Volunteer Safeguarding Lead - Build Policies & Safety (Remote) in Portsmouth

ESC supports people living with endometriosis across the South Coast. As our Safeguarding Lead, you'll protect our community, shape our policies, and ensure everyone who turns to us does so safely. A vital governance role.

Endometriosis is a condition that can leave people feeling vulnerable, dismissed, and alone. Many of those who turn to ESC do so at some of the hardest moments of their lives, still searching for answers, managing chronic pain, or navigating a healthcare system that has let them down. For our community to feel truly safe with us, safeguarding cannot be an afterthought. It has to be woven into everything we do.

Right now, ESC does not have a dedicated Safeguarding Lead. That means this role isn't just important, it's essential. The person who takes it on will build our safeguarding function from the ground up, giving us the policies, processes, and culture we need to operate with confidence and care. The impact will be felt across the whole organisation.

Our volunteers will have clear guidance and training, so they know exactly how to respond if a concern arises. Our trustees will have the assurance they need to govern responsibly. And the people who use our services will be able to engage with ESC knowing that their safety has been genuinely considered, not just ticked off a checklist.

As we grow, a strong safeguarding foundation will also open doors. Funders increasingly expect robust safeguarding governance as a baseline requirement. By getting this right, you will be helping to protect not just our community, but ESC's long-term ability to serve them.

This is a rare opportunity to make a structural, lasting difference to a small charity that is doing vital work, and to know that the safety net you build will be there for every person who reaches out to us, long after you have put it in place.

What are we looking for?

The most important thing we are looking for is someone who takes safeguarding seriously — not as a compliance exercise, but as a genuine expression of care for the people we serve.

Essential Skills And Experience

• You will need a solid grounding in safeguarding practice, whether gained through social work, education, healthcare, the voluntary sector, or another relevant field.
• You should have a strong working knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance, and be confident applying it in a charity or community context.
• You will be designing processes and writing guidance that our volunteers need to understand and act on, so clear, accessible communication, both written and verbal, is essential.
• You will also need to be comfortable handling sensitive information with discretion, and confident having difficult conversations when a concern arises.
• Because ESC is a small organisation, this role requires a degree of self-direction. You will need to be able to take ownership of the safeguarding function, work independently, and know when to elevate to the Chair or trustees.
• A genuine commitment to ESC's values, particularly around equality, diversity, and inclusion, is essential.
• Many of the people we support have experienced being dismissed or not believed. We need a Safeguarding Lead who approaches every concern with empathy, patience, and an open mind.

Desirable But Not Essential

• We would love to hear from candidates who hold a formal safeguarding qualification, such as designated safeguarding lead training or a Level 3 equivalent, though we recognise that strong experience can be just as valuable as formal certification.
• Experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead in a previous role, familiarity with safeguarding in online or community settings, and any prior experience volunteering with a small charity would all be a bonus.
• Lived experience of endometriosis, whether personal or through someone close to you, is not required, but if you have it, it may give you a deeper understanding of the community you will be helping to protect.

Above all we are looking for someone who is motivated by the difference this role can make, someone who understands that for many of the people who come to ESC, being heard and kept safe is not a small thing. It is everything.

Remote

What will you be doing?

Endometriosis South Coast is a small charity supporting people across the South Coast who are living with or seeking a diagnosis of endometriosis, a condition that affects 1 in 10 people and is still widely misunderstood. Everything we do is built around ensuring nobody faces it alone.

As our Volunteer Safeguarding Lead, you will be the person who ensures that everyone who comes into contact with ESC, whether attending a support meeting, engaging with our online community, or volunteering with us, does so safely and with confidence. This is a governance-level role, reporting directly to our Chair and trustees.

Your key priorities will be:

• Developing and maintaining ESC's safeguarding policies, ensuring they reflect current legislation and best practice.
• Acting as our first point of contact for any safeguarding concerns, managing incidents sensitively and in line with our policies.
• Delivering safeguarding training and inductions for volunteers, so everyone understands their responsibilities.
• Embedding safeguarding across our activities, from community meetings to events to our digital spaces.
• Reporting to the trustees on safeguarding matters and advising on risk.

Day-to-day, the role is light-touch, around 0-5 hours a month, with occasional additional time for policy reviews, training, or responding to concerns. It's a flexible, remote role that fits around your existing commitments. You’ll work closely with our Chair & Legal and Compliance Trustee alongside a small, dedicated volunteer team who care deeply about what we do.

If you have a background in safeguarding, social work, or a related field and want to put your expertise to genuinely meaningful use, we'd love to hear from you.