeguarding supervision for DSLs)
Pay
There is no national rate or allowance for being a deputy DSL. How it is recognised depends on whether you are a teacher, a leader or a member of support staff, and on the school’s pay policy.
Teachers. The School teachers’ pay and conditions document 2026 (STPCD) applies to teachers in maintained schools. It doesn’t mention safeguarding roles. A school may award a teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payment for “a sustained additional responsibility” (paragraph 20.1), but only where the responsibility meets the criteria in paragraph 20.4. These include that it is “focused on teaching and learning” and requires the teacher to “lead and manage pupil development across the curriculum”. Whether a deputy DSL role meets them is a decision for the school. Where the role is combined with a pastoral post, such as head of year, the TLR is for the post as a whole. From 1 September 2026, the TLR1 range is £10,531 to £17,819 and the TLR2 range is £3,651 to £8,913 a year (paragraph 20.2). See TLR payments 2026/27 for how they work.
Leaders. Where a deputy or assistant head is a deputy DSL, the role is part of their leadership post. TLRs are only for classroom teachers (paragraph 20.1).
Support staff. KCSIE doesn’t say a deputy DSL must be a teacher, so pastoral and other non-teaching staff can hold the role. Their pay is set by their employer’s grading structure, not the STPCD, so the role should be reflected in the job description used to grade the post.
Academies. The STPCD applies to maintained schools. Academy trusts set their own pay terms, and many follow the STPCD. Check your contract and the trust’s pay policy.
Is it a step towards DSL?
For many people it is. A deputy does most of the work of the role while the DSL keeps lead responsibility, which builds experience of referrals, files and multi-agency meetings. See how to become a DSL, and browse deputy DSL and safeguarding jobs.