About Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours. We are looking for a Business Support Officer to join our Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)team to This is administrative role is full time, working 37 hours per week and will be based atthe Civic Offices, Portsmouth. The team receive all initial referrals and contacts to support safeguarding children, via telephone and outlook emails (child protection/welfare issues). It is a very busy and a challenging role, for someone who enjoys working as part of a team and wants to do a worthwhile job. The Role Main Duties and Responsibilities Processing initial contacts and referrals from agencies and the public Entering and manage data within service information and caseload systems Handling confidential correspondence, scanning, indexing, and general admin Answering telephone enquiries, including potentially sensitive or distressing calls Using a range of IT systems including MS Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and in‑house databases Providing support during Ofsted inspections, including preparing documentation Working collaboratively with social care and safeguarding professionals The ideal candidate You will need to have/be Experience in Children’s Services and/or Young People’s Services Able to communicate with empathy, patience, and professionalism—even in challenging situations Resilient and able to handle sensitive and emotionally charged information Able to demonstrates excellent organisational skills and attention to detail Confident in using Microsoft Office and digital systems Understands confidentiality requirements and GDPR Work well as part of a team and can adapt to changing service needs Strong literacy and numeracy skills Able to converse confidently in English and provide clear, accurate advice Please ensure that you download and read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement on your application. Hybrid working arrangements - please ensure you can fulfil these ways of working prior to submitting your application. Working from Civic Offices is mandatory during first the first 6 months, after this you will move to Hybrid working. Informal Enquiries If you would like to discuss this role in more detail with the hiring manager, please contact Caroline Eayrs - caroline.eayrs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk Interview Details Interviews will take place on 17th February 2026 Our Recruitment process We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the'Who is the Person'points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience. If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful. You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it We are a disability confident employer and have an Armed Forces Covenant. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however, for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career's portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council Safeguarding Roles Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at BASIC level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS privacy notice before submitting any information. Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.