Safeguarding Sector

Train the people who keep others safe.

Safeguarding work demands knowledge, professional curiosity and the confidence to act. Our Level 3 apprenticeship develops the people who hold those responsibilities across health, care, the police, local authorities and education.

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  • L3Apprenticeship
  • 12 mo+ 3-month EPA
  • In partnership with NSPCC LearningSafeguarding expertise
Safeguarding professional in a confidential conversation

Why train with TLC

Safeguarding training that holds up in the room that matters.

Strategy meetings, case conferences, conversations with families: safeguarding plays out in high-stakes settings. We train apprentices to be prepared, professional and protective in every single one.

01

Sector-experienced coaches

Our coaches have worked in safeguarding teams across the NHS, local authorities and care. They bring the realities of the work.

02

Aligned to the published standard

Built around the Safeguarding Support Officer Level 3 standard with end-point assessment by an approved EPAO.

03

Legislation kept current

Children Act, Care Act, KCSIE, Working Together: we keep apprentices up to date as guidance changes, not only at induction.

04

Multi-agency from day one

Health, police, social care, schools: apprentices learn to work across the partnership that safeguarding relies on.

In partnership with NSPCC Learning

Charity partner · Safeguarding

Safeguarding with the NSPCC

Keeping people safe

Alongside the Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer apprenticeship, TLC learners can access specialist safeguarding learning through our partnership with the NSPCC, the UK’s leading children’s charity. E-learning, on-demand masterclasses, instructor-led virtual training and live insight webinars keep the people holding multi-agency responsibility in your organisation learning from current guidance, not last year’s.

About the NSPCC partnership

Where this apprenticeship leads

One qualification, three career routes.

A Safeguarding Support Officer apprenticeship opens doors into every part of the safeguarding partnership. Here are the three most common destinations our learners progress into.

  1. 1

    Health & Care

    NHS trusts, ICBs, care providers & commissioning teams.

  2. 2

    Local Authority

    Children's & adults' services, MASH teams, the safeguarding board.

  3. 3

    Schools & Police

    DSL teams, PVPU units & community partnerships.

One to one
One to one
Multi-agency training
Multi-agency training
Listening
Listening
With a coach
With a coach

A learner’s story

What it changes.

One person, and the moment it turned.

Rachel, a safeguarding support officer
Rachel

A learner’s story · Safeguarding

Rachel, the person who reads the room

Where it started
Safeguarding lead by default in a local authority team: the person the forms went to, with a one-day course behind her and the weight of getting it right.
The turn
A session with the NSPCC on professional curiosity. Not the policy, the practice: what to notice, what to ask, and what to do with a feeling that something is not right. She went back to her caseload and read it differently.
Now
Safeguarding Support Officer at Level 3, trains her own team, and has rewritten how referrals are handled in her service.

“I knew the procedure. What I learned was judgement, and you cannot get that from a slide deck.”

Names and details are illustrative while we gather our learners’ and employers’ own stories, in their own words.

Programme

The standard we offer

The Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer apprenticeship is the recognised route into safeguarding practice. Delivered to the published Skills England standard.

3 Level

Standard ST1030 · 12 months + 3-month EPA · Advanced Apprenticeship

Safeguarding Support Officer

The role at the heart of the partnership. Support safeguarding practice across health, care, education, police and local authority settings.

Safeguarding support officers help to protect children, young people and adults at risk of harm. The role sits inside busy multi-agency teams, from NHS trusts to MASH teams, supporting referrals, case work and the day-to-day operation of a safeguarding service. This Level 3 standard was developed by a trailblazer group including health, care, police, local authority and training organisations.

What apprentices will learn

  • Statutory legislation: Children Act, Care Act, KCSIE, Working Together
  • Recognising abuse, neglect and exploitation in all forms
  • Multi-agency working and information sharing
  • Recording, reporting and managing safeguarding referrals
  • Professional curiosity, decision-making and escalation
  • Supporting victims, families and witnesses with sensitivity

Typical job titles

  • Safeguarding Support Officer
  • Safeguarding Administrator
  • MASH Support Officer
  • DSL Assistant
  • Safeguarding Coordinator

Entry requirements

Set by the employer. Apprentices under 19 need Level 2 English and maths before end-point assessment; for adults this is at the employer's discretion. Enhanced DBS clearance is mandatory for any role involving children or adults at risk.

Enquire about Level 3 View official standard

For employers

Ready to invest in your team?

Whether you're growing a safeguarding team or backfilling a key role, our team will guide you through funding, recruitment, on-programme training and end-point assessment.

Get in touch How funding works