Safeguarding and Wellbeing Quality Leader

Salary: Gweler Hysbyseb Swydd

Details
Job Advertisement

Soulbury pay scale 13 - 19 (AD13-16/19) - £56,976 - £61,106/£65,097

Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.

We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.

( Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)

For further information about this post please contact Gwern Ap Rhisiart on 01286 679958 or via e-mail: GwernApRhisiart@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

Interview date to be held 08.01.2025

Application forms and further details available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH

Tel: 01286 679076

E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

CLOSING DATE: 10.00 AM, 03/01/2025

The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.

If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.

Person Specification

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

ESSENTIAL
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present key information confidently in a clear, transparent and concise way.
• A person who can easily work with others and mix confidently, in a measured and courteous manner.
• Ability to work under pressure and as part of a team.
• An energetic and flexible person.
• The ability to relate well to children.
• A desire to continually develop professionally.
• One who can prioritise work as required, show innovation and meet specific deadlines.
• A flexible attitude with the ability to work independently.

QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT TRAINING

ESSENTIAL
• Qualified teacher status or equivalent professional experience
• Clear knowledge of current government policy regarding looked after children and education
• NPQH qualification

DESIRABLE
• Postgraduate qualification

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL
• Significant experience of working with children from vulnerable groups in schools or in other educational settings
• Experience of working as part of a successful team
• Experience of working in partnership with other agencies
• Experience in a senior leadership role in a school or other educational setting e.g. Head, Deputy Head, Head of Department/Year etc.
• Experience in a senior leadership role

SKILLS AND SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL
• Knowledge and understanding of the main issues and current educational developments including the new curriculum.
• Knowledge and understanding of the main issues and developments in the safeguarding field as highlighted in the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014. ⁠
• Strong communication skills to be able to develop delivery and engagement including digital approaches.
• Knowledge and understanding of current government policy regarding looked after children and education. ⁠⁠ ⁠
• Analysis of learner performance and reporting on learners' performance.

DESIRABLE
• Understanding of the Welsh Government's Hwb platform

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

ESSENTIAL

Listening and Speaking - Higher Level
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions. Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.

Reading and Understanding - Higher Level
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal. Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.

Writing - Higher Level
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

⁠

Job Description

Purpose of Post: ⁠

• Ensuring that the children and the people of Gwynedd are at the centre of everything we do.
• Lead the team(s) the post-holder is responsible for and to deliver what matters effectively and efficiently to the residents of Gwynedd by creating and maintaining an environment of respect and trust while enabling, equipping and inspiring staff.
• Act as the Designated Lead Officer for Safeguarding in the Education Department.
• Be responsible for the strategic guidance and expert support to schools and the Gwynedd Education Department regarding safeguarding.
• Ensuring the quality of the Education Department's safeguarding arrangements and Gwynedd's education settings.
• Ensuring the progress of vulnerable groups of learners including Looked After Children.
• Supervise and promote the educational interests of every child and especially children from vulnerable groups.

Responsibility for Resources. . e.g. staff, budgets, equipment

• Line Manager for 2 Education Safeguarding and Well-being Officers
• Laptop, Mobile Phone

Main Duties .

⁠LEADERSHIP
• Be accountable for the team and for the most effective and efficient use of available resources.
• Lead team staff by encouraging and motivating them to own the principles of Ffordd Gwynedd and be accountable for ensuring that this happens.
• Ensure an environment within the team that promotes and encourages the well-being of staff.
• To assist the team to establish operational principles, giving consideration to relevant Acts (e.g. Health and Safety, the Well-being of Future Generations Act, Social Services and Well-being Act) and ensure that they adhere to them. ⁠ ⁠
• Be aware of how the team's systems work and facilitate to challenge these when required.
• To ensure that the team contributes to the aims of the services or other organisations that try to deliver what matters to the people of Gwynedd.
• To promote the need to identify and implement future threats and opportunities including preventative measures.
• Ensure they are aware of the legal and political climate that impacts the service, ensuring that team members are aware of the required elements.
• To be alert to good practice within the service field and ensure that the team considers the appropriateness of this good practice for them.
• Lead change within the service area where there is a need to do so.
• Deal with concerns raised by Elected Members regarding the Service.

ENABLING AND EMPOWERING
• To recruit and develop individuals and teams to ensure they have the necessary skills to deliver the roles required now and in the future.
• Equip the team to establish what matters to the people of Gwynedd and thereby establish the purpose of the team and ensure that this is up to date.
• To ensure that decisions are evidence-based.
• To help the team to review and challenge its performance.
• To create and maintain an environment that enables each team member to contribute to and take decisions in order to provide the best possible services.
• Ensure an atmosphere of trust and accountability within the team ensuring appropriate communication with and within the team.
DELIVERING
• Equip the team to consider which measures demonstrate performance against purpose and to own those measures.
• To encourage the team to be innovative, enterprising and to learn from experience to improve performance.
• Motivate and/or mentor the team to identify and act in a timely manner to remove barriers that prevent the ability to deliver what matters to the people of Gwynedd.
• To resolve any barriers that the team cannot solve.
• To ensure that complaints receive appropriate attention, and the team considers any lessons that arise in order to improve the service.

SELF-REFLECTION - on personal achievement of what is in the job description.

SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE POST⁠

Lead the work to ensure that Authority staff working with children receive training to equip them to carry out their child protection responsibilities effectively.

Leading on and contributing to Child Protection Training
• Prepare and review annually a training package for Education department staff.
• Prepare and review annually a training package for the designated person(s), Headteacher, and designated person of each Governing Body modifying and keeping it up to date in a three-year cycle.
• Prepare and review annually a training pack for the designated person/s to present to the remainder of the School staff every year.
• In accordance with guidelines verify the suitability of the training every year through the Safeguarding Board.
• ⁠Develop methods for presenting training continuously to address the needs of the users when assuring the quality of the contents.

Leading on and contributing to Child Protection Training
• Develop training from scratch as a result of local or national priority.
• Work with the Learning and Development department and external agencies, where appropriate, to plan and deliver various training related to the area of safeguarding children in education / child well-being or the progress of groups of children.
• Develop new packages to support schools / providers in the safeguarding children field as required.

Lead the work and contribute to Recording Training
• Keep a record of all individuals who have received child protection training with specific details of the trainee and date.
• Check that all Schools/providers keep an up-to-date training register of all staff.
• Check that Department for Education services maintain an up-to-date training register for staff where appropriate.
• Ensure that a record is kept of all individuals who have received other training with specific details of the trainee and the date.

Lead and contribute to children's practice review work ensuring that the Department is fully involved in the process and that they learn from any lessons.

Lead on reviewing any procedures or training in response to child practice reviews.

Lead on ensuring that the Department and Gwynedd Schools have up-to-date and suitable policies and procedures.

Lead the Development and Review of Policies and Procedures
• Prepare and review annually a package of model policies and procedures on all aspects of child safeguarding.
• Ensure alignment with all model policies and procedures and national guidance and the Local Safeguarding Board.
• Ensure that all Schools receive up-to-date copies of the latest documentation on an annual basis.
• Ensure Gwynedd schools implement their Safeguarding Children policy.

• Review and prepare from anew where necessary Policies and Procedures relating to key issues that may be relevant to child protection such as:
• health and safety, prevention/restraint, bullying;
• school trips, pupil transport, residential visits, exchange visits between schools;
• child employment, work experience;
• taking photographs and using photographs of children;
• pupils without a school place;
• showers and changing room arrangements;
• parents and other voluntary helpers;
• first aid and administering medication;
• arrangements for after-school clubs;
• using the internet;
• children with parents/carers who suffer from a mental illness or disability;
• children with parents/carers who misuse drugs or substances; and
• children in residential schools outside the local authority.

Lead on reviewing any policies in response to child practice reviews.

Lead on ensuring that the Department protects children who are out of mainstream education in line with the guidance.
• Protect and promote the welfare of children who have not had a school place, or have been excluded from school, including those taught in pupil referral units or by the home tutor service.
• For children home-schooled by parents or carers, to build effective relationships with those who are home schoolers to protect the educational benefit and well-being of children and young people.
• Contribute to multi-agency work to reduce the number of learners out of mainstream education.

Lead on ensuring that the Department responds accurately and timely to allegations against school staff and Gwynedd education provisions.
• Follow an agreed procedure to respond to allegations.
• Represent the Department and offer guidance at Part 5 meetings.
• Advise and support Chairs of Governors who deal with allegations against Headteachers.
• Implement what is expected as a result of enquiries from the admissions team.
• Implement what is expected of Part 5 meetings.

Lead on ensuring the Department for Education's input into strategic matters.
• Represent the Department and offer leadership at national, regional, authority-level meetings and in relevant sub-groups including the Safeguarding Board.
• Submit regular feedback from the meetings for the attention of the Head of Education.
• Fully represent and contribute to child practice reviews.

Lead on the work of ensuring that the Education Department and Gwynedd Schools comply with adopted guidance.

Lead on Quality Assurance issues
• Ensure that each School submits specific information on the child safeguarding field annually for the attention of the Governing Body and the Education Department.
• Prepare an annual report for the attention of the Education Management Team on the content of the annual reports.
• Ensure that all schools receive an annual quality check visit to check the quality of their safeguarding arrangements.
• Prepare an annual report summarising the findings of the quality assurance visits.
• Refer concerns about inaction for the attention of the Education Management Team.

Support Service officers to ensure appropriate advice and support for schools and Education Department staff.

• Provide advice and support to schools, and to designated senior staff on dealing with individual cases.
• Provide advice, guidance and support in terms of:
• case work, court appearances, legal matters;
• new legislation;
• manage reports on missing pupils;
• allegations against staff / Governors.
• specific circumstances of abuse, e.g. genital mutilation in girls, self-harm, forced marriage, false or induced illness, domestic violence, abuse of a child by another child, sexual exploitation, and young migrants.
• Advise, monitor and report on any concern regarding secure recruitment arrangements including a Disclosure and Barring Service in line with Welsh Government guidance.

Lead the work and support officers to ensure that the Department for Education and Gwynedd Schools work effectively with key agencies.

• Act on behalf of schools where necessary to resolve any difficulties with partner agencies to obtain the appropriate support from them.
• Encourage and foster understanding and good working relationships with children's social workers and staff in other agencies involved in safeguarding children.
• Develop effective partnership working arrangements.

Responsibility for Leading the Quality of Education Provision for Children of Vulnerable Groups
• Identify, supervise and monitor the progress of pupils from vulnerable groups.
• Act as a lead responsible officer for ensuring arrangements are in place to improve the experiences and educational outcomes of authority looked after children, including those placed outside the county.
• Support schools to plan strategically to improve the overall outcomes of pupils from vulnerable groups.
• Influence and collaborate with headteachers and other professionals in education and social work to represent the interests of pupils from vulnerable groups.
• Contribute to the work of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Intervene directly in specific cases.

Report the following outcomes regularly:
• Educational progress of looked after children
• ⁠Attendance
• Behaviour and exclusions
• The welfare and social needs of children from vulnerable groups ensuring they are met
• Effectiveness of interventions
• Good practice locally and nationally
• Support and resources needed to support children's progress
• Monitoring the long-term outcomes of vulnerable children and driving their improvement

Offer support and set a professional challenge to leadership and school management, by:
• Supporting and setting a challenge for a school to improve the practice of effective self-evaluation and school improvement planning particularly in supporting specific vulnerable groups.
• Analyse and use data to judge performance and challenge the school to set ambitious but realistic targets.
• Provide positive feedback on which future improvements can be based.

Offer support and set a professional challenge to Learning and Teaching in the Class (Pedagogy), by:⁠
• Providing support and advice on learning, teaching and skills methods, and on evaluating the quality of learning and teaching particularly in the area of supporting groups of particular vulnerable learners.
• Identify effective learning and teaching practices that can be shared within, and across networks.

Offer support and set a professional challenge to Coordinate Curriculum Support, by:
• Contributing to resolving specific issues related to subject/curriculum related issues.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of CPD and the impact of networks on professional practice.

• Support the Development of Pupil Attitudes, by providing guidance on promoting an inclusive ethos and providing children and young people with as many opportunities as possible to benefit from links with other agencies.

• Promote Internal Accountability, by providing guidance, support and appraisal by developing criteria that stimulate intervention procedures within the whole school, departments and in the classroom.

• Promote formal collaboration between schools to implement good and excellent practice by promoting the concept of a learning establishment.

• Identify good and excellent practice to share across schools.

Grants
• Ensure guidance to schools on how to meet with requirements to highlight national or local grants.
• Ensure that the reporting of progress against grants is effective.
• Monitor the use of Gwynedd schools ensuring it is effective and leads to progress.

Lead on ensuring that the service is part of a process of continuous improvement.
• Produce an annual business plan that will highlight improvement priorities.
• Monitor progress against priorities as required.
• Submit performance challenge reports as required.

General
• Attend training and commit to professional development.
• Contribute to work to appraise quality.
• Responsibility for self-development.
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy.
• Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
• Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management standards and guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
• Commitment to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council's Carbon Footprint;
• Undertaking any other reasonable duty which corresponds with the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
• Responsible for reporting any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused

Special Circumstances. e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.

• Work outside normal working hours as required.

The above is only an outline of the duties of the post to provide an idea of the responsibility levels associated with the post. This job description is not comprehensively detailed and the duties of the post could change from time to time without changing its basic nature and level of responsibility.