Job Introduction
The Education Safeguarding Advice Service (ESAS) provides support and challenge to all our schools to ensure that safeguarding policy and practice is both robust and effective.
The team consists of two Education Safeguarding Leads (ESLs) and two Education Safeguarding Advisors(ESAs). The ESAs provide support and advice to empower members of staff to make informed decisions. The main role of the ESLs is to lead policy, practice and training.
Main Responsibility
Your main responsibilities as Education Safeguarding Lead will be to manage the team of Education Safety Advisors to make sure everything in the service runs smoothly, and making sure that schools are following guidance to keep children safe.
You will be:
- Completing safeguarding visits to schools ensuring that schools and colleges are compliant with their safeguarding responsibilities
- Provide appropriate support, challenge and guidance to school communities on safeguarding and child protection issues
- Plan and deliver the Section 175 and 157 safeguarding audit, undertake detailed analysis and report findings to the SSCB and other key partners
- Review Ofsted and other safeguarding complaints to ensure that schools’ policies and practice are robust and effective
- Plan, review and deliver appropriate training to schools and other partners including lessons learned from serious case reviews
- Contribute to the work and the policy development of the Staffordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (SSCB) through attendance at SSCB Scrutiny and Assurance Group and other subgroups including scoping exercises, rapid reviews, child death overview panels and child safeguarding practice reviews
- Make sure that recording systems are efficient, robust, accurate and up-to-date and inform policy and practice
- Be the education lead for all national and local safeguarding priorities e.g., child sexual exploitation (CSE) and PREVENT agenda
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate for this role must have:
- Extensive experience of Safeguarding issues within education setting(s)
- Knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children
- Experience of managing and resolving complaints in line with corporate complaints policy and Education Act
- Experience of using IT systems to gather, analyse and present information
- Effective written and oral communication skills
- Experience of preparing and presenting reports and to communicate with staff/service users at all levels
- Time management skills with the flexibility to adapt to changing workload demands
- Ability to deliver training sessions, presentations and workshops
Plus if you have this as well even better, but this is not essential:
- Previous experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Knowledge of partnership working and inter agency financial and decision-making processes
- Demonstrable understanding of commissioning within a public sector environment
- Effective knowledge of local safeguarding board standards and the statutory duties associated
- Relevant experience of working in a local authority’s children or education service
- Strong analytical skills which enable the effective resolution of problems and the development of innovative plans
- Ability to advise appropriately in accordance with policies and legislation on a range of relevant techniques and subjects
- Persuasive, influential and motivational skills
For more information please contact Charles Daniels (School Improvement officer) 01785 277450 or via email charles.daniels@staffordshire.gov.uk
About Staffordshire County Council
We are no ordinary county council:
Our Values:
The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.
Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:
We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.
We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.
Our benefits:
We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to a range of benefits.
Our recruitment process:
As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities
As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Silver Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.
