Head of Safeguarding

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

• Experience

  Experience of leading safeguarding services within a complex healthcare organisation. • Experience of presenting assurance reports to Board or Committee level. • Experience of managing safeguarding investigations and reviews. • Experience of leading service improvement programmes. • Experience of staff management and professional leadership. • Experience of working within multi-agency safeguarding partnerships. • Significant experience in a senior safeguarding leadership role within health or social care. • Experience of providing safeguarding assurance to executive and board-level committees. • Experience of leading organisational responses to Safeguarding Adult Reviews, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews. • Experience of managing staff and resources. • Experience of multi-agency partnership leadership. • Experience of safeguarding within mental health and/or community healthcare settings. • Experience of working collaboratively with other health and social care providers, and ability to promote strong working • partnerships • Demonstrable ability to make appropriate assessments, plan interventions, have knowledge of resources, make plans including review and evaluation. • Experience in planning, delivering and evaluating training. • Training in, and experience of, clinical supervision of staff and experience of safeguarding supervision. • Ability to work independently as well as being an effective team member. • Ability to analyse information and make crucial decisions in stressful and complex situations. • Strong negotiation and influencing skills and ability to deal with conflict, hostility and vulnerability. • Confident in willing to challenge traditional assumptions and provide evidence to support change and drive forward improved ways of working. • Excellent written and verbal communication/presentational • Experience of having worked within a mental health setting. • skills. • IT literate and able to manage the complexity of cross organisational arrangements • Demonstrable ability to analyse written and statistical data, prepare and present • reports • Demonstrable ability to work flexibly and creatively. • Personal drive and tenacity to motivate, empower and support individuals and teams to achieve. • Ability to demonstrate sound judgment and act on initiative. • Expert clinical skills in specialist professional practice. • Ability to communicate sensitive, complex and sometimes distressing information to families. • Extensive statutory case management experience of cases with complex, • professional and ethical issues including adult and child protection, court proceedings, case conferences and other formal processes. • Experience of working positively with staff from other agencies and an understanding of and an ability to work with different cultures, expectations and priorities.

• Personal qualities

  Positive approach to clinical complexity. • Ability to influence at executive and senior leadership level. • Ability to provide constructive professional challenge. • Highly developed negotiation and conflict-resolution skills. • Ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity. • Demonstrable resilience when managing highly sensitive and contentious safeguarding issues. • Ability to build credibility across multiple professions and organisations. • Recognise people’s right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect. • Willingness to embrace service development and new ways of working. • Willingness to be flexible in approach and attitude • Able to make and maintain effective working relationships with service users and their families over long term healthcare spells

• Knowledge and skills

  Lead by example, promoting the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, integrity and probity. • Ability to provide professional challenge to senior clinicians and managers. • Ability to influence organisational decision-making. • Ability to analyse highly complex safeguarding information and provide assurance recommendations. • Exceptional report-writing and presentation skills. • High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude • Able to prioritise, organise and delegate. • Proven leadership / management experience, able to implement positive change through quality improvement methodology. • Experience of developing others through education, supervision, coaching. • Knowledge and experience of the: • legal, professional and planning frameworks for children and adult services at a senior level. • Information sharing, governance, consent and confidentiality.

• Training and qualifications

  Registered Nurse, Social Worker or Allied Health Professional, with substantial practice experience, in a specialist safeguarding role. • Current professional registration. • Master’s degree or demonstrable equivalent experience. • Evidence of of advanced safeguarding education and ongoing relevant professional development • Management Qualification or evidence of equivalent experience / training • Advanced/expert understanding /application of relevant practice/ standards/ audit in relation to Safeguarding Adults / Children • Detailed and update to date knowledge of policies, statutory regulations and guidance relating to Safeguarding – Adults, Vulnerable Children, Young People and Adults Policy and legislation including The Children Act, The Social Care Act, Mental Health policy and practice, FGM, Prevent, CSE, trafficking and detention.