Senior Safeguarding Officer

Job summary

Calling all social workers, family support workers, early help workers and anyone else with relevant, extensive experience. If you are looking for a new challenge, offering a positive work life balance than this could be the role for you.

RAF Air Cadets is a national youth organisation. This is an exciting time and opportunity to join the safeguarding team based at RAF Cranwell. We are looking for professionals who have significant practice experience working in the field of child protection. The role will require you to undertake a range of safeguarding assessments across the organisation in line with RAFAC and MOD Safeguarding policy, managing active casework. This includes undertaking child protection investigations and compiling coherent assessment reports.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate within the application clear practice experience in managing and investigating safeguarding and child protection casework. The successful candidate will be working as a Senior Safeguarding Officer, within a team which manages all safeguarding matters covering 40,000 cadets, 15,000 adult volunteers and 5,000 charity committee members. The role is also responsible for contributing to policy development, maintaining existing and formulating new training packages which can be delivered face to face or virtually.

There will be requirements to travel on occasions which will involve direct work with all staff, cadets and volunteers.

The role will involve some evening and weekend work, which can take you away overnight.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week and is based as RAF Cranwell.

Job description

We are seeking experienced child protection professionals, preferably with a social work qualification or equivalent to work alongside existing safeguarding officers to lead, develop and shape safeguarding practices across the RAF Air Cadets. This is a great opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic but measured persons to bring their skills within safeguarding to the organisation to engage staff, volunteers and cadets to provide support and best practice guidance across the corps. As a senior safeguarding practitioner, you will be responsible for role modelling and mentoring your colleagues across the organisation.

You will need to have a strong knowledge base in relation to relevant legislation and government guidance. You will be responsible for contributing to the development of policy and processes in accordance with MOD policy and government legislation. You will need to be able to work from a holistic perspective, taking into consideration the wider needs of those who require support from the team, identifying the correct level of support. You will be comfortable with working in a fast-paced environment, meeting deadlines with clear assessment reports and accurate recordings of any intervention. As a senior safeguarding officer, you will be required to undertake a range of complex safeguarding assessments, investigations, and interviews, providing detailed reports and analysis of your recommendations.

You will hold and maintain casework on the recording system and be responsible for guiding staff and volunteers on the required steps. You must be confident and comfortable in making decisions re risk management, which are evidenced based and have a good understanding of relevant theory and legislation. You will be able to devise and deliver high standards of training relating to a number of key areas in respect of safeguarding, this will be a mixture of face to face and virtually. 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 requested to visit squadron's and undertake direct work with cadets and adult volunteers to deliver key messages surrounding safeguarding. The role will require some travelling across regions, delivering presentations. Due to the nature of the organisation this will require a flexible approach for some evening and weekend working.

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 such as child protection conferences and strategy discussions, contributing to safeguarding plans.

Person specification

Extensive practice experience, in the field of safeguarding / child protection preferably with a relevant qualification - needs to be applied daily in case management direction and management oversight and leadership of the organisation

A 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 safeguarding children. This understanding is needed to ensure correct and consistent application on intervention and decision-making practices.

Ability to 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.

Excellent organisation skills in order to be able to manage the multiple different requirements of the post, meetings, team needs and organisational demands.

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.

Time keeping / Timescales – time management is essential for practice and progression and to be able to work at a fast pace whilst producing quality outcomes.

Professional Accountability with a high work ethic and value base – safeguarding is a significant and professional responsibility and one which the organisation takes seriously.

Be able to offer a flexible approach to work in undertaking visits which may be in the evenings and deliver some training in the evenings / on weekends.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with a 28.97% contribution
• 25 days Annual leave, increase 1 day per year up to 30 days (reckonable service is recognised).
• On-site free parking
• Registered professional may be eligible to claim registration fees, linked with the role, such as Social Work England.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

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). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Please complete the application questions by demonstrating your safeguarding / child protection experience. Your answers will be marked on how you have demonstrated your experience, knowledge and skills based on the job advert and terms of reference.

Candidates will be required to complete an online CV template to include job history, full details of education and qualifications, and previous experiences and skills.

Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability of no more than 250 words. Please provide experience relevant to the role.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, statement of suitability and the following Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. If you are invited to an interview you will have a minimum of 5 days notice.

Candidates will be asked to deliver a brief presentation around a case scenario issued on the day of the interview.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Devina Cross
• Email : devina.cross113@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

Air Command's Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 499kB)Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)