« Back to all roles
Safeguarding Lead
Location: Remote (England) with some travel to London and field visits
About tiney
tiney is England's largest Ofsted-regulated Childminder Agency (CMA). We recruit, train, register, and support home-based childminders, and take on ongoing regulatory responsibility for the quality and safeguarding of every childminding setting in our network.
We currently work with over 1,100 tiney-registered childminders across England, supporting more than 10,000 families with high-quality, flexible childcare. As a CMA, tiney is responsible for conducting registration visits, Quality Assurance visits, compliance visits, and unannounced safeguarding visits to childminders' settings.
In 2024, we were named one of the UK & Ireland’s 100 fastest-growing startups, and shortlisted for the Global EdTech Prize.
At tiney, we’re building a better childcare system. We help passionate, talented people open their own childminding businesses from home — giving families more access to high-quality, affordable care.
Central to tiney’s experience is our app, which childminders use to run their business — from education tools and payments to messaging and family communication.
Founded in 2018 by a team from Teach First and graze.com, we’ve raised £20m from top European VCs, and are already one of the UK’s top 5 childcare providers by childcare places
The role
tiney operates as a supportive regulator. We believe the best outcomes for children come when childminders feel genuinely backed by their agency — not just monitored by it. That means holding high standards while also offering real support, coaching, and professional development to help childminders meet them. This ethos runs through everything we do, including how we approach safeguarding visits, regulatory action, and the conversations that follow.
This role sits at the heart of tiney's safeguarding and compliance work. You'll be a core member of the Safeguarding Team, working closely with the Head of Safeguarding and our network of field consultants.
The role has a broader remit than a typical DSL position. Alongside your core safeguarding responsibilities — panel work, case management, visits and calls — you'll help ensure that childminders across our network are meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS, identifying issues early and supporting childminders to put things right. You'll also play an important part in how tiney supports its childminder community through training, guidance, and the ongoing embedding of our supportive regulator ethos.
This is a good fit for someone who has worked as a DSL in an early years context, has a strong grasp of the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements, and wants to bring that knowledge into a fast-moving, tech-enabled organisation where there's real variety in the work and genuine scope to help shape how things are done.
Key responsibilities
Safeguarding panel and case management
Be one of three ‘Case Leads’ on tiney's Safeguarding Panel, leading on and contributing to decisions on pre-registration and post-registration cases, suitability assessments, and ongoing concerns.
Prepare cases for panel review and complete follow-up actions arising from panel decisions.
Manage and review incoming background checks for trainee childminders, escalating to the panel as necessary.
Answer the safeguarding phone line and respond to incoming concerns from childminders and families in a timely, professional way.
Liaise with Local Authority teams, LADOs, LSPs, and other multi-agency partners to gather information and maintain positive working relationships.
Ensure tiney's safeguarding policy is publicly available, reviewed at least annually, and reflects current legislation and best practice.
Safeguarding visits and calls
Carry out regulatory safeguarding visits and calls to childminders as needed
Lead or support on visits in line with tiney's own safeguarding policy and procedures.
Produce accurate visit records and case notes in a timely way.
Escalate concerns appropriately and contribute to regulatory decisions, including where deregistration may be necessary.
EYFS safeguarding and welfare compliance
Monitor and assess childminders' compliance with the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS, identifying concerns early and taking appropriate action.
Support childminders to understand and meet their obligations under the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements, in line with tiney's supportive regulator ethos.
Training, support and development
Deliver safeguarding training to trainee and registered childminders, adapting your approach to different audiences and needs.
Support the wider tiney team to understand safeguarding processes and handle referrals appropriately.
Raise awareness of safeguarding across the organisation and contribute to ensuring appropriate training is available to all staff and childminders.
Develop guidance, resources, and communications that help childminders understand and meet their safeguarding and welfare obligations.
Systems and process
Use tiney's operational tools — including Airtable, Intercom, and Google Workspace — to maintain accurate records, manage cases, and support process improvements.
Identify opportunities to make safeguarding and compliance processes more efficient and consistent, and work with colleagues to put them into practice.
Support the smooth running of the registration process by coordinating safeguarding referrals and ensuring childminders progress in a timely way.
Person specification
You have experience working as a
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
, ideally in an early years setting — and you're confident applying that knowledge in practice, not just on paper.
You have strong knowledge of the
EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements
and experience of helping practitioners meet them.
You hold a
Level 3 qualification or above specifically in Early Years
You have good working knowledge of
safeguarding legislation and frameworks
, including Working Together to Safeguard Children and the EYFS.
You have some experience of
multi-agency working
— liaising with LADOs, LSPs, or Local Authority teams.
You're highly organised, good at managing a varied caseload, and take record-keeping seriously.
You're excited about using technology to improve processes
You communicate clearly in writing and can adapt your style — whether you're writing a case record, a training resource, or a message to a childminder.
You're energised by working in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same.
You approach difficult conversations with care and professionalism, and believe in holding standards in a way that's supportive rather than punitive.
You hold or are willing to undertake a valid enhanced DBS check.
Nice to have
Have experience in a regulatory or inspection role in education (for example, as an Ofsted inspector or at another childminder agency).
Are familiar with the childminder agency model.
Have experience delivering training to early years practitioners.
Have worked in a startup or scaling organisation.
What Success Looks like
You are able to independently lead on post registration safeguarding cases
You are able to confidentially liaise with external agencies ( eg, LADO)
You have a full understanding of tiney’s regulatory duties, and you role with that scope
Our Values
We are a values driven organisation that holds children at the core and default to transparency:
🎈 Play is a superpower – Our Joy and creativity fuels our innovation.
🤔 Curious Minds See More - We ask why? and are always open to learning
🏔️ Reach High - We set long term ambitious targets to achieve our ambitious goals
💪 You Grow Stronger After a fall – We lead with openness and trust.
🤗 We’re Better Together - We are a collective of experts focussed on serving children, families and our community of childminder
Our behaviours
🧒 Children at the core – We design policies and products that serve the whole person.
💬 Default to transparency – Honest communication builds strong teams.
What’s in it for you
An ambitious, meaningful role in a mission-driven company that’s shaping the future of early education.
FTE salary of £31.5k pa
Stock options
28 days annual leave (including a Christmas shutdown)
Company-funded childcare contribution (up to £5k per year)
Paid reflection day + birthday day off
Therapy support via Self Space
Sabbatical after 5 years
Life and long-term sickness insurance
Hybrid working
Regular team meet-ups and off-sites
Interview Process
We move quickly and keep things simple:
Intro Call
– A short conversation with someone from our people team
Task & Presentation
– A practical exercise relevant to the role
Team Interview
– Meet key stakeholders and explore mutual fit - with our Head of Safeguarding and other safeguarding team members
Final round
with our CEO
Offer
– If it’s right on both sides, we move fast.
Our Commitment
We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity, foster inclusion, and are committed to building a team that reflects the children and communities we serve.
If our mission excites you but you’re not sure you meet every requirement — please apply anyway.
We move quickly and try to keep things simple, we are ready to offer to to the right candidate ASAP
