Assistant diocesan safeguarding advisor jobs

Location: Causton Street Office, Pimlico, London/Hybrid

Contract: 12- month fixed term, part-time (28 hours per week)

Salary: £38,240 (£47,800 FTE)

The London Diocesan Fund (LDF) is seeking a Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor to play a key role within the Safeguarding team, based from Causton Street, Pimlico. 

Job Summary 

Work as a team to support the Diocese of London in safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults in line with both UK legislation and House of Bishops Guidance. Responds well to safeguarding allegations and concerns, management of risk and making the church a safer place in line with the Church of England National Safeguarding Standards. 

Job responsibilities 

Casework  

• Respond to concerns and allegations of harm, working with statutory agencies; and protection of those who work with children and vulnerable adults in line of the House of Bishops Guidance. 
• Acting as a contact point for those in church and statutory agencies, provide advice on all safeguarding matters, ensuring the DST is operating in line with the law, government guidance and national practice guidance from the House of Bishops. Ensure that safeguarding procedures are carried out throughout the process, with appropriate liaison with statutory agencies. 
• Ensure appropriate support for alleged victims and their families and respondents and their families, throughout an investigation and thereafter. 
• Maintain practices standards in all case work, ensuring five key principles underpin all adult safeguarding work, human rights and have due regard to mental capacity and acting in the best interests of those in need of support. Supporting practice and policy development around case management safeguarding processes.
• Work with individuals who come to our attention to ensure appropriate risk assessment and risk management plans to set boundaries within a church setting; for those who are convicted of an offence, or where there are continuing unresolved concerns regarding risks to others. 
• Work with statutory agencies, including attending appropriate strategy meetings, case conferences as arranged by statutory agencies or requested by the Casework Manager or Head of Safeguarding.  
• Ensure that referrals to the DBS for barring from work with children or vulnerable adults and reports to the Charities Commission are submitted in line with statutory guidance.
• Ensure that the Bishop of London, area Bishop, Archdeacon and Head of Safeguarding and Case Work Manager are always informed when an allegation of abuse is made against a church officer. To manage case work within legal parameters and in line with the House of Bishops Guidelines. 

General 

• Provide professional safeguarding advice and undertake pro-active relationship management to ensure parishes and worshipping communities are aware of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and adults who may be at risk of abuse or neglect; to keep them abreast of policy and practice developments.
• Under the direction of the Safer Churches Programme Manager to undertake strategic safeguarding projects and improvement work including polices and projects in line with identified business needs and operational plans. Developing initiatives to support the effective implementation across your designated area in order to ensure excellent safeguarding practices across the Diocese.
• Understand and implement, where necessary, information sharing protocols.  
• Assess risk and advise on safer recruitment with the use of the Disclosure and Barring Service. 

Training and Professional Development 

• Deliver where required training including bespoke inputs when gaps are identified and the Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction package.  
• Undertake as appropriate continuing training and professional development in the safeguarding field.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full details on the main responsibilities. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

• A social work qualification recognised by the Health and Care Professional Council, or a similar qualification in a related area/profession, or experience.
• Specific training in a variety of aspects of child or adult safeguarding. 
• Experience of working with a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations in managing or contributing to safeguarding, including managing allegations against people in positions of trust and the management of those who may pose a risk.
• Experience of a fast-paced environment with ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and the ability to manage your own time/priorities.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding adults and children policy, procedures and legislation and experience of child and/or adult safeguarding work as a practitioner.
• Practitioner experience of working with victims or survivors of abuse, including adults with mental health issues. 
• Practitioner experience of working with perpetrators of any form of abuse.
• Knowledge and experience of recognition of risk, risk assessment and risk management and the ability to contribute to multi-agency risk meetings. Knowledge of processes such as MAPPA, MARAC and PREVENT.
• Excellent listening and communication skills and strong verbal communications skills and ability to produce clear written records and reports.
• Have exceptional people skills and the ability to build positive partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ability to work sensitively with survivors, those who are subject to allegations and/or those that may pose a risk. 
• In sympathy with the aims of the Church of England.
• Right to work in the UK.
• The person will require an enhanced DBS check.

Desirable 

• Some understanding of Church of England structures and experience of working with the Church or other faith groups in respect of safeguarding children and/or adults who may be vulnerable

Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full details on Person Specification. 

About the London Diocesan Fund 

The London Diocesan Fund (LDF) is the employment body that serves and supports the Diocese of London and Church of England. The Diocese of London comprises of c400 parishes north of the River Thames and within the M25 motorway. 

The Church of England in London is growing, vibrant and at the heart of communities throughout the capital. At the London Diocesan Fund, we seek to do everything we can to support this mission and growth, using our resources to help our parishes and chaplains to serve over 4 million people. 

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion 

The Diocese of London is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents our context and wider community. 

We are aware that those of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME), women, and disabled people are currently under-represented among our clergy and workforce, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase this representation. 

Safeguarding 

The Diocese of London is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. 

Benefits of working with us 

The LDF offers a supportive working environment, opportunity for career development and the following financial benefits: 

• Competitive remuneration package
• 27 annual leave days to rise to 30 after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays
• 15% employer pension contribution and salary sacrifice available
• Death in service benefit x3 of basic gross salary
• Enhanced maternity leave of six months full pay, after 12 months of employment
• Season ticket loans for public transport
• Access to Benenden Health Insurance
• EAP counselling through Health Assured                            
• Up to £100 for eye test and contribution to spectacles                      
• Two additional paid days for community volunteering

Please note that we will close early if we receive a good response.

Starting Salary: £34,629 - £37,868 (pro rata) This is the full-time amount, and the salary will be prorated based on the hours of the post.

Contract: Permanent

Location: Working from home.

The successful candidate must be able to travel widely around the area covered

Hours: Part time 3 days per week (21 hours per week)

Job Profile

CAFOD’s work in the Catholic community of England and Wales is to inspire and resource Catholics to participate in the Church’s mission to overcome poverty and injustice in partnership with CAFOD.

The main purpose of this role is to inspire and increase the participation in CAFOD’s work of Catholic parishes, schools and the broader Catholic community within the Portsmouth Diocese. CPCs are accountable for delivering CAFOD’s annual participation plans locally across England and Wales. As well as growing the number of parishes and schools participating to address global poverty and express solidarity with our global family, we aim to increase the breadth of their engagement, participation.

This will be accomplished partly by the recruitment and support of a team of committed, inspired and well-resourced volunteers working in parish and school communities to enable and equip Catholics to give, act and pray. The work will also involve meeting important church-based stakeholders, advisers and networks within the diocese to build fruitful and positive relationships.

The post reports to the Community Participation Manager for the East Region (The dioceses of Portsmouth, Arundel and Brighton, Southwark, Brentwood, East Anglia, Westminster, Northampton, Nottingham, Hallam, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hexham & Newcastle)

The Community Participation Coordinator (CPC) is part of a regional team working across a group of dioceses and whilst having a primary focus on one diocese, is responsible for the results of the regional team plans in relation parishioner and school participation and volunteer recruitment and retention.

The role will be home based, although the post holder will be mobile and flexible to meet volunteers, clergy and other stakeholders and contribute at events as required.

The role requires a willingness to be adaptable to support the work of the regional team, deploying skills, knowledge and at times activity in other parts of the regional team area. This is likely to require some additional travel (which would be reimbursed by CAFOD). The post also requires weekend and evening work for which time off in lieu (toil) can be claimed.

Key Responsibilities

Delivering participation plans

• Share accountability for delivery of annual participation plans for the region (a group of dioceses) with a primary focus on one diocese, and for fundraising, education, campaigns, and other targets, as delineated by the participation plan for the region. It is usually anticipated that the role will have an 80% focus on parish communities and a 20% focus on school communities
• Contribute to the development and delivery of a regional plan across a number of dioceses in support of the annual participation plans and appropriate for local contexts
• Achieve targets for increasing parishioner and children & young people participation primarily through recruitment and retention of volunteers and working with clergy, religious, diocesan and parish advisers and administrators etc.
• Monitor and share information around community participation and recruitment, activity, development and retention of volunteers
• Closely monitor parish participation activity

Managing volunteers

• Be the local volunteer manager in a specific diocese or dioceses
• Hold the relationship with, and coordinate the work of, a number of volunteers in order to achieve the annual participation plan in the region
• Contribute to increasing the number and activity of parish and school volunteers and volunteer co-ordinators in line with the regional team plan
• Contribute to development of volunteering opportunities and volunteer leadership
• Match the offers, skills, experiences and expectations of volunteers with opportunities and needs in relation to CAFOD’s plans for parishioners and children & young people
• Ensure each volunteer is appropriately inducted, briefed, trained and resourced
• Increase and ensure volunteer retention through induction, support, affirmation and effective management of the volunteer throughout their involvement with CAFOD
• Organize and promote volunteer meetings and training opportunities to be delivered either by national programme teams or self or members of her/his regional team
• Ensure volunteer records are accurate and up to date on the database.

Managing relationships

• Build and maintain key relationships including with priests, advisers, school staff and others within a diocese as determined in the regional plan. Be point of contact with the local Bishop.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with diocesan communications officers and press and be a point of contact for local broadcast and print media, to increase opportunities for Catholics to hear about CAFOD’s work, working with and through media volunteers where possible.

All staff are expected:

• To attend and contribute to regular Team, Group and CAFOD-wide meetings and briefings
• To participate in training and other activities as requested by the line manager
• To work as a supportive member of the team, providing cover for and training of other team members and volunteers as required
• To be accountable for the achievement of objectives set by the line manager

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves responsibility for people who will have contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues. The post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).

Person Specification

Understanding our context

• A Understanding Catholic identity: detailed and sympathetic knowledge of the life, culture and structure of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and an ability to work effectively within it; especially an understanding of parish community life
• B Understanding CAFOD: understand, demonstrate and actively support CAFOD’s vision, mission and values and what we aim to achieve.
• C Understanding international development: have an understanding of the nature and causes of world poverty and how it affects different individuals, groups and communities

Working together

• D Managing ourselves:  Strong interpersonal skills including an ability to develop personal relationships quickly and to inspire and convince others.  Ability to be self-motivated and able to work in isolation at times.
• E Working with others: builds positive and fruitful partnerships particularly with volunteers; works effectively as part of a regional team to ensure sharing of good practice and shared workload; being willing and able to help other team members and be helped to achieve delivery of a regional team plan 
• F Communicating: can communicate strongly CAFOD’s vision for community participation and volunteer partnership; share knowledge and information across CAFOD
• G Looking outwards: Collaborates with partners, supporters and donors to achieve the best balance between their objectives and CAFOD’s Mission

Making change happen

• H Managing resources: confident with analysing and using data for planning, monitoring and reporting:  Proven planning, time-management and organisational skills
• I Achieving results: Ability and willingness to focus on achieving results, especially for the delivery of shared regional plans for community participation and income growth
• J Managing our performance:  Ability and willingness to work to targets and achieve results
• K Taking the lead: Motivates others to get things done

Job-specific competencies

• A demonstrable commitment to volunteering and understanding of its potential as a force for change
• Experience of managing multiple stakeholders and relationships to successfully achieve objectives eg with clergy, stakeholders and a wide variety of volunteers.
• Experience of managing volunteers including recruitment, retention, deployment and celebration.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures. 

Starting Salary: £34,629 - £37,868 (pro rata) This is the full-time amount, and the salary will be prorated based on the hours of the post.

Contract: Permanent

Location: Working from home.

The successful candidate must be able to travel widely around the area covered

Hours: Part time 3 days per week (21 hours per week)

Job Profile

CAFOD’s work in the Catholic community of England and Wales is to inspire and resource Catholics to participate in the Church’s mission to overcome poverty and injustice in partnership with CAFOD.

The main purpose of this role is to inspire and increase the participation in CAFOD’s work of Catholic parishes, schools and the broader Catholic community within the Plymouth Diocese. CPCs are accountable for delivering CAFOD’s annual participation plans locally across England and Wales. As well as growing the number of parishes and schools participating to address global poverty and express solidarity with our global family, we aim to increase the breadth of their engagement, participation.

This will be accomplished partly by the recruitment and support of a team of committed, inspired and well-resourced volunteers working in parish and school communities to enable and equip Catholics to give, act and pray. The work will also involve meeting important church-based stakeholders, advisers and networks within the diocese to build fruitful and positive relationships.

The post reports to the Community Participation Manager for Wales & West Region (The dioceses of Lancaster, Liverpool, Salford, Shrewsbury, Wrexham, Cardiff-Menevia, Clifton, Birmingham, and Plymouth)

The Community Participation Coordinator (CPC) is part of a regional team working across a group of dioceses and whilst having a primary focus on one diocese, is responsible for the results of the regional team plans in relation parishioner and school participation and volunteer recruitment and retention.

The role will be home based, although the post holder will be mobile and flexible to meet volunteers, clergy and other stakeholders and contribute at events as required.

The role requires a willingness to be adaptable to support the work of the regional team, deploying skills, knowledge and at times activity in other parts of the regional team area. This is likely to require some additional travel (which would be reimbursed by CAFOD). The post also requires weekend and evening work for which time off in lieu (toil) can be claimed.

Key Responsibilities

Delivering participation plans

• Share accountability for delivery of annual participation plans for the region (a group of dioceses) with a primary focus on one diocese, and for fundraising, education, campaigns, and other targets, as delineated by the participation plan for the region. It is usually anticipated that the role will have an 80% focus on parish communities and a 20% focus on school communities
• Contribute to the development and delivery of a regional plan across a number of dioceses in support of the annual participation plans and appropriate for local contexts
• Achieve targets for increasing parishioner and children & young people participation primarily through recruitment and retention of volunteers and working with clergy, religious, diocesan and parish advisers and administrators etc.
• Monitor and share information around community participation and recruitment, activity, development and retention of volunteers
• Closely monitor parish participation activity

Managing volunteers

• Be the local volunteer manager in a specific diocese or dioceses
• Hold the relationship with, and coordinate the work of, a number of volunteers in order to achieve the annual participation plan in the region
• Contribute to increasing the number and activity of parish and school volunteers and volunteer co-ordinators in line with the regional team plan
• Contribute to the development of volunteering opportunities and volunteer leadership
• Match the offers, skills, experiences and expectations of volunteers with opportunities and needs in relation to CAFOD’s plans for parishioners and children & young people
• Ensure each volunteer is appropriately inducted, briefed, trained and resourced
• Increase and ensure volunteer retention through induction, support, affirmation and effective management of the volunteer throughout their involvement with CAFOD
• Organise and promote volunteer meetings and training opportunities to be delivered either by national programme teams or self or members of her/his regional team
• Ensure volunteer records are accurate and up to date on the database.

Managing relationships

• Build and maintain key relationships, including with priests, advisers, school staff and others within a diocese as determined in the regional plan. Be point of contact with the local Bishop.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with diocesan communications officers and press and be a point of contact for local broadcast and print media, to increase opportunities for Catholics to hear about CAFOD’s work, working with and through media volunteers where possible.

All staff are expected:

• To attend and contribute to regular Team, Group and CAFOD-wide meetings and briefings
• To participate in training and other activities as requested by the line manager
• To work as a supportive member of the team, providing cover for and training of other team members and volunteers as required
• To be accountable for the achievement of objectives set by the line manager

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves responsibility for people who will have contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues. The post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).

Person Specification

Understanding our context

• A Understanding Catholic identity: detailed and sympathetic knowledge of the life, culture and structure of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and an ability to work effectively within it; especially an understanding of parish community life
• B Understanding CAFOD: understand, demonstrate and actively support CAFOD’s vision, mission and values and what we aim to achieve.
• C Understanding international development: have an understanding of the nature and causes of world poverty and how it affects different individuals, groups and communities

Working together

• D Managing ourselves:  Strong interpersonal skills including an ability to develop personal relationships quickly and to inspire and convince others.  Ability to be self-motivated and able to work in isolation at times.
• E Working with others: builds positive and fruitful partnerships particularly with volunteers; works effectively as part of a regional team to ensure sharing of good practice and shared workload; being willing and able to help other team members and be helped to achieve delivery of a regional team plan 
• F Communicating: can communicate strongly CAFOD’s vision for community participation and volunteer partnership; share knowledge and information across CAFOD
• G Looking outwards: Collaborates with partners, supporters and donors to achieve the best balance between their objectives and CAFOD’s Mission

Making change happen

• H Managing resources: confident with analysing and using data for planning, monitoring and reporting:  Proven planning, time-management and organisational skills
• I Achieving results: Ability and willingness to focus on achieving results, especially for the delivery of shared regional plans for community participation and income growth
• J Managing our performance: Ability and willingness to work to targets and achieve results
• K Taking the lead: Motivates others to get things done

Job-specific competencies

• A demonstrable commitment to volunteering and understanding of its potential as a force for change
• Experience of managing multiple stakeholders and relationships to successfully achieve objectives eg with clergy, stakeholders and a wide variety of volunteers.
• Experience of managing volunteers, including recruitment, retention, deployment and celebration.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.