ESTEEM is a Sussex-based charity which involves young people and adults aged 14-26 in opportunities to develop confidence, build life-skills and improve well-being. We do this by offering access to 1:1 vocational mentoring, tailored volunteer roles, well-being support services and group activities in a safe and supportive environment. ESTEEM has experienced significant growth over the past two years and this role has evolved to meet need by systematising safeguarding across the organisation, whilst ensuring it is still personal, increasing capacity to support young adults directly with 121 intervention, and follow up external safeguarding referrals and partnership working wherever possible.
The Head of Safeguarding will also hold the role as the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the charity, taking the lead in ensuring that appropriate arrangements for keeping children and young adults safe are in place across the organisation; in line with the Children’s Act and Care Act. This role will promote the safety and welfare of children and young adults involved in ESTEEM’s activities at all times. Based at ESTEEM’s offices, in Shoreham, West Sussex, you will work alongside ESTEEM’s Trustee Safeguarding Lead, as well as staff on other projects which provide opportunities for 14-26 year olds. ESTEEM works with over 160 young people per year across all of Sussex who are facing barriers to achieving their life-goals. This role will be the main point of contact for all ESTEEM’s Safeguarding concerns. They will be responsible for ensuring the organisation continues to meet our high safeguarding standards, whilst maintaining our ethos of participatory working.
- Principal tasks and responsibilities
- Take a lead role in developing and reviewing ESTEEM’s safeguarding children and vulnerable adult policies and procedures.
- Take a lead role in implementing ESTEEM’s safeguarding of children and vulnerable adult policies and procedures: ensuring all safeguarding concerns regarding children and young adults who take part in ESTEEM’s activities are responded to appropriately.
- Make sure that everyone working or volunteering with or for children and young adults at ESTEEM, including the board of trustees, understands the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults policy and procedures, and knows what to do if they have concerns about a child’s welfare.
- Make sure children and young people who are involved in activities at ESTEEM and their parents know who they can talk to if they have a welfare concern and understand what action the organisation will take in response.
- Maintain established safeguarding confidential record keeping logs and systems according to legal requirements; taking responsibility for monitoring of these daily whilst efficiently keeping staff informed within set timeframes.
- Provide timely and supportive advice to staff as needed.
Take The Lead On Responding To Information That May Constitute a Child Or Adult Protection Concern, Including a Concern That An Adult Involved With ESTEEM May Present a Risk To Children Or Young People, This Includes
- assessing and clarifying the information b. making referrals to statutory organisations as appropriate c. consulting with and informing the relevant members of the organisation’s management d. following the organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures.
Liaise with, pass on information to and receive information from statutory child protection agencies such as:
- the local authority child and adult care services b. the police. This includes making formal referrals to agencies when necessary.
Work closely with safeguarding staff team, chairing fortnightly meetings, to ensure they are kept up to date with safeguarding concerns across the organisation and disseminate this information out to other relevant staff as appropriate.
Undertake reviews every fortnight as part of safeguarding team meetings, to update RAG rating for young people and adults in relation to risk. Ensure staff team are updated on these ratings with appropriate advice and support.
Write safety and care plans for those individuals rated as High or Red, with internal and external staff consultation, and disseminate out to relevant staff team; including views of young people and young adults as appropriate.
As required present updates directly to the board of trustees or Trustee Safeguarding Lead regarding legal compliance and organisational safeguarding culture. This will also involve reporting any allegations of internal whistleblowing.
Liaise directly with Trustee Safeguarding Lead to ensure safeguarding is seen as an ongoing priority across the organisation and that legislative requirements and charity commission guidelines are being followed at all levels of the organisation.
Be familiar with and work within inter-agency child and vulnerable adult protection procedures developed by the local child protection agencies.
Be familiar with issues relating to child and vulnerable adults protection and abuse, and keep up to date with new developments in this area.
Attend regular training in issues relevant to child protection and share knowledge from that training with everyone who works or volunteers with or for children and young people at ESTEEM.
Attend team meetings, supervision sessions and management meetings as arranged.
Work flexibly as may be required and carry out any other reasonable duties, including coordinating on call duties for activities operating outside of normal working hours.
Appointment to this role is subject to satisfactory vetting and barring checks. Designated Safeguarding Leads must have received relevant adult and child safeguarding training that is specific to their role. This training should be refreshed regularly and they should keep up to date with any changes in safeguarding and child protection legislation and
