Risk Management jobs in United Kingdom

As set out in the Canons and Regulations of the Church of England, the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO) has responsibility in the diocese, independent of The Bishop, for the professional leadership on and management of matters relating to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

The DSO provides strategic leadership and management to deliver the diocesan safeguarding strategy and ensures policies and practices are in place to protect children and vulnerable adults and promote the development of an environment where people can be safe.

The Diocese of Liverpool aims for excellence in all its safeguarding provision and is working to create a diocesan culture where safeguarding underpins everything we do, and where all clergy and church officers understand the need to deal sensitively and seriously with those who raise a safeguarding concern, or who disclose abuse. We seek to create a church where victims and survivors will have confidence that abuse will be taken seriously and they will be offered survivor‑centred support, therapy and redress.

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic safeguarding specialist to be our Head of Safeguarding, effectively our Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO) to lead safeguarding across the Diocese. This is a senior leadership role with independent authority of the Diocesan Bishop and Cathedral Dean, responsible for the professional oversight of safeguarding children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

The DSO provides expert guidance; manages safeguarding concerns and allegations; and ensures the implementation of national safeguarding standards. You will lead a dedicated team, collaborate with senior clergy and external agencies, and ensure that safeguarding is embedded in every aspect of diocesan life.

The safeguarding team is an integral part of our diocesan structures. The DSO is a member of the Diocesan Senior Management Team; reports directly to the Diocesan Secretary; has key relationships with the Bishop’s Lead for Safeguarding and the Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) and attends the Bishop’s Senior Staff meeting, Bishop Council and Liverpool Board of Finance when requested.

The Diocesan safeguarding strategy includes safeguarding at Liverpool Cathedral – reflecting the model of shared working developed between the Diocese and Cathedral and promoting consistency in safeguarding policy and practice. The strategy as a whole is overseen by our DSAP and is supported by annual implementation plans. The day‑to‑day delivery of the implementation plan is the responsibility of the Diocesan Safeguarding Team (DST) which includes the Cathedral Safeguarding Officer (CSO) who has specific responsibility for Cathedral related safeguarding, but who also works as a member of the DST.

Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high‑quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.

The DSO will lead the Diocese’s work on this standard by:

• Working with the Diocesan Bishop, the Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, senior clergy, the Diocesan Secretary and other key staff to support, develop and improve the safeguarding practice and culture across the Diocese.
• Proactively engaging with and supporting the work of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel.
• Managing the Diocesan response to quality assurance and audit processes.
• Preparing regular reports for DSAP, LBDF Trustees, Chapter Trustees and Synod, to ensure governing bodies are able to exercise their governance responsibilities in oversight of safeguarding.
• Ensuring that appropriate learning and reflective practice takes place across the Diocese from casework and Safeguarding Serious Incident Reporting, including, as required by the Safeguarding Practice Reviews Code of Practice, commissioning or requesting reviews.
• Providing advice and guidance to the Bishop and other church officers on safeguarding matters. To report to the Bishop’s senior leadership team and other diocesan bodies on the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements.

Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.

The DSO will lead the Diocese’s work on this standard by:

• Implementing, or coordinating the implementation of, Safeguarding Code of Practice and House of Bishops Safeguarding Guidance across the entire diocese.
• Giving advice, support, direction and challenge on safeguarding matters, as required, to the Diocesan Bishop, other church officers and church bodies within the diocese.
• Providing, or coordinating the provision of safeguarding training across the Diocese, as required by the Church of England’s Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework. This includes collaborating with HR and senior managers at the LBDF and Cathedral to support safeguarding training for staff, volunteers and trustees, and to promote a culture of continuous learning and development around good safeguarding practice.

Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes that are of a high quality result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.

The DSO will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Leading, undertaking and coordinating all aspects of safeguarding casework within the Diocese, ensuring that work is completed as required by Safeguarding Codes of Practice, House of Bishop’s Safeguarding Guidance, Charity Commission and all other relevant statutory guidance and legal responsibilities.
• Directly undertaking risk assessment in accordance with the Clergy Risk Regulations and also commissioning specialist or external risk assessments.
• Ensuring all work is recorded in line with the House of Bishop safeguarding policy and guidance. To ensure that records are accessible, accurate, and held securely.
• Managing and coordinating the response to safeguarding concerns or allegations against church officers in line with the House of Bishop safeguarding policy, Clergy Risk Regulations, and associated guidance.
• Working proactively and collaboratively with the police, local authorities and other organisations in cases where it is suspected that a child or vulnerable adult has suffered abuse or is at risk of suffering abuse.
• Establishing the effective operation of an escalation policy, to ensure unresolved concerns or differences of opinion can be escalated, both within the Diocese and the National Safeguarding Team.

Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies’ responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support positively meets their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.

The DSO will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Coordinating the Diocese’s response to those reporting abuse.
• Leading the ongoing implementation of the House of Bishop’s Policy, Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse.

All those engaged in safeguarding‑related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.

The DSO will lead the Diocese’s progress on this standard by:

• Working collaboratively with the National Safeguarding Team and other Church of England Safeguarding Officers and attending national safeguarding training and learning events.
• Engaging in professional supervision and quality assurance provided by the NST Regional Safeguarding Lead, and through continual professional development, ensure that the requirements of the National Learning and Development Framework for Diocesan Safeguarding Officers are met.

• The DSO will be based at St James’ House, Liverpool. A flexible approach to working is required with regular travel across the dioceses and some work at weekends. The post‑holder will be required to attend meetings, training or other events, regionally, provincially or nationally.

The main duties and responsibilities of this post are outlined in this job description. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to reflect the main tasks and areas of work. Changes may occur over time, which will be commensurate with the banding and in line with the general nature of the post. The post‑holder will be consulted about any changes to the job description before they are implemented.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Apply good safeguarding practice in a way that delivers positive outcomes for children and adults.
• Transfer good safeguarding practice to a non‑statutory organisation, working with colleagues from a non‑safeguarding background, and achieve good safeguarding outcomes in that context.
• Provide clear strategic leadership across an organisation regarding the development of good safeguarding practice and healthy safeguarding cultures.
• Manage, support, and coach others to deliver good safeguarding practice.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, engaging diverse stakeholders with authenticity and expertise, including producing clear written records and reports.
• Deliver or contribute directly to the delivery of safeguarding training to safeguarding professionals, as well as other stakeholders.
• Maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and to work sensitively around those affected by safeguarding issues.
• Quality assure safeguarding practice, identify learning and make recommendations to deliver improvement.
• Develop effective new ways of working for an organisation.
• Understand and navigate the complexity of working in a large organisation.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Case worker lead responsibility in cases involving the protection and safeguarding of children and/or adults (essential) with at least some of that experience gained in the statutory safeguarding agencies (desirable).
• Broad strategic leadership and management responsibility, with experience of leading a team to develop good safeguarding practice and healthy safeguarding cultures across an organisation.
• Experience of working within a framework of external audit and regulation.
• Detailed knowledge of and experience of applying safeguarding legislation, guidance and best practice.
• In‑depth knowledge of the statutory framework in relation to safeguarding children and adults.
• Experience of contributing to managing allegations against people in positions of trust and the management of individuals who may pose a risk to others.
• Experience of leading or contributing to case review processes and identifying learning, for example, Serious Case Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews.
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of research and evidence‑based practice models relevant to safeguarding.
• Experience of working with victims, survivors and perpetrators of abuse.
• Working with statutory and non‑statutory organisations in managing safeguarding allegations and assessing risk.
• Experience in providing supervision of staff in managing and coordinating safeguarding casework with children and/or adults.
• An understanding of Church of England structures and experience of working with the Church or other faith groups in respect of safeguarding children and/or vulnerable adults (desirable).

• The ability to inspire the trust, confidence and commitment across the diocese and nationally across church safeguarding.
• A strong value base and commitment to doing the right thing.
• A good understanding of self; understands how their personal history, life experiences and characteristics inform how they understand and respond to safeguarding situations.
• To be open to learning, self‑reflective and welcoming of feedback from others.
• A high level of personal resilience - working effectively in a pressured environment and under scrutiny.
• A strong commitment to equality and diversity.
• A broad sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Church of England.

• A relevant professional qualification or the equivalent experience (for example, in social care or criminal justice), with current professional registration where applicable.
• Post‑graduate qualification e.g. leadership and management, social work, public protection, community safety (desirable).

The post holder must be in sympathy with the aims and ethos of the Church of England. The post holder must also fully support the values of the Diocese of Liverpool.

• The post includes a requirement to travel to meetings throughout the diocese and sometimes beyond, and to work flexibly outside of office hours as the needs of the post dictate.
• The post holder must also fully support the values of the Diocese of Liverpool.

References are taken and all roles are subject to a 6‑month probation period.