Senior Safeguarding Advisor in Bedford

Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £30,915 and £41,085 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week – 52 weeks per year

Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time

Right to Work: This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About The Role

We are currently seeking a Senior Safeguarding Advisor to join our Student Services department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Senior Safeguarding Advisor, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Safeguarding Leadership & Management – Lead and manage safeguarding operations, overseeing staff induction, appraisal, performance and development while modelling excellence in practice, team working and strategic partnership.
• Operational Safeguarding Delivery – Work with the Group DSL and Head of Safeguarding to meet all statutory duties (including Prevent), manage complex cases, ensure timely responses, high‑quality CPOMS records and effective completion of safeguarding and wellbeing actions.
• Quality, Compliance & Curriculum Support – Contribute to curriculum content on Prevent, British Values, sexual harassment, attendance and wellbeing; ensure breaches of the student handbook are resolved; and support disciplinary processes, risk assessments and Fitness to Study procedures.
• Collaboration, Stakeholder Engagement & Student Support – Build strong relationships with internal teams and external agencies, support students with medical conditions and reasonable adjustments, and ensure effective Estates collaboration for safe, well‑maintained residential environments.
• Monitoring, Reporting & Staff Development – Produce CPOMS data analysis and executive reports, gather student feedback, deliver training and professional development, lead team meetings/121s, and uphold safeguarding, EDI, health & safety and training responsibilities.

About You

• Qualifications & Core Competencies – Level 3 DSL, Level 5 safeguarding‑related qualification (or equivalent experience), GCSE‑level Maths and English, proficiency in Microsoft packages and strong working knowledge of CPOMS.
• Safeguarding, Prevent & Casework Expertise – Extensive experience managing safeguarding for children and vulnerable adults (16+), strong understanding of CONTEST and Prevent, and confident referring to external agencies such as Social Care, CAMHS and police.
• Case Management & Decision‑Making – Experienced in handling complex, high‑risk student cases, managing competing priorities, ensuring timely resolutions and working holistically to support learner wellbeing.
• Communication, Leadership & Professionalism – Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to lead, motivate and build strong working relationships while upholding College values.
• Safeguarding Values, Flexibility & Compliance – Committed to safeguarding, professional boundaries, continuous development, flexible working, travel across sites and maintaining health & safety awareness.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: TBC

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork – We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously – We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred – At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive – We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring – We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence – We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land‑based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford; The Corby Sixth Form, opened in September 2023; and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975 provide information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy. Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.