In England, Keeping children safe in education 2026 uses one name for the role: the designated safeguarding lead, or DSL. Governing bodies should appoint a senior member of staff from the leadership team, and the role should be explicit in their job description (paragraph 127).
In Wales, the Welsh Government's Keeping learners safe guidance uses designated safeguarding person (DSP). Each school or college in Wales must have one, and staff should know who it is.
You may also see "designated senior person" or "designated safeguarding officer (DSO)" in older or locally written policies, in some independent schools, and in organisations outside education such as clubs and charities. None of these names appears in KCSIE 2026.
The name doesn't change the duties. A school in England should check that whatever title it uses, the person has the responsibilities, status, training and time that KCSIE and Annex B set out for the DSL. Using "DSL" in policies avoids confusion with local safeguarding partnerships, Ofsted and other agencies, which all use KCSIE's terms.
Deputies follow the same pattern: KCSIE calls them deputy designated safeguarding leads, trained to the same standard as the DSL (paragraph 130).