Deputy Director of Safeguarding (Hurstpierpoint College)
Job introduction
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 per annum
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full Time and Term Time Only
Closing date: Monday 10 April 2023
Full details of the post, together with how to apply are available at Hurstpierpoint College | Employment Opportunities - Support Staff (hppc.co.uk)
Please contact Victoria Foster at jobs@hppc.co.uk or call 01273 836532.
About the role
Hurstpierpoint College is a successful independent school, and a significant medium-sized enterprise in mid- Sussex with around 490 employees and a turnover of some £30 million pa. It is both a stimulating and a pleasant place in which to work. The College is amongst the most successful independent schools in Sussex. It is co-educational and comprises a Senior School, Senior Prep School, and Junior Prep with 1,300 pupils in all. Over half the pupils in the Senior School are boarders (weekly or flexi).
Reporting to: The Director of Safeguarding
Overview
All aspects of Pupil Safeguarding are given the highest priority at Hurst. The Hurst Safeguarding team has developed and grown over recent years and is recognised as a centre of excellence in the region. The School’s Safeguarding representative on the SMT is the Head of College, supported by the Director of Safeguarding, the DSL and a Pastoral Intervention Practitioner. across the year groups R-Yr11). This post will assist the Director of Safeguarding in taking the lead on safeguarding and child protection across the school, coordinating referrals and supporting and training others to deliver their safeguarding responsibilities.
Role Responsibilities:
1) Manage referrals: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding will work alongside the Director of Safeguarding to:
- Refer cases of suspected abuse to the local authority children’s social care as required;
- Support staff who make referrals to local authority children’s social care;
- Refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required;
- Support staff who make referrals to the Channel programme;
- Refer cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service as required;
- Refer cases where a crime may have been committed to the Police as required.
2) Work with others: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding will assist the Director of Safeguarding to :
- Act as a point of contact with the three safeguarding partners (health, police and social care);
- Liaise with staff on matters of safety and safeguarding (including online and digital safety) and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies;
- Act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff.
3) Training: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding should undergo training to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role. This training should be updated at least every two years. The Deputy Director of Safeguarding should undertake Prevent awareness training. Training should provide the Deputy Director of Safeguarding with a good understanding of their own role, and the processes, procedures and responsibilities of other agencies, particularly children’s social care. The Deputy Director of Safeguarding will assist the Director of Safeguarding to:
- Ensure each member of staff has access to, and understands, the school’s or college’s child protection policy and procedures, especially new and part time staff.
- Deliver safeguarding training to all staff, volunteers (and governors) as appropriate for their role.
4) Online Safety: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding will:
- Work with Heads of Department (HODS) to ensure Online Safety is covered in the curriculum across all age ranges.
- Give online safety talks to pupils and staff as required
- Produce monthly online safety bulletins for Parents and Staff.
5) Child protection file: As directed by the Director of Safeguarding the Deputy Director of Safeguarding may be required to update the child protection file and also manage the transfer of the file should the pupil leave the school.
6) Availability: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding is expected to be available for staff in the school or college to discuss any safeguarding concerns. This may involve working outside of standard school hours and during school holiday times.
7) Additional responsibilities: The Deputy Director of Safeguarding will be responsible for:
- Providing mental health information and support to staff when dealing with children.
- Liaising with parents who have a child suffering from a mental health issue.
- Tutoring individual children who are struggling, on a regular basis.
- Making sure of a constant visible, presence across the College, with academic and support staff (including Sodexo), drivers, and peripatetic staff, so that you are known and seen by all.
- Maintaining close contact with the school counsellors, the medical centre staff, the matrons and HOMS.
- Attending weekly HOMS and DSL meetings.
Person specification
Essential:
- Experience of managing safeguarding in a school or other relevant organisation
- Building relationships with children and their parents, particularly the most vulnerable
- Working and communicating effectively with relevant agencies
- Implementing and encouraging good safeguarding practice
- Demonstrable evidence of developing and implementing strategies to help children and their families
- Experience of handling large amounts of sensitive data and upholding the principles of confidentiality
- Expert knowledge of legislation and guidance on safeguarding and working with young people, including knowledge of the responsibilities of schools and other agencies
- Ability to work with a range of people with the aim of ensuring the safety and welfare of Children
- Awareness of local and national agencies that provide support for children and their families
- Excellent record keeping skills and attention to detail, in order to produce reports, take minutes of meetings, and document safeguarding concerns
- Good IT skills, including previous use of CPOMS, MyConcern, Confide or similar
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to communicate a vision and inspire others
- Ability to build effective working relationships with staff and other agencies
- Ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children and young people.
Desirable:
- Experience of working within different educational settings, PRU, SEN school etc or within Social care.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is part-time or term-time only.