Gender based violence prevention and protection monitoring jobs

Job Purpose

This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.

The objectives of the service include:

• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the team manager will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will also include line management and supervision of senior support workers and support workers within the service. Team managers are responsible for management of their site; including report writing, audits and being the named manager for the site and allocated borough following the borough-based approach. This role directly supports the service managers in keeping to a high standard service. The role will include implementing a smooth running of the service including facilitating debriefing and providing senior support onsite. The role of the team manager is non-clinical.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.

• Guiding the team, responding to referrals and planning each shift in terms of staffing, activities and case allocation

• Understanding of risk and risk management

• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements

• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure

• Oversee re-admitters and clients being discharged on a weekly basis

• Responsible lead for allocated site, attend and lead discussions with MDT teams

• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns

• To facilitate daily briefings with team to ensure continuity and safety

• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation

• Monitoring and management of team training, absence and wellbeing

• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans

• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities

• Conduct monthly supervisions and annual appraisals of supervisees

• Work and manage the team in-line with targets and KPI’s, ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded

• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery, providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients

• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR and actively embrace own CPD

• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc

• Maintain and ensure team compliance of accurate records, detailing interventions

• Abide by supporting governance such as Mind Policy and Proceedures, Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health

• Providing administrative support to the team

• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers

• Attend reflective practice, peer supervision and line management supervision

• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies

• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers

• To work with service managers and assist with reporting and monitoring

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis

• Experience of line management within a mental health setting

• Experience of de-escalation

• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs

• Evidence of continual professional development

• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health

• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care

• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning

• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children

• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks

• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing

• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies

• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements

• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision

• A good understanding of mental health conditions

• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals

• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals

• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations

• Ability to prioritise and manage workload

• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work

• Empathy and non-judgemental approach

• Good communication skills

• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern

• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)

• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation

• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports

• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS

• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.

• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites

Job Title: Safeguarding Officer

Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer

Professional Supervision: The Regional Safeguarding Lead

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £22,500 per annum (FTE £39,375)

Hours per week: 20 hours

Annual Leave: 25 days plus bank holidays (Pro Rota)

Role Description

The Safeguarding Officer will lead and oversee all aspects of safeguarding within St Edmundsbury Cathedral, ensuring that the Cathedral remains a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

You will be responsible for ensuring that the Cathedral meets all statutory safeguarding obligations and complies fully with the Church of England’s national safeguarding policies, diocesan frameworks, and relevant legislation. This includes proactively identifying potential risks, responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns, and ensuring effective reporting and case management in partnership with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and statutory agencies.

Beyond compliance, this role is about embedding a culture of care, accountability, and transparency across the Cathedral community. You will support clergy, staff, and volunteers to understand their safeguarding responsibilities, ensure safer recruitment and training practices, and provide guidance and reassurance when safeguarding issues arise.

By acting as a source of expert advice, leadership, and advocacy, the Safeguarding Officer will help the Cathedral community uphold the highest standards of safety, dignity, and pastoral care, ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstance, can participate fully and confidently in Cathedral life.

The Cathedral Safeguarding Officer has operational authority within the Cathedral (subject to agreement with the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer with respect to responding to concerns and allegations against Church officers) for the following responsibilities, arranged according to the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Standards.

These four National Safeguarding Standards provide the framework for effective safeguarding practice across all Church settings:

1. Culture, Leadership, and Capacity – Promoting a culture where safeguarding is embedded in every aspect of Cathedral life, ensuring that leaders, clergy, staff, and volunteers model and champion best practice.
2. Prevention – Implementing robust safer recruitment, induction, and training processes, and proactively identifying and mitigating potential safeguarding risks.
3. Responding to Concerns – Ensuring that all concerns, disclosures, and allegations are taken seriously, responded to promptly, and managed in partnership with statutory agencies and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.
4. Learning, Supervision, and Quality Assurance – Fostering continual improvement through regular review, reflection, and evaluation of safeguarding practice, ensuring accountability and transparency at all levels.

Together, these standards guide the Cathedral’s commitment to providing a safe, nurturing, and trustworthy environment for all who engage with its worship, ministry, and community life.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic leadership

• Act as the Cathedral’s primary safeguarding lead, providing authoritative advice and operational oversight to the Chapter, leadership team, clergy, staff and volunteers.
• Ensure compliance with national Church of England safeguarding guidance, diocesan requirements and all relevant statutory legislation.
• Develop, maintain and drive a measurable safeguarding action plan and improvement programme, ensuring policies and practice are implemented consistently across Cathedral activities.
• Produce clear, timely safeguarding reports and briefings for Chapter and committees translating case and compliance information into strategic recommendations.
• Actively promote a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, supporting leaders to embed safeguarding into planning, events, recruitment and everyday practice.
• Engaging in professional supervision and quality assurance provided by the relevant Regional Safeguarding Lead, and in continual professional development, including ensuring that the requirements of the National Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework for Safeguarding Officers are met.

Safer recruitment

• Lead and oversee safer recruitment processes for all paid roles and volunteer positions, ensuring job descriptions, interviews and selection processes assess safeguarding suitability.
• Support managers to make informed recruitment decisions and ensure all new starters receive safeguarding induction and appropriate supervision.

Case management

• Receive, triage and respond to safeguarding concerns and disclosures quickly and sensitively, ensuring the safety and welfare of those involved.
• Undertake initial risk and needs assessments and make appropriate referrals to statutory agencies and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.
• Support and co-ordinate multi-agency responses where required, and follow agreed safeguarding pathways.
• Provide pastoral support and signposting to victims/survivors while ensuring appropriate boundaries, confidentiality and access to specialist support services.
• Manage allegations involving staff or volunteers in line with diocesan procedures, ensuring safe working arrangements are put in place while enquiries proceed.
• Maintain accurate, secure and auditable case records, ensuring all documentation complies with data protection (GDPR) and Cathedral record-keeping protocols

Meetings & governance

• Attend safeguarding-related meetings, including the Safeguarding Committee, Guild Committee and Forum, providing briefings, presenting reports and highlighting risks and compliance matters.
• Prepare agendas, papers and minutes as required; maintain an action log and follow up to ensure agreed actions are completed.
• Escalate unresolved risks or urgent safeguarding matters to Chapter and senior leadership in a timely and constructive manner.
• Attend Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) Meetings.

Training & awareness

• Lead on Cathedral safeguarding training, coordinate and deliver induction and refresher training for staff, volunteers, and clergy.
• Maintain up-to-date records of safeguarding training for all staff and volunteers (showing completion and renewal dates).
• Create accessible safeguarding information and communications for the Cathedral community (e.g., weekly bulletin items, posters, webpages and event briefings) to raise awareness and reinforce good practice.
• Provide tailored briefings for high-risk roles and ongoing advice to managers and supervisors on safeguarding responsibilities.
• To evaluate training to ensure that learnings have been embedded.

Policy & risk management

• Review, update and implement the Cathedral’s safeguarding policies and procedures on a regular schedule (and sooner where guidance or case learning requires change).
• Lead safeguarding risk assessments for services, events, volunteer activities and external bookings; provide straightforward, action-focused mitigation plans for event organisers and hirers.
• Conduct audits and spot-checks to ensure practice aligns with policy and report findings with recommended improvements.
• Ensure contractors, partner organisations and hirers meet required safeguarding standards and that any safeguarding responsibilities are set out contractually where appropriate.

Additional duties and professional development

• Provide clear, timely advice within agreed working hours and support any out-of-hours arrangements for urgent safeguarding concerns as agreed with Chapter.
• Maintain your own professional development through training, supervision and membership of relevant safeguarding networks; ensure learning is shared across the Cathedral.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties that support the effective delivery of safeguarding across the Cathedral.
• Attend the East Anglia Regional Safeguarding Network meeting three times a year, with other DSOs and CSO in the region

Key Relationships

• In the Cathedral, the Dean provides leadership concerning safeguarding, supported by Chapter and senior leadership team requiring good working relationships with both clergy and lay colleagues.
• It is essential that the CSO forms excellent working relationships with key people in the Diocese, including: the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO), the safeguarding team and other relevant staff; the chair and membership of diocesan safeguarding governance structures e.g., the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) and relevant sub-groups; and the National Safeguarding Team.
• It is essential to have good connections with colleagues in relevant local third sector agencies, including those working in the fields of homelessness, poverty, domestic abuse, mental health, substance misuse, refugee support, language and learning support, etc. Adults and children who are using, have used or may use the services of the cathedral, particularly in relation to safeguarding.

Person Spesification 

Essential Qualities

Qualifications

• Relevant safeguarding qualification/training, or willingness to undertake

Experience

• Substantial experience working with safeguarding in roles involving children and/or adults at risk.
• Handling safeguarding referrals, disclosures, and case management.
• Liaising with statutory services such as police, social care, and health agencies.
• Delivering safeguarding training or workshops to diverse audiences.
• Producing reports, maintaining accurate records, and managing confidential data.

Knowledge

• Excellent understanding of current safeguarding legislation, guidance, and best practice for children and adults.
• Knowledge of safer recruitment principles and DBS requirements.
• Understanding of GDPR and secure data management in relation to safeguarding.
• Awareness of the Church of England’s safeguarding frameworks and National Safeguarding Standards (or willingness to learn).

Skills and Abilities

• Strong ability to assess risk and make clear, evidence-based decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate sensitively and appropriately at all levels.
• Effective relationship-building skills, including working collaboratively with clergy, volunteers, statutory agencies, and community stakeholders.
• High levels of organisation and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities calmly and effectively.
• Confident in designing and delivering safeguarding training and briefings.

Personal Qualities

• Integrity, resilience, and discretion when managing sensitive information.
• Empathy and pastoral sensitivity towards those impacted by abuse or allegations.
• A collaborative, approachable, and supportive leadership style.
• Ability to remain calm and make sound decisions in challenging situations.
• Commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Respect for the Cathedral’s Christian values and willingness to work within its ethos.

Desired Qualities

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification (e.g. social work, education, counselling, youth work, nursing, or safeguarding).
• Membership of a relevant safeguarding or professional network.

Experience

• Experience working in a Church of England context or other faith-based safeguarding setting.
• Experience of developing and implementing safeguarding policies and risk assessments.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches when supporting victims/survivors.
• Familiarity with Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) roles and procedures.

Skills and Abilities

• Experience in facilitating safeguarding learning using innovative or digital approaches.
• Competence in using safeguarding case management systems or CRMs.

Other Requirements

• Willingness to undergo enhanced DBS checks, including barred lists.
• Flexibility to attend occasional evening or weekend meetings and events.
• Commitment to completing all mandatory safeguarding and leadership training as required by the Cathedral and Diocese.

Closing Date: Wednesday 12 November