Head of Safeguarding

Are you passionate about safeguarding and driving best practice? We're looking for a dynamic and experienced Head of Safeguarding to join Samaritans. In this vital leadership role, you'll provide strategic oversight and expert advice on safeguarding adults and children at risk, ensuring a robust safeguarding culture across all of our services and the organisation as a whole.

• £62,000-£67,000 per annum + emergency phone allowance
• Permanent, full-time role (35 hours per week)
• We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences
• Hybrid working: Linked to Ewell, Surrey office. A blend of working from home, the Ewell office and other locations for team meetings.
• In-person working: Meeting in person is something we value. Mandated in-person meetings will be in place from Jan 2025. This is around 2 days per month and further information can be found on our careers website .
• Occasional travel and weekend work may be required. You'll also be part of our emergency phone rota which is roughly one week in six.

You'll lead a talented team, shaping our safeguarding policies and practices for volunteers and staff, and work closely with senior leadership to manage complex cases, respond to safeguarding incidents, and chair key panels. Your expertise will help ensure Samaritans has a thriving safeguarding culture and continues to deliver safeguarding excellence, continuously improving, demonstrating impact and learning from best practice.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing a team of Managers
• Leading our safeguarding strategy and policy development
• Providing expert safeguarding advice across the organisation
• Chairing serious safeguarding incident panels
• Building strong relationships with external safeguarding bodies
• Representing Samaritans at conferences and external meetings
• Developing and updating safeguarding training

What we're looking for:

• Up to date Designated Safeguarding Lead training and Safeguarding training
• A qualified and registered Social Worker
• Significant safeguarding experience, child protection and/or protection of adults at risk of harm
• Previous experience working with volunteers
• Excellent up to date knowledge of safeguarding legislation, best practice guidance, policy and procedure
• Extensive leadership experience including managing high performing teams, with the ability to challenge, build and maintain strong and effective relationships
• Experience of chairing and reporting serious case reviews and reporting to regulatory bodies, disclosure services, Local Authority Designated Officers, police and social services
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to manage complex safeguarding cases

Criminal record check (DBS):

We take safeguarding seriously at Samaritans and follow safe recruitment practices. As this role has direct contact with children and adults at risk, this role will require an Enhanced DBS check with Adults and Children's Barred Lists.

At offer stage, as part of the conditional job offer, we will require the candidate to disclose in full, spent and unspent convictions by completing a declaration form. The declaration form will only be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

What's in it for you - our benefits

So, you want to work for us? Good choice. We like it here too. We offer competitive salaries, flexible and hybrid working to suit your needs, family-friendly policies, 28 days annual leave inclusive of wellbeing days and a matched pension contribution up to 5%. You'll have a structured induction and ongoing projects, secondments & learning opportunities. We also have colleague-led affinity groups made up of people with shared identities.

Your health and wellbeing is our priority. We have a staff community of Mental Health First Aiders, a Health Cash Plan and an Employee Assistance Programme. You'll have free subscriptions to Headspace (your personal guide to mindfulness, sleep, focus, movement, and more) & Perkbox (an employee benefits platform with online exercise classes). That's not all. We listen to your ideas and have staff forum and social committee networks.

Being Inclusive: We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from Disabled, BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.

Application: If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please apply. You'll be asked to upload your CV and cover letter (2 page max), outlining your motivations for applying and your transferable skills and experience. Applications close midnight on 10 November. Video interviews will take place on 18 November.

If you're ready to lead impactful change and contribute to our mission that fewer people die by suicide, apply today