The Senior Safeguarding Officer will work closely with the Senior Safeguarding Manager to provide colleagues with expert and confident support and advice when safeguarding concerns arise, ensuring that our policies and procedures are followed at all times.
Key information
We are currently working with a hybrid working model, where there is the option of working from home combined with 4-12 days a month of working in the office.
About this role
As YoungMinds’ Senior Safeguarding Officer, you will play a key part in helping to promote the safety and wellbeing of everyone who comes into contact with YoungMinds – whether that’s via our Activist programme, our campaigns, individual and corporate fundraising, our Parents Helpline, social media, training and service design work or any of the charity’s other activities. It’s a role that engages with colleagues across the organisation, at all levels, and will give you the opportunity to contribute to YoungMinds’ ‘culture of care’ approach to safeguarding.
You will build excellent, trusting relationships with teams where safeguarding concerns are most frequently managed, and be available to guide them, and all other staff and volunteers, in their day-to-day practice, as well as when a safeguarding emergency arises. When necessary, you will confidently use your knowledge of safeguarding and child/adult protection thresholds to take appropriate actions, including creating and maintaining high-quality records, signposting, and referring cases to statutory bodies for investigation. You will frequently provide support out-of-hours where YoungMinds activities are happening in the evenings, weekends or overnight.
Key duties and responsibilities
- Provide safeguarding advice, direction and support to staff and volunteers and take over the management of cases if necessary.
- Manage and escalate referrals to other organisations where appropriate.
- Apply YoungMinds’ procedures for information sharing internally and externally, including keeping records of concerns, incidents and referrals.
- Sign off risk assessments created by teams across the organisation for all events involving young people or where other risks are identified.
- Manage the on-call workload of the safeguarding team and Lead Safeguarding Officers, including the planning of out of hours safeguarding support. Please note: this role will require you to be on-call on a frequent basis.
- Support the Senior Safeguarding Manager in delivering organisational safeguarding priorities and contribute to safeguarding audit processes.
- Deliver safeguarding training across the organisation, including induction and refresher training, and support facilitation of bespoke safeguarding training.
- Share experiences and learning with other YoungMinds colleagues.
- Deputise for the Senior Safeguarding Manager and represent the safeguarding team at internal and external meetings and other events where necessary.
- Champion, contribute to and invest in YoungMinds’ ‘culture of care’.
- Other duties that may from time to time be necessary, compatible with the nature and grade of this post.
About you
Candidates will be shortlisted at application on the basis of the following to a satisfactory level:
- Experience of providing safeguarding support to professionals working with children and adults.
- Experience of administration and systems management.
- Experience delivering training and/or advice to build the skills, confidence and understanding of others at all levels within the organisation.
- Ability to confidently assess risk and to make time-sensitive decisions.
- Ability to cope with an emotionally demanding workload, remain calm and empathetic and respond appropriately to anxiety, confusion, distress and anger.
- Strong knowledge of current safeguarding and child/adult protection legislation, guidance and thresholds.
Further information on the post can be found in the job pack below.
One of our values is: “We celebrate what makes you you – whoever you are, we welcome you and encourage you to be true to yourself”.
If you are excited about helping us to achieve our mission, passionate about working at an organisation that puts the lived experience of young people at the heart of everything we do and want to be part of our drive to become a truly anti-racist organisation we want to hear from you.
To apply, please fill in the application form and send via email to recruitment@youngminds.org.uk with the job title as the subject.
We welcome applications from Black and Minoritised, LGBTQ+ groups and those with disabilities, as they are currently under-represented.
About YoungMinds
You’ll be part of a passionate, hardworking team that cares about the work they do and you’ll be part of making a real difference to the lives of children and young people. In addition to becoming part of the YoungMinds team, you’ll get:
- 25 days paid holiday entitlement (plus Bank Holidays)
- three days additional leave over Christmas and New Year
- auto-enrolment onto pension scheme where YoungMinds will match your contribution up to five per cent
- statutory benefits such as parental leave and sick pay
- a wide range of other health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
- a dedication to continued professional development, training and shared best practice
Our vision
A world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.
We want to see a world where every young person who is struggling feels able to reach out, and has people and services around them who can really help.