Overview

The Church of England is on a journey to put the safeguarding of children and adults at the heart of all it does. Our vision is to achieve a paradigm shift in which safeguarding becomes part of the DNA of the Church, flowing naturally from our values and beliefs.

The National Safeguarding Team (NST), one of the National Church Institutions (NCI) is responsible for supporting the Church in achieving its goal of becoming safer for children and adults. It does this by delivering a range of functions. One of the key functions is the development of safeguarding policy to be followed by Church officers at all levels.

Post Introduction

As National Safeguarding Policy and Development Lead (Survivor Policy Lead), you will have lead responsibility for the revision and the development of national safeguarding policy based on latest relevant academic research, national legislation and canon law, and for planning its implementation and for leading work for the NST with other NCI departments in relation to safeguarding policy.

You will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of strategic policies and safeguarding codes of practice to address the needs of victims and survivors of abuse in a Church context, which will involve project managing the implementation of some elements of the policies.

Although empathy for the aim and values of the Church is important, we are welcoming applicants from all faiths or none.

Shortlisting will take place on the w/c 20th June; interviews are expected to be held on Friday 1st July 2022.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact David Worlock: 07392 081501

This role is offered on a full-time, permanent basis; the successful candidate will be subject to a Basic DBS check.

Role Responsibility

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leading policy development and implementation

• Lead, manage and review effective processes for the development and implementation of a range of national safeguarding policies, codes of practice and guidance including the development of project plans for policy development based on sound project management principles.
• Undertake the necessary policy and guidance development arising from the implementation of  Recommendations 1 and 8 of the IICSA Report on the Anglican Church (2020) in conjunction with the other Policy and Development Lead post, to
• Work collaboratively: Engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the policy development process, including survivors, relevant lead bishops / Church working groups, DSAs / Cathedral Safeguarding Leads, including the establishment of stakeholder project groups.
• Engage with technical experts relevant to the particular policy field e.g. academic, legal, HR, data protection and researching the evidence-base for the policy area, and ensuring consistency with national and canon law, and policy.
• Ensure the policy is relevant to all parts of the Church, in particular: dioceses, parishes, cathedrals, religious communities and Theological Educational Institutions, and is informed by the learning from within the Church e.g. from Learning Lessons Case Reviews.
• Work with NST colleagues and NCI Communications to develop implementation plans for new and revised policies.
• Lead a cycle of learning and review for national safeguarding policy.
• Follow governance processes for the approval of new and amended policies, including the preparation of timely, appropriate papers and reports for the National Safeguarding Steering Group, National Safeguarding Panel, General Synod and others.
• Lead work to engage with other departments and working parties across the NCIs to ensure that their work and initiatives reflect national safeguarding policy.
• Oversee the safeguarding e- manual, including the maintenance and support contract and ensuring that it is kept up to date.

Survivor lead role in respect of policy

Lead the development and implementation of specific strategic policies and safeguarding codes of practice to address the needs of victims and survivors of abuse in a Church context. This involves:

• Co-produce with survivors specific safeguarding policies and codes of practice.
• Lead the support to Church bodies to enable their effective implementation of the Church’s Guidance: “Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse.”
• Evaluate and continue to develop and enhance “Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse”.
• Build relationships and working with  survivors' groups and individuals, and colleagues in the  NST:
  • to ensure that the survivor perspective is present in other safeguarding policies.
  • to ensure that the survivor perspective is present in other areas of development and activity such as safeguarding training and quality assurance.
• Co-ordinate the survivor elements of the project to implement Recommendations 1 and 8 of the IICSA report on the Anglican Church.
• Develop and support for the implementation of action plans arising from policy development in this area.
• Develop a wide subject knowledge of this area in the Church through analysis of research evidence and historic cases, and collaborate with other denominations and faith organisations.
• Co-produce with  survivors’ groups and individual survivors models of “best practice” for responding well to victims and survivors through analysis of available research data and engagement with survivors.
• Participate in collaborative work with other NST colleagues who are engaging with victims and survivors across other workstreams.

The Ideal Candidate

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Able to work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
• Able to lead and manage complex projects through all stages.
• Able to develop project plans based on sound project management principles.
• Able to lead and facilitate project groups, ensuring they deliver the outcome required.
• Able to build effective, trusting influential relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, at all levels.
• Able to communicate complex ideas succinctly and clearly in writing for a range of audiences.
• Ability to analyse and summarise large amounts of complex written information from a range of sources and turn into meaningful policy.
• Able to speak in public to large groups of people in an impactful and engaging way.
• Ability to communicate with survivors and people of all backgrounds effectively both in written form and verbally

Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience of safeguarding of children and/or adults and policy and guidance development in the safeguarding sector.
• Experience of producing clear, effective policy and guidance for a range of audiences.
• Knowledge of national safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance and policy (e.g. Children Acts, Care Act, Working Together, criminal justice legislation) both current and historical as relevant to non-recent abuse.
• Knowledge of latest research and practice developments in the safeguarding field.
• Experience of working across departments and organisations to support strategic policy development, delivering projects that have measurable impacts.
• Experience of analysis and effective communication of safeguarding recommendations and findings.
• Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders including senior officials.
• Experience of engaging with children, young people and adults at risk.
• Experience of working with survivors of abuse.
• An understanding and application of trauma-informed theory, approaches and practice.

Personal Attributes:

• Able to inspire the trust, confidence and commitment of others.
• Personal authority, gravitas and confidence – able to influence and persuade at all levels and with a range of stakeholders.
• Relational: expert in valuing and managing relationships with others as the means of delivering change. Emotionally intelligent.
• Politically astute – understanding, and managing successfully, organisational politics.
• Principled – strong value base and commitment to doing the right thing.
• Brave – willing to challenge others constructively and to be self-reflexive, welcoming feedback.
• In sympathy with the aims of the Church of England.

Education:

• Degree level or equivalent

Circumstances:

• Whilst the post holder will be largely based at home, there is a requirement to spend an average of one day per week at Church House London. The post holder will also need to be able to travel to different parts of the country in their work with dioceses and cathedrals including occasional overnight stays and weekend working.

DESIRABLE

• Experience of safeguarding quality assurance and inspection processes.
• Knowledge of how safeguarding operates in the Church of England.
• Understanding of Church of England national structures and policies.
• Experience of co-production with adults with lived experience.

About Us

We in the National Church Institutions support the mission and ministries of the Church all over England. We work with parishes, dioceses (regional offices), schools, other ministries and our partners at a national and international level.

Excellence, Respect, Integrity

We follow these three values in everything we do, whether we are of Christian faith, another faith or no faith. To learn more about working for National Church Institutions and our benefits, please click here

As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.

As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, we welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and to ensuring that everyone, job applicants, customers and other people with whom we deal, are treated fairly and not subject to discrimination.  We will do whatever is necessary to provide genuine equality of opportunity. We continuously review our policies and processes to support our aim to create a workforce as diverse as the nation the Church of England serves.