Head of Safeguarding

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As set out in the Canon and Regulations of the Church of England, the Head of Safeguarding has responsibility in the Diocese, independent of the Bishop, for the professional leadership on and management of matters relating to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults within the Diocese of Ely.

The Head of Safeguarding has operational lead authority within the Diocese for the following responsibilities, arranged according to the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Standards.

National Standard 1: Culture, leadership and capacity

Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.The Head of Safeguarding will lead the Diocese’s work on this standard by:

• Working with the Diocesan Bishop, senior clergy, the Diocesan Secretary, and other key staff to support, develop and improve the safeguarding practice and culture across the Diocese.
• Co-operating with and supporting the work of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel as required.
• Managing the Diocesan response to quality assurance and audit processes.
• Ensuring that appropriate learning and reflective practice takes place across the Diocese from casework, including as required by the Safeguarding Practice Reviews Code of Practice, commissioning or requesting reviews.
• To line manage the Diocese Safeguarding Team, ensuring that staff are professionally supervised, trained and supported in their roles.

National Standard 2: Prevention

Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.The Head of Safeguarding will lead the Diocese’s work on this standard by:

• Implementing, or co-ordinating the implementation of, the Safeguarding Code of Practice and House of Bishops Safeguarding Guidance across the whole Diocese.
• Giving advice, support, direction and challenge on safeguarding matters, as required, to the Diocesan Bishop, other church officers and church bodies within the Diocese.
• Providing, or co-ordinating the provision of, safeguarding training across the Diocese, as required by the Church of England’s Safeguarding, Learning and Development Framework.

National Standard 3: Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk

Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working. The Head of Safeguarding will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Leading and co-ordinating all aspects of safeguarding casework within the Diocese, ensuring that work is completed as required by Safeguarding Codes of Practice, House of Bishop’s Safeguarding Guidance and all other relevant statutory guidance and legal responsibilities.

National Standard 4: Victims and Survivors

Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies’ responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.The Head of Safeguarding will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Co-ordinating the Diocese’s response to those reporting abuse.
• Leading the ongoing implementation of the House of Bishop’s Policy, Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse.

National Standard 5: Learning, Supervision and Support

All those engaged in safeguarding-related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.The Head of Safeguarding will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Working collaboratively with the National Safeguarding Team and other Church of England Safeguarding Officers and attending national safeguarding events and activities as required.
• Engaging in professional supervision and quality assurance provided by the relevant Regional Safeguarding Lead, and in continual professional development, including ensuring that the requirements of the National Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework for Diocesan Safeguarding Officers are met.

Key Relationships

It is essential that the Head of Safeguarding builds and maintains excellent working relationships with:

• The Diocesan Bishop and the Bishop’s delegated safeguarding lead.The senior staff of the Diocese and Diocesan Board of Finance, particularly the Diocesan Secretary.
• The Dean and senior Cathedral staff.
• Those in licensed and authorised ministry in parishes and other contexts.
• Deanery/Parish Safeguarding Officers.
• Relevant officers in the various statutory safeguarding authorities.
• The National Safeguarding Team.
• The Regional Safeguarding Lead.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• Educated to Degree level or above.
• Relevant professional qualifications or the equivalent experience in eg. Criminal Justice or Social Care with current professional registration where applicable.
• Level 3 or above training accreditation in Child or Adult Protection.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Apply good safeguarding practice in a way that delivers positive outcomes for children and adults.
• Transfer good safeguarding practice to a non-statutory organisation, working with colleagues from a non-safeguarding background, and achieve good safeguarding outcomes in that context.
• Provide clear leadership across an organisation regarding the development of good safeguarding practice and healthy safeguarding cultures.
• Manage, support, and coach others in the implementation of good safeguarding practice.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, engaging diverse stakeholders with authenticity and expertise.
• Maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and to work sensitively around those affected by safeguarding issues.
• Quality assure safeguarding practice.
• Develop effective new ways of working for an organisation.
• Able to understand and navigate the complexity of working in a large organisation.
• Confidence to work with senior people at a national level, including senior Church leaders, external Safeguarding experts and other stakeholders.

Knowledge / Experience

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Caseworker lead responsibility in cases involving the protection and safeguarding of children and/or adults (essential), with at least some of that experience gained in the statutory safeguarding agencies (desirable).
• Broader leadership and management responsibility and/or influence regarding the development of good safeguarding practice and healthy safeguarding cultures.
• Up-to-date knowledge of research and evidence-based practice models relevant to safeguarding.
• Experience of working with victims, survivors and perpetrators of abuse.
• Working with statutory and non-statutory organisations in managing safeguarding allegations and assessing risk.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will have the following attributes:

• The ability to inspire trust, confidence and commitment.
• A strong value base and commitment to doing the right thing.
• A good understanding of self; understands how their personal history, life experiences and characteristics inform how they understand and respond to safeguarding situations.
• The ability to be self-reflective, welcoming feedback from others.
• A high level of personal resilience – working effectively in a pressured environment and under scrutiny.
• A strong commitment to equality and diversity.
• A broad sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Church of England.

Terms and Conditions

• Salary: £55,000-60,000 (for a 35 hour week).
• Working hours: full-time (35 hours per week).Candidates will be considered for a 28/hour week basis.
• Location: Ely, Cambridge (with agreed flexible home-working available)
• Contract: Full Time (subject to the successful completion of a 6-month probation period)
• Employer: Ely Diocesan Board of Finance
• Pension: Membership of The Church Workers Pension Fund (non-contributory)

The Diocese of Ely is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents our context and wider community. We are aware that those of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME), women, and disabled people are currently under-represented among our clergy and workforce, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase this representation.

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