Director of Safeguarding

Person Specification:

• We are looking to appoint a capable individual who can work swiftly and thoroughly and keep the paramountcy principle at the heart of all safeguarding work.    
• We are seeking to appoint an experienced safeguarding practitioner who has worked at a senior level in an organisation which supports children and families and where that individual has worked with internal stakeholders as well as external agencies. 
• We are looking for a practitioner who is equally comfortable working on recording and reporting systems as he or she is working with and training up individuals or teams of individuals. 
• Finally, we are seeking to appoint an individual who is familiar with regulatory compliance, statutory guidance and inspectorates. 

Job Specification: 

 Role and responsibilities

• To act as DSL with lead responsibility, management oversight and accountability for safeguarding and child protection.
• To lead on Prevent.
• To lead on Online Safety and delivery of IT Standards.
• To lead the support for all Springboard boarders at OSH.
• Be responsible for the school’s records relating to safeguarding, including low level concerns.
• To work with others in the school as well as safeguarding partners and other external agencies.
• To maintain child protection files.           

Culture and raising awareness

• Keeping safeguarding responsibilities high profile amongst OSH employees.
• Ensuring a culture of safeguarding and listening to children is encouraged amongst all staff.
• Ensuring that the OSH safeguarding policies and practices are known, understood and used appropriately.
• Being known to pupils, parents and external stakeholders as the DSL
• Being personally aware of which pupils are vulnerable and in what ways.
• Maintaining links with all safeguarding partners
• Sitting on the Safeguarding, Mental Health and Housemasters committees.
• To review and agree the safeguarding arrangements of any external holiday lettings before the residential group comes on site.
• Act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff.

Recording and reporting

• To be responsible for ensuring that child protection files are kept up to date and secure. 
• To maintain oversight of MyConcern as our primary recording tool, working with other systems as appropriate and when they come online.
• To record safe acceptance and distribution of CP files when pupils join OSH, and to ensure that files from OSH are sent to pupils’ new schools/destinations when they leave us as appropriate.
• To work with admissions to clarify any references to vulnerability during the application process.
• To be able to keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals and understand the purpose of this record-keeping.
• To report to the appropriate stakeholders on case files, patterns and trends in safeguarding, as well as the efficacy of our responses.
• To monitor and report on safeguarding training needs and currency and to identify and drive new training opportunities for all colleagues involved in safeguarding work.
• Understand relevant data protection legislation and regulations and the importance of information sharing, both within school and with safeguarding partners, other agencies, organisations and practitioners.

Training

• To ensure that his/her own training is up to date and valid.
• To act as the main safeguarding trainer at OSH, delivering whole school as well as small group training and including online safety training.
• To offer 1:1 training and enhanced briefings whenever required by the Headmaster.
• To oversee all Prevent training, acting as the Prevent lead at OSH.
• Maintain up to date training in online safety and act as online safety lead at OSH.
• Use supervision and feedback to critically reflect on learning and support needs.

Supporting Vulnerability

• To act as lead for all Springboard boarders at OSH.
• To liaise with the AHT QTL on the impact of any PP+ or pupil premium strategies in order to advocate for vulnerable pupils when working to close the gap.
• To help promote educational outcomes by sharing the information about the welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues that children may have. 
• To lead on mental health support.
• Participate in developing safeguarding aspects of individual welfare plans, working to support recovery and resilience building in individual children where appropriate.

Acting on Red Flagged Attendance 

• To call home, to follow up and to conduct home visits where persistence attendance is flagged as a concern.
• To analyse attendance patterns on a weekly basis with the Deputy Head and Heads of Year

Compliance and Regulation 

• To be responsible for the ongoing audit and assurance of safeguarding procedures.
• To advice on the strategic development of safeguarding and on policy.
• To ensure whole school compliance with safeguarding training.
• Prepare and maintain safeguarding risk assessments relative to both individuals and the school as a whole.
• To liaise with and support the work of the careers co-ordinator in ensuring adequate welfare and safeguarding arrangements for placements and visits.

Other

• To join the SLT of the School as an active member.
• To model professional behaviour at all times to colleagues and members of the wider community 
• Undertake any other such duties as may be reasonably requested and which could include evening and weekend work
• Seek the views of stakeholders, for example, via surveys and responding to these as appropriate.
• Be proactive in communicating information to all stake holders.
• Take an active part in boarding audits.
• Have an understanding of national and local safeguarding issues.
• Work closely with those nominated to act with him/her (as Deputy DSLs, for example) so that they can assist him/her and provide effective cover when required.

Remuneration & Hours

A remuneration package will be agreed depending on qualifications and experience.

Your hours as a Director of Safeguarding will be will be 37.5 hours per week, term time plus two weeks – one week at the end of term and one week at the beginning of term. Your work pattern will be Monday to Friday 8.30 to 16.30 with a 30 minute break, with some flexibility.

In line with current regulation you will, if you are eligible, be offered a workplace pension through NEST.