Wilkinson/Jay Response Manager (Secondment Opportunity)
Please Note: The application deadline for this post has now passed.
Post Introduction
The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.
We Include. You Belong.
Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims 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.
Living out our values in all that we do, we:
- Strive for Excellence
- Show Compassion
- Respect others
- Collaborate
- Act with Integrity
We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.
About the Department
Following the disbanding of the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB), the Archbishops’ Council commissioned two reviews to identify lessons learned and propose helpful next steps. The Wilkinson Review was carried out by Sarah Wilkinson of Blackstone Chambers, establishing a detailed account of events from the conception, design and establishment of the ISB until the announcement of the termination of contracts of members in June 2023. The Review makes findings on the reasons which led to the decision to terminate and identifies lessons to be learnt. The Review was published in December 2023.
The Jay Report was published in February 2024. Professor Jay chaired the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Childhood Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and was appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York in July 2023. Her website states that she believes she was commissioned to independently:
- Provide options and recommendations for how a new independent safeguarding and scrutiny body for the Church of England might be formed and how it should operate;
- Make any recommendations for how further independence of safeguarding for the Church of England might be achieved; and
- Make any other recommendations that are necessary or appropriate.
At their meeting on 22 January 2024, the Archbishops’ Council agreed to set up a response group to consider how to respond to these reviews and to plan next steps. The Archbishops’ Council has committed publicly to learning lessons for the future delivery of independent safeguarding oversight, noting the vital importance of this for all who come into contact with the Church and particularly for victims and survivors. In February 2024, General Synod voted to pursue this process. The purpose of the Response Group is to oversee wider engagement and further reflection regarding both Reviews in order to inform the Archbishops’ Council response, which the Archbishops’ Council will then present to General Synod for debate.
What you'll be doing
The purpose of this role is to manage the work of the Response Group, and the delivery of the work it oversees. This is an extremely high-profile and sensitive piece of work, with a range of stakeholders each of whom might bring high levels of anxiety and emotion to the conversation. Working with the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO), the postholder will co-ordinate the Church of England’s response to the Jay Review into future safeguarding arrangements. Tasks include but are not limited to:
- Liaising with research experts on design and delivery of research elements of the engagement programme for SRO approval before Safeguarding Bishop/Response Group review and agreement, making sure research is delivered promptly and at pace while maintaining necessary rigour.
- Through presentations and briefings, and working with the SRO, advising and engaging with House of Bishops, the Archbishops, Archbishops Council and other senior leaders and trustee bodies in order to gather their insights and their steer.
- Recruiting, developing and leading the staff team working on the Response.
- Responding compassionately and professionally to high levels of emotion and anxiety from a range of stakeholders, including survivors of abuse and also senior and frontline professionals.
- Scheduling engagement activities and working with the SRO to design content for each engagement activity, working at pace to deliver an ambitious programme of engagement and analysis.
- Commissioning colleagues and suppliers to deliver specialist research, analysis and engagement services.
- Compiling and synthesising analysis from research and engagement activities for reports to Safeguarding Bishop and Response Group – and presenting and distilling this analysis in clear and compelling terms.
- Liaising with other national Safeguarding projects (particularly the IICSA response projects and especially 1&8) and other NCI work to identify duplications or conflict and identify solutions where possible, and to make sure that House of Bishops, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers (DSAs) and others are engaged with consistently.
- Overseeing the administrative support for Response Group meetings (delivered by Business Support).
- Liaising with Finance to monitor the budget.
- Acting as day-to-day contact with Response Group members.
- Commissioning expert facilitation for survivor engagement
- Overseeing and administering the financial and emotional support offered to survivors and to Response Group members.
- Assisting the SRO to compile the workplan for Response Group approval and, together with the SRO, delivering the workplan on schedule.
- Participating in and helping to lead team meetings as required.
- Other tasks and activities as required.
About You
The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups.
Essential:
- Extensive knowledge of the Church of England and the range of entities, ministries and roles which are involved in safeguarding
- Experience of running engagement or change management projects in local government, national government, public sector or commercial contexts with high levels of complexity
- Experience of working with internal and external stakeholders at various levels of seniority, including vulnerable people and/or service users
- Proven experience of working with senior leaders in the Church of England and of gaining their confidence and trust
- Proven experience of working at pace to deliver ambitious and highly contentious projects
- Experience of engagement, consultation, research or related projects
- High levels of resilience and compassion, working well with others to make sure colleagues are supported and encouraged to deliver at pace to high standards
Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Requirements: This role require a basic DBS check.
This role is being offered as a secondment opportunity from May to August 2024.
Applications can be made by submitting an Expression of Interest to kaite.harrison@churchofengland.org
In your Expression of Interest please include:
- Any relevant experience which you believe matches the person spec.
- The reasons why you are interested in this role.
- Your availability to begin work in May 2024 for the stated period, with prior approval from your current line manager.
The closing date for Expressions of Interest is 25 April 2024.
What we offer
Our benefits include:
- A salary of £66,186 plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of salary.
- 30 days annual leave plus three additional days
- Flexible working hours and location, with an expectation of just 1-2 days per week in our office in Westminster
- Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships
- Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
- Opportunity to the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies
We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
