Head of Safeguarding and Compliance

Job Title: Head of Safeguarding & Compliance

Reporting To: Operations Director

Team: Operations

Location: London or remote with flexible working options

Hours: 4 days per week (30 hours)

Contract: One-year fixed term (maternity cover), part-time

Salary: £34,500 p.a (plus £3,000 London Weighting Allowance where applicable) Pro rata (£27,600 for a 4 day working week)

Closing Date: 9am Monday 6th February

Interview Date: Thursday 9th February (online)

Start Date: ASAP

About The Access Project

The Access Project is an innovative education charity that helps bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds gain places at top universities. Our volunteers and paid tutors are trained and supported to be effective tutors who work with our students for an hour a week to raise their grades. In addition, a dedicated school-based staff member mentors the students so they have the knowledge and support to make strong university applications. Our results show this approach works.

About the role

The Access Project is experiencing planned rapid growth, currently operating in London, Birmingham, the West Midlands, East Midlands and more recently expanding into Bradford and the North-West. We have a core staff in office in London and staff in each area who are based in schools Monday-Thursday. We have a high calibre staff body and a positive, mission-oriented culture.

The Head of Safeguarding & Compliance will have full oversight of two important areas within the Operations Team – Safeguarding and Data Protection / GDPR compliance, and therefore plays an integral role in helping TAP achieve its ambitions. The Head of Safeguarding & Compliance will work closely with the Operations Director to develop, implement and maintain TAP policies and procedures which are fit-for-purpose, robust and help to drive the efficient delivery of our programme proactively, cross-organisationally and holistically.

Safeguarding:

Developing and maintaining TAP’s safeguarding policies, procedures & practices

• Providing an annual safeguarding report to Executive Team and Board of Trustees, ensuring safeguarding data is captured, analysed and forms the evidence base needed to drive improvement.
• Leading the annual review of TAP’s safeguarding policies and procedures to continually improve safeguarding within TAP.
• Implementing any new procedures resulting from the annual safeguarding report and annual review, ensuring contribution and buy-in from the Safeguarding Trustee Champion, Executive Team and wider staffing body.
• Proactively keeping up to date with local and national Safeguarding issues, developments in legislation and best practise and implementing changes as appropriate.
• Working with staff/volunteers at all levels to ensure policies have been read, understood and are being implemented effectively and consistently throughout the organization.

Being the main point of contact for any safeguarding queries or concerns 

• Responsibility for being TAP’s Designated Child Protection Officer (DCPO).
• Responsibility for managing TAP’s designated safeguarding phoneline and inbox.
• Responsibility for proactively liaising with external agencies (for example, school staff, children’s social services, funding and business partners).
• To accurately log, and appropriately respond to, any safeguarding concerns regarding an Access Project student.

Ensuring TAP follows best practice with safer recruitment

• Ensuring processes and procedures are in place to recruit staff and volunteers safely, such as DBS and reference checks.
• Managing the process of risk assessments for volunteers/staff with ‘blemished’ DBS checks, working with the Deputy Safeguarding Officers (DSO’s) and Operations Director to decide upon suitability of the individual to work/tutor with TAP.

Ensuring that safeguarding remains a key priority for the organization.

• Responsibility for overseeing regular safeguarding steering committee meetings to ensure safeguarding remains a key priority across all teams at TAP.
• Responsible for working proactively with all teams ensure all TAP led events, trips and work experience are safe for students.
• Contributing to team meetings across the organisation to ensure the voice of the students and best interests of the students remain a top priority.

Developing and delivering safeguarding training

• Responsibility for ensuring all staff are trained appropriately for their role in regards to child safeguarding and that they fully understand their responsibility for safeguarding children.
• Responsibility for ensuring that staff understand the sensitivity of safeguarding information and issues surrounding confidentiality.
• Responsibility for ensuring that staff delivering safeguarding training to volunteers are appropriately trained to deliver the training effectively.
• Developing training courses for students and ensuring that these are being delivered consistently and effectively to students

Data Protection / GDPR compliance:

• Conducting and providing advice on how to complete Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), seeking guidance from The Operations Director and / or outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) as necessary.
• Acting as the first point at TAP for any Data Protection and GDPR compliance issues, solving complex issues and escalating to the Operations Director and DPO as necessary.
• Collaborating with all departments to ensure a data protection by design and by default approach is taken to implementing any new projects.
• Ensuring TAP addresses all queries from data subjects within legal timeframes.
• Facilitating GDPR compliance through transparent data protection policies, systems and procedures, including privacy agreements, seeking guidance from The Operations Director and / or outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) as necessary.
• Ensuring all staff are trained to be confident in enacting their responsibilities regarding data protection at work.

Documentation

• Oversee the effective documentation of processes and systems for areas within the Head of Safeguarding & Compliance’s remit

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, the job holder may be required to perform other duties as assigned by the Operations Director from time to time.

Person specification

Essential

• Excellent communication skills and an empathetic approach.
• Strong organisation skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team, on multiple projects.
• Proven cross-functional systems project management.
• Ability to prioritise among conflicting priorities by assessing organisational risk.
• Commitment to the mission of The Access Projec
• Awareness of the responsibility to report any safeguarding concerns, taking safeguarding responsibilities seriously as part of your everyday role.

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure.
• PerkBox – offering nationwide shopping discounts, gym memberships, holidays, learning and much more.
• Employee Assistance Programme, a 24-hour helpline for staff
• Online Medical assistance – access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.
• Interest-free travelcard loans
• Cyclescheme loans
• 3 paid Volunteering Days
• Employer’s pensions contributions (3%)
• CPD options
• TAP welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements

Statements:

Safeguarding Statement

The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Access Project is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We are working towards improvements with equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Disclosure of a Criminal Record

The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 applies to posts where there is access to children. This means that applicants for employment that involves working with children and young people must disclose anything listed in their criminal record, with the exception of protected cautions and convictions. All Disclosures are carried out in the strictest confidence and are made only in connection with your application for employment and for no other purpose.   The application for a DBS check at a level appropriate to the job role will be activated before your first day of work. Members of staff who are not eligible for a standard or enhanced DBS check are required to undertake a basic DBS check only in line with legal requirements. If you are selected for appointment to the role, you will be subject to this procedure.

Present or most recent employment

It is important to give full information, including the organisation you work in, or most recent employment if not currently working, full dates, address and explanation of any gaps in employment.

References

All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children, please include this as one of your references.

Education, Qualifications and Training:

• Ensure you give all the information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and make clear the level of any examinations e.g., GCSE, GCE ‘O’ Level or ‘A’ Level or equivalents etc. and the grades you obtained. Also include any skills training you have had. You will be required to produce original documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant to the job, and these will be detailed on the person specification.
• Proof of qualification is required before the appointment is confirmed.

Source:Head of Safeguarding and Compliance job with THE ACCESS PROJECT | 8455494 (theguardian.com)