Job Title: Safeguarding Officer (Temporary) Council: Council for Social Witness Responsible to: Safeguarding Lead Salary Grade: £36,671 - £44,694 per annum (Executive 3) Hours: 37.5 per week MAIN FUNCTION OF JOB To contribute to the Christian ministry and mission of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) through the delivery of the duties outlined.
To have oversight of allocated case work for PCI, under the direction and supervision of the Safeguarding Lead.
To assist the Safeguarding Lead in developing and delivering the child and adult safeguarding programmes for PCI and the various Councils To be an active member of the General Assemblys staff team, contributing to the effective administration of its functions within the ethos of PCI.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES A.
Practice 1.
Drive good practice by implementing, promoting and championing PCIs child/adult protection policy and procedures across the denomination and externally.
2.
Respond appropriately to disclosures or concerns which relate to the well-being of a child or adult at risk of harm, and alert and update the Safeguarding Lead and the Secretary to the Council for Social Witness in a timely manner.
3.
Work with sensitive information within professional boundaries and the Data Protection Act 2018, maintaining accurate, confidential and up-to-date documentation on all issues regarding safeguarding and providing reports where required.
4.
Work directly with Kirk Sessions and congregations in order to strengthen and develop understanding and support for people affected by safeguarding issues, to develop improved responses to situations involving children and adults, in order to respond appropriately to suffering, significant harm or crisis situations.
5.
Ensure that safeguarding practice in individual congregations complies with legislation in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
6.
Attend and participate in Safeguarding Contracting meetings and Contract Review meetings, some of which may take place out of normal working hours, working closely with Kirk Sessions, Ministers and Designated Persons to do so.
7.
Carry out professional assessments of safeguarding related need and risk in respect of congregational arrangements, incidents or allegations.
B.
Advising and Reporting 8.
Collate and produce reports, statistical and other information for the PCI Safeguarding Lead and other bodies internally as required, maintaining confidentiality at all times, and ensuring appropriate confidentiality is maintained by all staff engaged in safeguarding or processes.
9.
Liaise with, and make referrals to, statutory agencies when required and ensure they have access to all necessary information to make sound judgements and decisions; support those making referrals at congregational level C. Communicating and Representing 10.
Provide appropriate advice to individuals across the denomination with regards to safeguarding issues in general.
11.
Collate and produce statistical and other information for Council, panels, committees and other bodies internally as required.
D. Training and Practice Development 12.
Develop, deliver and evaluate safeguarding related training for ministers, designated persons and others engaged in work for PCI 13.
Act as the link and mentor to volunteer trainers, meeting with them individually and as a group to support learning; development of guidance and training materials; mentoring to satisfactory performance and evaluation of training sessions; formulation of individual development plans for volunteers as required.
14.
Support the updating of guidance/training and policy in light of changes to UK, Ireland and NI legislation, regional and national policy and guidance documents and best practice; support the Safeguarding Lead in developing and disseminating these documents to improve safeguarding practice.
E. General 15.
To maintain familiarity with best practice guidance/training and policy in light of changes to UK, Ireland and NI legislation, regional and national policy and use this familiarity to inform practice 16.
To engage effectively in supervision.
17.
To undertake such training as may be required for the efficient performance of the above duties.
18.
To contribute to the overall departmental effectiveness and to perform any other duties as deemed appropriate by the Safeguarding Lead in line with the requirements of the General Assembly or the Clerk of the General Assembly.
19.
To contribute to the overall organisational effectiveness and to perform any other duties as deemed appropriate by the Clerk in line with the requirements of the General Assembly.
The duties of the post may change over time to meet requirements within the Council for Social Witness.
CRITERIA 1.
Qualifications and Knowledge Essential A professional social work qualification AND registered on the appropriate part of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) register, without condition; OR A first level registered nurse on the appropriate part of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register Knowledge of legislation relating to safeguarding in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland Competent in the use of Microsoft Office (in particular Word, PowerPoint and Outlook) Appropriate computer skills for database use Desirable Qualification in the field of Social Care/Safeguarding Qualification in training 2.
Relevant Experience Essential 3 years experience in the field of safeguarding children and/or adults, including carrying out safeguarding related assessments and producing related written reports 3 years experience in working with legislation relating to safeguarding in Northern Ireland OR the Republic of Ireland Experience of handling sensitive information in line with professional expectations of confidentiality Experience of work-related administration and organisation Experience of working on own initiative and being innovative in work practices Experience of effective team working Experience of motivating and supporting others Desirable 1 Years experience of planning, delivering, and evaluating training/presentations 3.
Personal Attributes Essential Excellent interpersonal skills Excellent communication skills, written and oral The ability to deliver training effectively Effective in taking initiative and being innovative in work practices Effective team worker Good organisational skills Adaptable in practice The ability to effectively lead and motivate volunteers Special Circumstances Essential Work comfortably within the Christian ethos and structure of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Access to a car and appropriate insurance/other suitable arrangements for travel throughout Ireland Available for occasional evening and week-end work