Head of Safeguarding

Job purpose: To provide strategic and operational leadership for safeguarding across the Academy, Community Trust, Men’s First Team, Women’s First Team, and wider business operations. To embed a proactive safeguarding culture that ensures safe, inclusive, and positive environments for children, young people, and adults at risk.

Role Competencies:

Planning Timescales:

·        Embed and oversee delivery of the strategic safeguarding plan, driving accountability and continuous improvement.

·        Develop, implement, and regularly review the safeguarding risk register, workforce development plan, and implementation action plans.

·        Ensure safeguarding plans and policies remain aligned to legislation, guidance, best practice, organisational priorities, and emerging risk.

·        Lead safeguarding audits and evidence collation to demonstrate compliance and best practice.

·        Integrate safeguarding into planning for all organisational activities, including events, training, matches, and trips.

·        Prioritise safeguarding activity and resources in line with risk.

Decision Making:

·        Make sound, evidence-based safeguarding decisions, including case outcomes, escalation, and statutory agency referrals.

·        Approve safeguarding aspects of all club and community activities, ensuring they are aligned with the organisation’s safeguarding policies, procedures, and best practice.

·        In collaboration with the Senior Safeguarding Manager (SSM), approve safeguarding elements within contracts, partnership/service level agreements, and recruitment processes to ensure compliance with safer recruitment and safeguarding requirements.

·        Approve safeguarding training content to ensure alignment with statutory and sector guidance.

·        Recognise when matters require escalation beyond remit.

Impact & Influence:

·        Act as a visible safeguarding ambassador, promoting a culture where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

·        Serve as an accessible point of contact for safeguarding advice and support.

·        Represent the Group at external safeguarding meetings with statutory agencies, football authorities, and partners.

·        Provide calm, professional leadership when managing complex or distressing safeguarding matters

Skill Level:

·        Maintain up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding legislation, regulations, guidance and best practice,

·        Identify and respond to emerging safeguarding risks and trends.

·        Demonstrate expertise across safeguarding areas including safer recruitment, thresholds for statutory intervention, managing allegations, low-level concerns, case management, online safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, contextual safeguarding and safeguarding diverse groups.

·        Demonstrate excellent administration and case management skills using the MyConcern platform (or equivalent), including data analysis and trend identification.

·        Research, apply, and promote safeguarding initiatives within the Group.

Communication:

·        Lead on the Interdisciplinary Safeguarding Group, preparing agendas, minutes, reports, and data analysis.

·        Provide regular safeguarding reports to the SSM, identifying trends, risks, and recommendations.

·        Liaise with all relevant local, football, industry, and statutory authorities.

·        Communicate safeguarding policies, procedures, and updates through a range of communication mediums, including briefings, training sessions, and newsletters.

·        Deliver tailored safeguarding training to staff, volunteers, participants, parents/carers, trustees, and stakeholders.

·        Provide supervision, advice, and support to Designated Safeguarding Officers/Leads (DSO/Ls) across the Group.

Budget Management:

·         Ensure all financial actions are within agreed budgetary parameters.

Lead & Develop:

·        Recruit, select, supervise, and develop DSO/Ls in all departments.

·        Lead the Group’s safeguarding training strategy and workforce development.

·        Facilitate workshops and CPD sessions to support continuous improvement in safeguarding practice.

Operating Parameters:

·        Maintain strict confidentiality in relation to safeguarding matters.

·        Conduct safeguarding risk assessments and implement mitigation measures.

·        Oversee safer recruitment processes, including Single Central Record reviews.

·        Lead safeguarding referrals and case escalation to statutory agencies and football authorities in collaboration with the SSM.

·        Manage safeguarding casework, investigations, and records in line with GDPR and data protection requirements.

·        Investigate low-level concerns and cases of poor practice, monitor and track cases, implement change through education and training, and monitor outcomes.

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Essential Job Criteria:

·        Safeguarding Level 3 and FA safeguarding qualifications (or equivalent).

·        Evidence of ongoing professional development in safeguarding.

·        In-depth safeguarding knowledge, including relevant legislation, guidance, and football authority requirements.

·        Experience embedding safeguarding across multiple departments, including sport and community settings.

·        Experience of case management and leading safeguarding investigations, including referrals to children’s, community, and adult services.

·        Strong understanding of safer recruitment and its role in abuse prevention.

·        Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills.

·        Proficient in Microsoft Office and safeguarding case management systems.

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Desirable Job Criteria:

·        Undergraduate degree in a related discipline.

·        Safeguarding Level 4 and/or FA Safeguarding and Welfare qualifications.

·        Safeguarding Tutor/Training qualification.

·        Mental Health First Aid certification.

·        Safer Recruitment training.

·        Experience across professional football, education, and community sports sectors.

Safeguarding - We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and young people  (CYP) and at-risk Adults (ARA) Our expectation is that you will fully accept your responsibility for the safety and welfare of all CYP and ARA by being fully conversant with all our safeguarding policies and reporting anything that does not appear to be correct. The post maybe subject to an enhanced DBS check and yearly self-declarations.

Equality & Diversity – must be able to demonstrate that equality, diversity and inclusion will be maintained and developed across all programmes and areas of the business.