Overview

Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

Following the publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in the Church of England (IICSA) report, the General Synod of the Church agreed that the safeguarding functions of the Church should be enhanced. 

This role sits within the Church of England’s National Church Institutions’ Safeguarding Team. It is an operational role, facilitating a panel set up to support the immediate needs of survivors of abuse

Post Introduction

The role of Secretary and Adviser to the Interim Support Scheme is to manage the day to day running of the Interim Support scheme, its panel and members.

This role entails responsibility for the organisation and facilitation of regular Interim Support Scheme meetings, liaising with panel members, producing submission papers based on submissions from survivors and overseeing meetings, and responding to survivors.  It will also involve working with trustees of the Archbishops’ Council.

This is sensitive and demanding work requiring patience, resilience, a sense of fairness and attention to detail. This post will involve regular contact with survivors and /or their advocates as well as liaison with members of the Finance team to ensure the smooth and swift payment of grants.

This is a two-year fixed term contract or two-year secondment

Role Responsibility

This main responsibilities for this role are:

• Managing and maintaining responsibility for the organisation and running of the Interim Support Scheme to provide support to survivors with urgent and immediate needs.
• Organising and overseeing regular meetings of the Interim Support Scheme panels that take place three times each month on average, providing advice to panel members based on the Scheme’s terms of reference and liaising closely with the Chairs of the panel and other panel members.
• Producing application papers based on submissions from survivors and/or their advocates for consideration and decision at meetings by Interim Support Scheme panel members.
• Providing secretarial support to the panel during and subsequent to meetings
• Responding to enquiries from survivors and/or their advocates
• Working closely with members of the NCI Finance team to ensure the prompt payment of awards to survivors.
• Liaising with Legal colleagues where necessary
• Working with the NST Deputy Director (Partnerships) to ensure the Interim Support Scheme interfaces effectively with the Safe Spaces service.
• Supporting the further development of the Interim Support Scheme and ensuring concept development can effectively progress into the wider Redress Scheme through liaison with the National Redress Scheme Development Manager and his/her work.
• Liaising with trustees of the Archbishops’ Council in relation to policy development and appeals from decisions of the panel.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate should have:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear written records and reports.
• Ability to work sensitively with survivors, those who are subject to allegations and/or those that may pose a risk.
• Ability to handle competing priorities under pressure.
• Ability to manage and analyse complex and sensitive information.
• Ability to be a member of a wider team as part of a large national institution and to work collaboratively with colleagues.

Knowledge/Experience

• Understanding of the broader safeguarding field including its social and political context.
• Knowledge of the statutory framework in relation to safeguarding children and adults.
• Experience of managing conflict situations.
• Experience of working in political environments where managing stakeholders and competing perspectives is essential.
• Experience of working in a role requiring significant verbal and written communications with a range of stakeholders, and demonstrable ability to build relationships.
• Willingness to learn and develop safeguarding knowledge.

Personal Attributes:

• A high level of personal resilience – this is a complex role, which will involve an ability to handle difficult situations.
• Confidence and ability to work with senior people at a national level, including senior church leaders, external safeguarding experts and other stakeholders.
• Ability to provide well-researched high-level advice on a complex range of issues relating to safeguarding, taking into account conflict between different stakeholder groups and the need to promote positive messages about the Church’s action on safeguarding.
• Ability to develop and sustain relationships at all levels both inside and outside the Church.
• Ability to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and work sensitively with those affected by safeguarding issues.
• Good judgement, patience and resilience.

Circumstances:

• Able to attend dioceses, the House of Bishops and General Synod and other national meetings as required. Occasional travel to London may be required.

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Requirements:

• Does this role require a DBS check? Yes
• If yes, at what level? Basic/Standard/Enhanced/Enhanced with Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred List

Desirable

• Knowledge of safeguarding is desirable, whether through professional experience or degree subject matter.
• Some knowledge of the structures of the Church of England.
• Experience of policy development and / or project management.
• Degree level qualification desirable as this post will require a good level of written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to conduct some research and contribute to policy development.

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.

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