Deputy Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser

Overview

This is new role, reinforcing our commitment to our safeguarding team, and the work that takes place throughout the Diocese in our churches and to further ensure that all the related activities are carried out to the highest safeguarding standards.

Introduction

An opportunity to progress your career in safeguarding:

• Taking a leading role in training, including equipping volunteers and consultants for training in parishes locally.
• Developing  further systems of quality assurance for effective case management, and training,
• To act as deputy for the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser

The role of the Deputy Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is to work with the DSA to ensure that such standards are maintained, and that we have the appropriate systems for referrals, quality assurance and training that will achieve that.  This is an opportunity to oversee the management of cases, to ensure that processes are followed, that the system of core groups is appropriate, and to implement service improvements when required.  This will include having some cases to lead.

Main Responsibilities

Safeguarding Referrals:

• Ensure that all calls to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team are dealt with professionally and in line with best practice
• Ensure that any follow up calls or activity are progressed in a timely way, and that effective systems are in place for logging and triaging appropriately, recommending service improvements that will enhance the effectiveness of the service.

Caseload and Case management and support:

Monitor timely progress of all case management activity, ensuring:

• others in the team can be developed further by becoming the lead practitioner in casework, managing their own share of the caseload to the highest standards and will include taking the lead in cathedral matters.
• A sensitive and effective response to safeguarding concerns and/or disclosures of harm, neglect or abuse, that there is appropriate follow through, and case management actions are taken in a timely way and that communications with those who need to know is timely and appropriate.
• that allegations of abuse are appropriately referred to the statutory authorities ensuring the provision of appropriate advice and support to survivors and victims of abuse.
• Act as a single point of contact for Southwark Cathedral Safeguarding officers to support their safeguarding provision.

Quality assurance

• Establish effective quality assurance systems for case management, the assessment of risk, supporting colleagues in formulating and delivering a mitigation plan and the implementation and management of safeguarding agreements.
• Ensure the DST is operating in line with the law, government guidance and national practice guidance from the House of Bishops.
• Monitor and analyse monthly training data to identify and address trends in attendance.

Line management and development

• Provide appropriate line management to the Training Administrator.
• Ensure oversight and responsibility for the training delivery program.
• Ensure a culture of continuous learning and improvement activity with a view to ensuring that the training programme exudes as a culture of excellence.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone with:

• Degree level or equivalent.
• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent (for example, social care or criminal justice), with current professional registration where applicable.
• The equivalent of level 3 or above training accreditation in child or adult protection with ability to demonstrate transferrable knowledge across the client groups.
• Extensive experience of safeguarding of children and adults.
• Experience of contributing to policy and practice development and implementation.
• Experience of working on and managing cases involving the statutory response to the protection of children/adults.
• Experience of developing systems for quality assurance.
• Detailed knowledge of and experience of applying safeguarding legislation, guidance and best practice.
• In-depth knowledge of the statutory framework in relation to safeguarding children and adults.
• Practitioner/manager experience of working with victims or survivors of abuse, including adults with mental health issues.
• Experience of working with a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations in managing or contributing to safeguarding, including managing allegations against people in positions of trust and the management of those who may pose a risk.
• Experience of contributing to case review processes and identifying and disseminating lessons to be learnt e.g. Serious Case Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews, Serious Untoward Incident Reviews or Significant Incident Learning Processes, MAPPA reviews etc.
• Understanding of the broader safeguarding field including its social and political context.
• Strong but sensitive verbal communications skills and ability to produce clear written records and reports.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to influence improvements to practice.
• Demonstrable ability to be part of and contribute to a wider team as part of a large national institution and to work collegially with specialist and non-specialist colleagues.
• Ability to deliver or contribute directly to the delivery of safeguarding training to safeguarding professionals as well as other stakeholders.
• Personal Attributes:
• Confidence to work with senior people at a national level, including senior church leaders, external safeguarding experts and other stakeholders.
• A proven ability to develop and sustain relationships at all levels both inside and outside the Church.
• A proven ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and work sensitively with those affected by safeguarding issues.
• In sympathy with the aims of the Church of England.

About us

The Diocese of Southwark, founded in 1905, forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Diocese covers primarily the area of Greater London which is south of the Thames, together with the eastern part of the county of Surrey. It is one of the largest dioceses in terms of population and parishes as well as one of the most diverse.As a Diocese, we celebrate churches, worshipping communities and fresh expressions of Church, across the full spectrum of traditions, that speak well of each other and support each other as together we seek to deliver our key objectives.