Job Description
Job summaryThe Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is appointing to the role of Safeguarding Manager. The successful candidate will lead a small team of Safeguarding Officers based at RAF Cranwell, acting as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all safeguarding matters. The successful candidate will work alongside two other SG Managers and supervision groups.�The successful candidate will have a developed understanding and practice experience of working in a safeguarding organisation within a management role. The post holder will have significant experience in child protection, preferably from a front line social work perspective. The post holder is required to be able to work independently and with autonomy, to ensure that any work progression is for the best outcomes of the organisation with protection of the child at its heart. This work may be set within the design of organisational structures, determining workforce requirements, development of policy and implementation of significant safeguarding projects.There is an expectation that this post will be office based due to the nature of the role, with some working from home permitted, based on the needs of the organisation.This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.Job descriptionThe position is for the role of Safeguarding Manager (SEO), who will be responsible for co-managing a small team of Safeguarding Officers, providing professional supervision and guidance for all casework. The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the team have the necessary skills and resources to complete the job, providing practice development opportunities and monitoring performance management and end of year reporting. As a direct line manager, the post holder is also responsible for some budgetary management. You will be expected to lead on complex casework and develop the safeguarding officers to complete assessments as required.This role requires an experienced and enthusiastic but measured person to bring their skills within safeguarding to the organisation to engage staff, volunteers and cadets to provide support and guidance across the corps. We are seeking an individual who is experienced in working within the child protection fields, with a strong knowledge base in relation to relevant legislation and government guidance. You will be responsible for updating and developing policy and processes in accordance with MOD policy and government legislation. You must be confident and comfortable in providing guidance and making decisions which are evidenced based and have a good understanding of relevant theory. You will be confident to challenge and advocate for the rights of the client group, liaising with external agencies including LADO, Social Workers, Police and education provisions. You will represent the organisation at a number of meetings which may be external and stand in for the Chief of Staff Safeguarding where required.You will oversee, devise and deliver high standards of training relating to several key areas in respect of safeguarding. You will be expected to have the ability to train, develop and mentor others to ensure practice is enhanced and maintained to a high standard. You will be required to develop the team to be able to confidently deliver training packages, undertake direct work with a number of groups and present at events and conferences. The role will involve some evening and weekend work and travelling with some overnight stays.As a Safeguarding Manager, you will work with the most complex situations, providing guidance on risk management and providing specialist support. As well as managing complex cases you will be responsible for the direct line management of the Safeguarding Officers, offering mentoring, coaching, support and providing practice expertise to other less experienced team members. Given the expertise this role requires, the post holder will have a strong background in safeguarding and child protection, ideally within a statutory role.You will be expected to work collaboratively across the board to manage case work, referrals, allocations, duty rotas and leave / absences. Time keeping and strong organisational skills is an essential must for this role.Person specificationMust have a proven background in statutory child protection and safeguardingLine management experience working in child protection and safeguarding.Extensive practice experience - needs to be applied daily in case management direction and management oversight and leadership of the organisationA clear understanding of a variety of legislation and government guidance including but not limited to: Children Act 1989; Children Act 2004; Fostering and adoption act; Human Rights Act; UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child; The Children and Families Act; the Education Act; Working together to safeguard children. This understanding is needed to ensure correct and consistent application on intervention and decision-making practices.Ability to audit, assure, research, analyse and reflect on practice and engage in a range of assurance and audit pieces to inform practice and practice progression.Good understanding of theory, life course development, Eco systems, practice knowledge and an ability to connect - you must have this level of knowledge to understand human behaviour, predict impact and identify the appropriate and relevant support levels.Excellent communication skills - to be able to engage and influence all stakeholders, internal and external effectively and articulately and where required write evidence and provide oral evidence in Court. Will also be required to write, interpret and implement policy.Excellent understanding of available services and the functioning of those services such as health care, mental health services, probation, police, youth offending, the criminal and family courts processes, Local Authority processes. This understanding is necessary in order to be able to reach out to sources, know when to signpost and how to contact and what intervention they will provide.Competent IT skills to allow for daily functioning which includes the use of spreadsheets for analysis, adopting new technology for creative training techniques and training presentations.Confidence / resilience � to challenge and negotiate on behalf of the client whether in the scenario that is the team, children, adults, or the whole organisation. You require the confidence to know how and who to challenge and require resilience to maintain positivity and stamina.Excellent organisation skills in order to be able to manage the multiple different requirements of the post, meetings, team needs and organisational demands.Time keeping / Timescales � essential for practice and progression and to be able to work at a fast paced whilst producing quality outcomes.Ability to provide good leadership and reflective professional supervisionExperience of developing students � required to enable the future progression of placements, in addition to taking on inexperienced staff and developing them to high level capabilities and decision makingFinancial experience - to manage budgets, research and reflect best value for money in business cases, and considering the wider impact on resources around workforce and training needs.An understanding of the MOD, RAFAC and relevant policy and structures � for implementation and adherence purposesProfessional Accountability with a high work ethic and value base � safeguarding is a significant and professional responsibility and one where the whole organisation looks to the Safeguarding Manager for reassurance and professional accountability and risk responsibility and ownership.Autonomy to be able to think on your feet, make decisions in confidenceProfessional Curiosity and Forensic Analysis to analyse the data with scrutiny, to ensure that any outcomes are balanced, take into consideration the law whilst placing the safety of children at the heart of the decisions and outcomes. This skill is also required for themes, threshold application and trend analysis. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and InfluencingManaging a Quality ServiceLeadershipMaking Effective DecisionsDelivering at PaceBenefitsAlongside your salary of �43,080, Ministry of Defence contributes �12,480 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. � Learning and development tailored to your role�� An environment with flexible working options�� A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity� A Civil Service pension� 25 days Annual leave rising to 30 days upon completion of 5 years service (existing leave entitlement may be transferable from local government).�� On-site free parking�The post does not offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.��Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at .The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey � we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). 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