Job info |
Job info details |
Job title |
Education Safeguarding and Assurance Advisor |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Childrens Services |
Service |
Learning & Partnership Hub |
Business unit |
Quality Assurance Hub |
Responsible to (day to day issues) |
Head of Service for Quality Assurance |
Accountable to (line manager) |
Head of Service for Quality Assurance |
Salary grade |
J |
JE ref |
JCT35 |
1. Key purpose of job
- To deliver the Children’s Services Quality Assurance Framework, for Safeguarding in Education Audit programme to ensure the ‘Working Together to Safeguarding Children’ (2018) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) Statutory Guidance’s are adhered to in education settings, in line with the Torbay Safeguarding Children’s Partnerships Section 11 Statutory Duty.
- To deliver the Quality Assurance Framework for unregistered Alternative Education Providers, to ensure that children and young people attending these providers are safeguarded.
- To deliver the Quality Assurance Framework for Language Schools, to ensure that Children and Young People travelling from oversea are safeguarded during their stay.
- To establish, in partnership with the Head of Service for Quality Assurance, Torbay Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and the Divisional Director for Education and SEND a culture of continual improvement and reflective practice.
2. Anticipated outcomes of post
- To improve the Safeguarding and Welfare requirements for children and young people in our education providers by ensuring that their education setting maintains safeguarding standards of the highest quality.
- To audit and improve the quality of non-registered alternative safeguarding and welfare requirements as part of the commissioning arrangements.
- To audit and improve the safeguarding and welfare standards of language schools.
- To embed a quality assurance culture across Education.
3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post
- As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
- Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times.
- To ensure that children and young people achieve best outcomes, and in particular are safe from maltreatment, neglect, violence and exploitation.
- To ensure that children, young people and their families have a voice and are enabled to make a contribution to the development and delivery of services.
- To support challenge and advise schools and other education establishments in relation to all aspects of safeguarding in education, including the implementation of Statutory Requirements, National Guidance and Welfare Requirements under the Childcare Act 2006.
- To be the Lead Officer delivering the Section 157/175 Audit of the Education Act on behalf of the Torbay Safeguarding Partnership.
- To be the Lead Officer in the delivery of the Safeguarding Audit to the Private and Voluntary including the Language Schools, Early Years Sector and Post 16 Providers.
- To analyse learning from child safeguarding practice reviews, after action reviews and other reviews, identify areas for development arising, and cascade the learning to educational provisions to ensure and develop good practice.
- To take a lead role on behalf the Education Service in relation to the Multi Agency Case Audits (MACA) as required by the Torbay Safeguarding Partnership
- On behalf of the TSP, to be responsible for the creation of model policies and procedures for use by the education sector across Torbay
- Provide direct advice and support to Language Schools to ensure that the quality of service provided maintains the highest level of best practice in relation to safeguarding. To take learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPR’S), after action reviews and other reviews, identify areas for development arising, and cascade learning to educational provisions
- To be the key contact for organisations when creating the Chronologies needed for the consideration of CSPR’s and after-action reviews.
- To keep up to date with legislative/regulatory requirements and the latest changes and/or developments in protecting children.
- To assist in the creation of management information and quality assurance systems that contribute directly to safeguarding and welfare promotion of children and young people.
4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post
5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post
6. Working environment and conditions of the post
- Normal working environment and conditions.
7. Physical demands of the post
8. Specific resources used by the post
- Normal office and agile working equipment.
9. Key contacts and relationships
- External
- Representing the Council at national and regional meetings with partner agencies. Responding to Inspections and the cross examination by individual inspectors. Developing and maintaining operationally important relationships with professionals from across the public and voluntary sector.
- Internal
- Working with staff at levels within the Council.
- Engaging with Members through formal governance mechanisms.
- Collaboration and project work with other senior managers. Staff working at levels within the Council including dealing with members.
10. Other duties
- To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.
Other Information
- All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
- Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
- The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. And are aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Childrens Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council
- The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
- As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
- The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
- The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
- The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
- The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
- If this post is a customer facing role and meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2017 (part 7) the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
- If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
- If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
Person Specification
Note for Candidate
All Candidates
The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement.
In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.
Candidates who consider that they have a disability
Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.
If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.
Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.
If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.
Job info |
Job info details |
Job Title |
Education Safeguarding and Assurance Advisor |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Childrens Services |
Service |
Learning & Partnership Hub |
Business unit |
Quality Assurance Hub |
Skills and effectiveness
Essential skills and effectiveness
- Evidence of effective written, oral and inter-personal skills, including presentation, advocacy, negotiation and consultation skills.
- Ability to communicate at an appropriate level with children and young people.
- Ability to engage with children and families, education professionals and other stakeholders to obtain the information needed to develop and deliver effective services.
- Ability to work on own initiative and also as part of a team.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and be confident to understand when information should be shared for safeguarding purposes.
- Ability to effectively organise and prioritise work with minimum supervision to meet set deadlines, including working to conflicting deadlines.
- Negotiation skills.
- Ability to interact with and influence a wide range of professionals.
- As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016 (part 7), the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
Desirable skills and effectiveness
- Evidence of applying innovative and analytical approaches to solving complex and challenging problems.
Knowledge
Essential knowledge
- Experience of multi-agency working.
- Knowledge of the audit process for both the Section 157/175 and Section 11.
- Knowledge of the Ofsted Registration and Inspection process.
- Knowledge of the Welfare Requirements of the Childcare Act 2006.
- Knowledge of the Children Act 1989/ 2004.
- Knowledge of Working Together to Safeguarding Children’ (Working Together 2006), Safeguarding Children in Education (2016) Statutory Guidance 2016.
- Working knowledge of the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulations.
Desirable knowledge
- To have knowledge of the Inspection Framework for Children’s Services .
- To have knowledge of the CQC Inspection Framework.
Experience and achievements
Essential experience and achievements
- Experience of working in an education establishment in a senior capacity.
- Experience of implementing policy and procedures across an organisation to bring about change.
- Experience of OFSTED inspection process.
- Experience of working at a multi-agency level.
Desirable experience and achievements
- Experience of working within the statutory social care sector.
Qualifications/professional memberships
Essential qualifications/professional memberships
- NVQ Level 4/5 or equivalent in a relevant subject area.
- Evidence continued professional development.
Desirable qualifications/professional memberships
- Management qualification to certificate level or equivalent or, a willingness to acquire such, in a timely fashion.
- A degree or equivalent in a relevant subject or working towards.
Other requirements
Other requirements of the job role
- Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
- Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties.
- Ability to accommodate occasional/permanent home-working.