In this in-depth discussion, Delyth Lynch, deputy head (safeguarding) at Wellington College, tells Dr Helen Wright about her career dedicated to child safeguarding in boarding schools. She speaks movingly about how her father’s own experiences of abuse at prep school – which he only revealed weeks before his death – spurred her to make safeguarding her “life’s work”. “I don’t want any young person to go through what my dad did,” she says.
Delyth also discusses how safeguarding has changed since 2010, becoming more complicated and nuanced than ever before.
She also talks about the importance of school cultures that are “psychologically safe”, which allow staff to be vulnerable and share concerns about colleagues “but also self-report anything they think they might have got wrong.”
Importantly, Delyth explains how she keeps her self mentally and physically healthy in a high-pressure role, swimming, running and making time for family every day.
She also discusses he hopes for safeguarding in the future and her plans to share expertise with others in similar roles.
