Job Description

Salary: £33,384pa – £40,624pa, Grade 5, SCP 32 – 40

Term time only plus 2 weeks but will consider

all year round at £36,371pa to £44,624pa for the right candidate

Hours 36.5 hrs pw

Required for Sept 2022

Aston Manor Academy are seeking to appoint a highly experienced, confident committed and enthusiastic Designated Safeguarding Lead. The successful candidate will take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the school (including online safety). You will also play a key role in ensuring the safety and well-being of children across the school. Using effective communication methods to raise safeguarding concerns to the headteacher regarding issues linked to individuals/families/whole school.

You will confidently ensure the school provides up to date, relevant advice/training and support to enable the Aston Manor community to have the knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding policies and practices they must adhere to. Your role is also pivotal in ensuring you advise and support other members of staff on child welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters, and liaise with relevant agencies such as the local authority and police. You will work across the Trust when required and provide relevant and appropriate training to all stakeholders and keep abreast of contextual issues.

Using your depth of knowledge and experience you will also work within the pastoral and safeguarding teams to assist with the development of pastoral programmes in school to keep children safe.

Equitas Academies Trust was formed in September 2012 and incorporates Aston Manor Academy (Secondary) and Chilwell Croft Academy (Primary). Both Academies are happy, exciting and inspiring learning environments for their children who are from a vibrant mix of cultures. The staff and Trustees have a great sense of pride in their schools and care passionately about the pupils they serve. We are consistently in the top 15% of schools nationally for achievement.

Aston Manor Academy serves a culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged catchment area yet year on year produces excellent results for its very deserving students. We firmly believe that one of the key hallmarks of Aston Manor Academy is the positive, friendly and supportive ethos which enables all of our students to make progress, both academically and in their personal development. In our last Ofsted inspection (June 2017) we were judged to be Outstanding in all areas. In addition, our Sixth Form is rated best for progress in Birmingham!

As an employer, Equitas Academies Trust offers:

  • A supportive and nurturing working environment
  • A commitment to CPD opportunities
  • Employee wellbeing benefits including access to a bus pass scheme, Voluntary Health Care Cash Plan and a cycle to work scheme, 1-2-1 Clinical Supervision for DSL’s
  • Employer contributions to Local Government Pensions Scheme (support staff) or Teacher Pensions Scheme (teaching staff)
  • Pay progression centred around a robust performance management process
  • An inclusive and caring ethos.

We pride ourselves on improving the lives of our students, as well as supporting the fantastic team who dedicate themselves to students every single day. This is an opportunity to really make a difference and enjoy a varied, challenging and ultimately rewarding role.

We would welcome visits to Aston Manor Academy prior to the closing date or alternatively, delighted to answer any questions you may have. To arrange a visit, please contact the HR Department on 0121 359 8108.

For more information and to download an application pack including job description and person specification, please visit our Equitas website: https://www.equitasacademiestrust.com/work-for-us/

Closing date: Friday 27th May 2022, 12 midday

Interviews will take place week commencing 13th June 2022

JOB DESCRIPTION

DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD – (Non teaching)

Reporting to: Headteacher

Location: Aston Manor Academy

Grade/salary: Grade 5, Spinal Column Points (SCPs) 32 to 40
Term time only plus 2 weeks or full-time, to be confirmed

Actual Salary range: £33,384pa – £40,624pa Term time only or
Pro rata of FTE (£36,371pa to £44,624pa) – salary range as at 1.4.2021

Hours: 36.5 hours per week

Pay progression: Incremental progression within the grade will be subject to professional criteria-based performance assessment

Job Purpose

To take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the school (including online safety).

To take a key role in ensuring the safety and well-being of children across the school

To communicate to the headteacher concerning safeguarding issues linked to individuals/families/whole school

To ensure, that the school provides the advice/training and support to enable the Aston Manor community to have the knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding policies and practices and that these are adhered to

Advise and support other members of staff on child welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters, and liaise with relevant agencies such as the local authority and police.

Provide relevant and appropriate training to all stakeholders and keep abreast of contextual issues.

To work across the schools in the Trust if required.

To work within the pastoral and safeguarding teams to assist with development of pastoral programmes in school to keep children safe

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide advice and support to staff on child well-being, safeguarding and child protection matters
  • To train all staff on safeguarding on an annual basis and to provide further training as and when required
  • Lead/contribute in strategy discussions/inter-agency meetings etc. provide relevant information and share information with key people.
  • Contribute to the assessment of children.
  • Meet with parents/carers to discuss safeguarding concerns
  • Make/be part of early help referrals
  • Refer cases of suspected abuse and neglect to the local authority children’s social care using appropriate systems and procedures and be confident to challenge where appropriate
  • Work closely with key staff to identify strategies for improved well-being of students in school
  • To respond to the school internal online monitoring system “smoothwall” and the student/community online reporting system (SHARP)
  • Refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern
  • Refer cases to the police where a crime may have been committed
  • With the Headteacher/SLT contribute to the pastoral care of pupils and staff.
  • Assist the Headteacher/SLT in maintaining and developing a positive and constructive partnerships with parents and the local community.
  • Take responsibility for the behaviour of all pupils.
  • Actively contribute to the trust’s overall strategy.
  • Be well informed of all aspects of school life in order to promote good communication and high morale.
  • Encourage the practice of working as a team.
  • Actively support the Headteacher/SLT, and staff in the promotion and achievement of the aims and objectives of the school.
  • Undertake any professional duties which may be delegated by the Headteacher.

Working with staff and other agencies

  • Act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff
  • Act as a point of contact with the safeguarding partners
  • Inform the headteacher of safeguarding issues, especially ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations
  • Liaise with staff on matters of safety, safeguarding and welfare (including online and digital safety), and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies so that children’s needs are considered holistically
  • Liaise with the senior mental health lead
  • Promote supportive engagement with parents and/or carers in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including where families may be facing challenging circumstances
  • Be part of a culture of high aspirations for children of the school
  • Create, maintain and enhance effective relationships.
  • To work alongside collegues within the trust to develop and implement strategies/policies

Managing Child protection online monitoring system (CPOMS)

  • Ensure all safeguarding records are kept up to date
  • Be responsible to ensure that the system is used appropriately and effectively by staff – managing the system to ensure that appropriate levels of confidentiality are maintained.
  • Ensure files are only accessed by those who need to see them, and that where a file or content within it is shared, this happens in line with information sharing advice as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
  • Make sure records include: a clear and comprehensive summary of the concern; details of how the concern was followed up and resolved; and a note of any action taken, decisions reached and the outcome
  • Where children leave the school (including in year transfers): Ensure their child protection file is securely transferred to the new school as soon as possible, separately from the main pupil file, with a receipt of confirmation, and within the specified time set out in KCSIE
  • Consider whether it would be appropriate to share any additional information with the new school before the child leaves, to help them put appropriate support in place

Raising awareness

  • Ensure each member of staff has access to, and understands, the school’s child protection policy and procedures, especially new and part-time staff
  • Work with the trust board to ensure the child protection policy is reviewed annually (as a minimum) and the procedures and implementation are updated and reviewed regularly
  • Ensure the child protection policy is available publicly and parents are aware that referrals about suspected abuse or neglect may be made and the role of the school in this
  • Make sure staff are aware of any training opportunities and the latest policies on local safeguarding arrangements
  • Help promote educational outcomes by sharing information with teachers and school leadership staff about the welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues that children who have or have had a social worker are experiencing

Training

  • Undergo regular training (at least every 2 years) to gain the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role and meet the expectations set out in KCSIE, including those outlined in the

‘Training, knowledge and skills’ section of annex C

  • Undertake Prevent awareness training
  • Refresh knowledge and skills at regular intervals and at least annually
  • Deliver relevant Safeguarding training on an annual basis and maintain accurate records
  • Liaise with HR to ensure all staff are trained

Providing support to staff

  • Support and advise staff and help them feel confident on welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters
  • Support staff during the referrals process
  • Liaise with staff to implement effective strategies for those who we have safeguarding concerns
  • To support SLT and the pastoral team on developing provision around contextual safeguarding issues
  • Inform all staff of any pertinent contextual safeguarding through staff briefing/emails/bulletin

Understanding the views of children

  • Encourage a culture of listening to children and take into account their wishes and feelings within safeguarding guidelines
  • Understand the difficulties that children may have in approaching staff about their circumstances and consider how to build trusted relationships which facilitate communication
  • To understand the culture of our families and the local community

Holding and sharing information

  • Understand the importance of information sharing, both within the school, with other schools and colleges on transfer, and with the safeguarding partners, other agencies, organisations and practitioners
  • Understand relevant data protection legislation and regulations, especially the Data Protection

Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

  • Keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals

Other areas of responsibility

Please note that this list of duties is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the DSL will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role.

Equitas Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to all pre-employment checks necessary to meet safer recruitment requirements, including a satisfactory enhanced DBS check, right to work check and references.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £33,384.00-£40,624.00 per year

Schedule:

  • Monday to Friday

Application deadline: 27/05/2022
Expected start date: 05/09/2022

For more information and to apply: Indeed