In response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) it has been acknowledged that there has been variation with the national Church around the distribution of safeguarding responsibilities and accountabilities, including the role of the bishop and key officers, and the overall supervision and quality assurance arrangements for the work of a safeguarding advisor. A key recommendation from this has highlighted the need to change the role from Safeguarding Advisors to Safeguarding Officer, who will have independent responsibility for and oversight of key safeguarding tasks, and whose work will be professionally supervised, and quality assured by the National Safeguarding Team (NST).
The Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO) is responsible for advising, supporting and holding to account those with specific safeguarding responsibilities, including the Bishop, senior staff, those responsible for the care of children and vulnerable adults as well as the wider church where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
They will ensure that within our context we have - a robust and implemented policy, procedures and strategy; relevant and high quality training for all those who may have contact with children or vulnerable adults; an environment where allegations of abuse and the voices of survivors can be heard and appropriate actions taken; an environment where offenders returning to the community can be appropriately supported and managed.
Role Description
Management of policy, procedures and good practice
• Monitor and remain up to date with the development of Church of England policy (guidance, codes of practice and frameworks).
• Ensure that Church of England policy is locally adopted, cascaded and accessible and implemented at a local level.
• Alongside colleagues, developing and monitoring the diocesan safeguarding strategy, ensuring that it is relevant, compliant and communicated.
• Work with colleagues, including senior staff to ensure that parishes have adopted and implemented compliant policies and procedures.
• Oversee the training of those in positions of leadership or with contact with children and vulnerable adults and ensure that appropriate DBS checks are undertaken and any follow-up actions completed.
• Provide advice and guidance to the Bishop and any church officers on safeguarding matters.
• Provide advice and guidance to parishes on good practice in working with vulnerable groups.
• Monitor government and external agency developments with regards to safeguarding for feeding-in to policy development and good practice.
• Provide regular reports for key management groups (Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, Bishop’s Council, Diocesan Synod).
Casework
• Provide guidance and direction where there are concerns about children and young people and adults who may be a risk and responding to requests for advice, information and guidance.
• Ensuring that risk assessments are undertaken or safety plans agreed for individuals where there are, or have been concerns about their behaviour towards children or adults at risk, where they have convictions for offences against children or adults at risk or where they have a blemished DBS disclosure.
• Co-ordinating the diocesan response to victims and survivors of church-based abuse including access to different forms of support, including trained support persons, in line with relevant guidance and code of practice.
• Co-ordinating the diocesan response to church officers against whom safeguarding concerns and allegations are made, including provision of trained link persons.
• Where an allegation or report is received that a child or adult has been abused or is at risk of being abused, making or commissioning initial enquiries to determine whether the matter can be referred to the police or other statutory agency and making this referral, if appropriate.
• Co-operating with, and supporting the work of, the police, other statutory agencies, or other relevant bodies in cases in which it is reported or suspected that abuse has occurred.
• Lead on convening and chairing the Case Management Group in relation to specific allegations and working with colleagues throughout the investigation in deciding:
• whether a risk assessment is required for individuals about whom there are safeguarding concerns;
• whether senior staff should be asked to suspend ministers or church officers against whom concerns have been raised;
• what the nature and extent of that assessment should be;
• whether it needs to be completed by an independent person or the DSO;
• Attend strategy meetings and case conferences as requested by statutory agencies.
• Monitoring and supporting the implementation of recommendations of any safeguarding risk assessment or safety plan in respect of church officers and others.
• Ensuring that appropriate learning and reflective practice takes place across the diocese from safeguarding casework.
Training
• Planning and arranging the provision (including some delivery) of core, issue-based and leadership safeguarding training across the diocese, in accordance with the Church of England’s Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework.
• Ensuring that different groups have a clear understanding of what training is mandatory for their role and what is recommended and monitoring compliance, some of the key groups include:
• The Bishop and senior staff
• All those in licensed ministry, lay and ordained
• Volunteers working with children, young people or the vulnerable (including, choir leaders, directors of music and bell ringers (who teach or train children and young people).
• Children and youth workers and those working with vulnerable adults
• Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinators
• Any other person who has responsibility for policy and management of work with children, young people and vulnerable Adults (including churchwardens and PCC members).
• Ensure evaluation, review and monitoring of training programmes.
Operational and Networking
• To take a lead on operational matters presented at the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel.
• The DSO should be part of the national and regional network of diocesan safeguarding officers and relevant local ecumenical or multi-faith forums as well as building relationships with statutory agencies including safeguarding boards, social services, LADO and police.
• Reviewing and monitor the structure and resourcing of safeguarding within the diocese and reporting on this to DSAP and the Diocesan Secretary.
• The DSO will receive and accept professional supervision from an officer of the Archbishops’ Council who will also quality assure their work.
• Line managing the safeguarding team, including professional supervision and quality assuring the work of any other case workers and quality assuring of trainers.
• Where the DSO thinks that safeguarding matters are not being dealt with properly and it has not proved possible to resolve this satisfactorily, escalating the matter to the appropriate body, such as the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, and/or the relevant statutory safeguarding agency, the Charity Commission, and/or the National Safeguarding Team, as the situation requires.
• Taking such other action in connection with safeguarding matters as the DSO considers necessary or appropriate and proportionate for the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults and in order to ensure that appropriate and effective safeguarding arrangements are operational in the diocese.
The above is the full breadth of responsibility of the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer role and this role will be shared with a colleague who is already in post as well as an Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Officer. The current post-holders’ key focuses at present include casework and the operational and networking elements of the role, therefore we are looking for someone whose key focus can be on the management of training, policy, procedures and good practice – although they will share responsibility for the wider role.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications:
• Qualification in a related area, or qualification by extensive experience (for example, social care or criminal justice), with current professional registration where applicable.
• The equivalent of level 3 or above training accreditation in child or adult protection with ability to demonstrate transferrable knowledge across groups.
Knowledge/Experience:
• Extensive experience of safeguarding of children and adults;
• Experience of undertaking work at a strategic level of contributing to policy and practice development and implementation;
• Experience of working on and managing cases involving the statutory response to the protection of children/adults;
• Experience of applying policies, procedures and good practice in relation to the safeguarding and protection of children/adults;
• Experience of undertaking statutory case and /or management reviews;
• Experience of undertaking statutory risk assessments;
• Management experience in providing supervision to staff in managing and co-ordinating safeguarding of children and/or adults;
• Detailed knowledge of and experience of applying safeguarding legislation, guidance and best practice;
• In-depth knowledge of the statutory framework in relation to safeguarding children and adults;
• Practitioner/manager experience of working with victims and survivors of abuse;
• Experience of working with a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations in managing or contributing to safeguarding, including managing allegations against people in positions of trust and the management of those who may pose a risk;
• Experience of communications and external stakeholder management on safeguarding issues with policy-makers, media and other external stakeholders at local and/or national level in a context of public scrutiny;
• Experience of designing, leading and/or contributing to case review processes and identifying and disseminating lessons to be learnt e.g. Serious Case Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews, Serious Untoward Incident Reviews or Significant Incident Learning Processes, MAPPA reviews etc; and
• Some understanding of Church of England structures and experience of working with the Church or other faith groups in respect of safeguarding children and/or vulnerable adults would be advantageous.
Skills/Aptitudes:
• Understanding of the broader safeguarding field including its social and political context;
• Strong verbal communications skills and ability to produce clear written records and reports;
• Ability to work sensitively with survivors ,those who are subject to allegations and/or those that may pose a risk;
• Ability to manage and analyse complex and sensitive information and assess risk;
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to influence improvements to practice;
• Demonstrable ability to be part of and contribute to a wider team as part of a large national institution and to work collegially with specialist and non-specialist colleagues; and
• Ability to deliver or contribute directly to the delivery of safeguarding training to safeguarding professionals as well as other stakeholders.
Personal Attributes:
• Confidence to work with senior people at a national level, including senior church leaders, external safeguarding experts and other stakeholders;
• A commitment to the care of and advocating for victims and survivors of abuse;
• A proven ability to develop and sustain relationships at all levels both inside and outside the Church;
• A proven ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and work sensitively with those affected by safeguarding issues; and
• Sympathy with the mission and ministry of The Church of England.
Terms and Conditions of Employment
• Salary of £30,000 (based on a FTE of £50,000) plus membership of the Church Worker’s Pension Scheme with 12% employer contribution inclusive of Death in Service benefit.
• Hours of 21hrs per week over three days. Hybrid-working is available, however some tasks will need to be completed in-person and there is an expectation that you post holder will work the equivalent of two days each week in-person (be that in our offices, at external meetings or on visits to churches). Some weekend/evening work may be required, for which the equivalent time may be taken back from standard working hours.
• 5 weeks Annual Leave per year plus pro-rata Bank Holidays and 3 Discretionary Days between Christmas and New Year.
• The employer is The Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance.
• The role reports into the Diocesan Secretary and will also receive supervision from the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team (NST) through the Regional Safeguarding Lead.
Closing date for applications: Thursday 27th February 2025
Interview Date are to be held in person: Monday 10th March 2025
To apply for the role, please click here.
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where all can be themselves and bring their unique identity to their ministry and/or work. We welcome applications from any individuals who feel that they meet the person specification for any post, in particular from those who are currently under-represented in our staff teams such as those from Global Majority Heritage or UK Minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with visible or invisible disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQI+.
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment.