Salary:£45,000 - £50,000
Closingdate: 10th May
InterviewDate: 21stMay
Thisrole has strategic oversight of our schools across the ThamesValley region, including Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire,Hertfordshire, Greater London, Surrey and Kent. Candidates must bebased within this geographical area as regular travel across theselocations is an essential requirement of the role. While theposition offers a level of remote working, a strong regionalpresence is critical to effectively support and engage with ourschools.
Thosehuge smallvictories
Are youcurrently working as a DSL in school or have wider DSL/Safeguardingresponsibilities within a Multi Academy Trust, if so, are youready to take the next step and join a team of likeminded peoplewho are passionate about safeguarding children or are you a SchoolsSafeguarding Officer or equivalent within a local authority and arealready supporting DSLs in schools? If so, we'd love to hear fromyou.
We are the highestOfsted-rated provider in the country for special education andcare. Our teams are fulfilled by the idea of making even thesmallest positive changes in our young people, so we celebrate thelittle things.
For children with complex needsthe level of care and education we provide must go above andbeyond. That's what drives us here at Witherslack Group. With ourhigh staff-to-child ratio and in-house clinical teams, we're proudto have won a reputation for excellence and market leading OFSTEDratings.
Getout what you putin
The SchoolsSafeguarding Officer will work closely with the DesignatedSafeguarding Leads (DSL's) and Head Teachers to ensure thatpractice is robust and defensible in relation to safeguardingwithin the school.
You willwork with the Head of Safeguarding to support schools and ensurecompliance in accordance with safeguarding and wider legislationand in the development and delivery of training for DSL's andschool-based staff. You will contribute to effectivepartnership working between different teams and departments withinWitherslack Group.
You willundertake safeguarding audits in schools to ensure compliancewithin current frameworks and support schools in any actions plansresulting from findings within safeguarding audits. You will alsosupport DSL's in schools and give advice to ensure thatsafeguarding concerns are managed in line with Local SafeguardingPartnership procedures and thresholds. You will work with DSL's inschools to ensure that safeguarding record keeping is robust and inline with best practice and will give advice and guidance inrelation to safeguardingcases.
The ideal candidatewill have experience as a DSL in a school and has worked in avariety of different agencies. If in addition to that you havewider agency experience of working within for example, early helpor children's social care, that would be even better. We arelooking for someone who has experience of giving advice to andsupporting DSLs/DDSL's in their work, has experience of developingand delivering training and undertaking audits in relation tosafeguarding.
Bringyour whole-self to work
Here at Witherslack Group, we celebrate everyone's differencesas that's what makes us the best at what we do. Our young peoplecome from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds and with differentneeds – and our workforce reflects that diversity, so that ourteams can engage, encourage and inspire our young people to bethemselves.
We'll give you thechance to build an exciting career in a fast-growing organisation,where you're free to achieve your potential. Here's what we needfrom you;
- Extensive safeguardingexpertise — significant experience (5+ years) managing safeguardingand child protection cases, ideally as a Designated SafeguardingLead (DSL) or in a similar senior role.- Strongpolicy knowledge — up-to-date understanding of Keeping ChildrenSafe in Education, national safeguarding policy, wider educationlegislation, and partnershiparrangements.- Proven advisory and trainingskills — ability to provide expert safeguarding advice to schools,support the resolution of safeguarding deficits, and design anddeliver effective training.- Ongoingprofessional development — a comprehensive portfolio of CPD insafeguarding and child protection, with evidence of applyinglearning from reviews and developments intopractice.- Excellent interpersonal andorganisational abilities — strong communication, problem-solving,and report-writing skills, with the flexibility to manage competingpriorities and support schools in high-pressuresituations.
Whatwe do for you
Weknow you're going to do great things. For your hard work andcommitment, we reward you with the best salary and benefits packagein the care sector. With us, you'll get to make a genuinedifference to the lives of our young people – plus you'llget:
- Salary:£45,000 - £50,000 dependent onexperience- Medicalcover so you can claim back the cost of things likean opticians or dentist appointment and a hostof high-streetdiscounts- Holiday:You'll work hard at WG, so you'll be rewarded with 7 weeks' holiday(including bank holidays)- Flexiblebenefits package: meaning you can increase/decrease yourholiday allowance, pension and life insurance – check out ourbenefits here- Wellbeing:a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employeeassistance- Beautiful workingenvironments with the very bestfacilities- A recommend a friend scheme thatoffers a £1,000 bonus everytime
Jointhe UK's best special education and careprovider
Our youngpeople deserve the best possible future and we feel the same aboutour teams. You deserve to have the career you want, with apurpose-led employer, in an environment that allows you to beyourself.
For afull job description please click here
Toview our ex-offenders policy please click here.
TheWitherslack Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting thewelfare of its young people. This post is subject to an enhancedDBS check (we will cover the cost). We are an equal opportunitiesemployer welcoming applications from all sections of thecommunity.
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