Senior Safeguarding Practitioner

Human Resources & Development - Form 35a Version 16 - Issued February 2025 JOB DESCRIPTION AND PARTICULARS OF APPOINTMENT ▪ Job Title: Senior Safeguarding Practitioner ▪ Post Number: P12435 ▪ Grade and SCP: Band 12 SCP 34-38 ▪ Directorate: Care and Wellbeing Where your role fits at Shropshire Council As Shropshire Council we are rightly proud of our achievements and we have proven to be a resilient local authority in our response to the many challenges we overcome, particularly over recent years. We will be continuing this momentum with ambition and a focus on delivering our four key priorities outlined within the Shropshire Plan: Healthy People, Healthy Environment, Health Economy and Healthy Organisation. We are committed to achieving this by aligning everything we do to our vision 'Shropshire - living the best life'; to tell everyone that Shropshire Council is a great place to be. We will enable a skilled, happy, healthy, diverse, inclusive, empowered, and proud workforce that influences and leads change, addressing any inequalities. As a member of the Dols and Safeguarding Team within Care and Wellbeing, you will support the achievement of these key priorities, making a real difference to the lives of people in Shropshire. Overview of your role This role is within a busy DoLS and Safeguarding team. The focus of work will be primarily within the Adult Safeguarding service area of the team. • To have knowledge and understanding of relevant legislative and regulatory framework and Government initiatives relating to your service area. • To have knowledge of the principles and responsibility of information sharing and data protection in line with legislation. • To be responsible for the day-to-day management of a service area, including practice, standards, quality and performance. • To work with the team manager to ensure day to day functioning of the Adult Safeguarding Service area • To undertake specific duties and responsibilities determined by the line manager and senior managers to enable the team to achieve its goals and objectives. • To work with the Team Manager to ensure day to day functioning of the team in operational matters. • Proactively promote partnership working and integration within and outside of the council. • To have staff supervisory responsibility. • To have designated budgetary/budget monitoring responsibility. Who will your manager be and what will you be responsible for? You will be: ▪ ▪ reporting to Team Manager who is in turn responsible for your health and safety, training and development. responsible and accountable in a supervisory/managerial capacity, monitoring performance, supporting development and undertaking annual appraisals. for members of staff, acting ▪ expected to lead and/or contribute to a range of projects and build relations with both internal and external partners in order achieve specified outcomes but will not have direct authority over those involved. ▪ Responsible for preparing responses in line with Shropshire Council's corporate processes and national/regulatory/statutory processes (e.g. complaints, MP enquiries, Information Governance requests, customer enquiries, media enquiries, HR staff investigations etc..). These responses should be in line with the quality and timescale expectations set out within Shropshire Council's published procedures and/or case allocation emails and discussions. ▪ Responsible for completing within expected timescales all mandatory corporate and role specific training. Training requirements will be detailed in your corporate induction and Personal Development Plan (PDP). Courses are accessed via the council Learning Management System via the Intranet. What will you be doing? • To support and deputise for the Team Manager in his/her absence. • To manage safeguarding concerns raised with the local authority, gather information, risk assess and decision make on outcomes ensuring timely responses to risk and abuse • To agree outcomes with adults with care and support needs and work towards these in line with Making Safeguarding Personal • To be responsible for responding to concerns and for making or causing to enquiries to be made about adults experiencing current or ongoing risk of abuse or neglect. • To be responsible for the management and professional supervision of members of staff including their performance appraisals. This may also include other members of the team as agreed with the Team Manager • To be responsible for promoting continual personal and professional / vocational development of self and staff through the performance appraisal process, including Social Work England (CPD) requirements. • To provide advice, guidance and support to ensure effective and timely delivery of services. • To ensure there is a consistent implementation of Service Policies and Procedures. • To ensure the efficient and effective use of resources including responsibilities for monitoring budgets e.g. identifying inaccuracies, trends, forecasting and problem solving. • Manage staff to ensure that information is recorded onto the computer system in a timely and accurate manner (e.g. LAS and Business world). • Ensure staff individual and service performance targets are met. • To be responsible for, and supervise students on placement, where appropriate. • To contribute to the recruitment and selection process. • To develop a wide knowledge of need and resources available. • To have close and constructive working relationships with other Agencies, e.g. Health, Housing and Voluntary Organisations of a local level. • If required, to develop specialist skills and knowledge within the Service's responsibility which may entail further relevant training. • To demonstrate an understanding and awareness of equal opportunity issues and anti-discriminatory practice and to demonstrate this in carrying out your duties. • To comply with safe systems of work in accordance with the Directorates Health, Safety and Welfare Policies and Procedures. To take a responsibility for health and safety issues in the absence of the Locality Team Manager, or within his/her direction. The above duties are an illustrative outline and are not an exhaustive list. You will be expected to become involved in a range of work to enable the service to respond effectively to the changing requirements of the Council and changes affecting the workforce. What we expect of you You will: ▪ adopt a customer focused approach when delivering your service, ensuring engagement with service users and maintenance of an appropriate personal profile, ▪ act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire, ▪ meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Personal Development Review Process, learn from experience and are committed to continuous improvement individually and as an employee of the Council, ▪ work with colleagues to meet your team's key performance indicators, support a culture of team working and ensure the team functions successfully in support of the Council's corporate and service objectives. ▪ meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work. ▪ A priority for the Council is the protection of vulnerable people, ensuring they are able to live as independently as possible. The post-holder will promote and engage with Council's responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and adults, and protect their right to be safe from harm. What are your conditions of Service The conditions of service are those laid down by Shropshire Council, which have been adopted and amended as necessary from those laid down by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services. Your primary work base will be at Guildhall, Shrewsbury with the requirement to regularly work from home. Your post is subject to the following: ▪ The post is permanent for 20.5 hours per week, ▪ Normal office hours within the service are 08:45 - 17:00 Monday - Thursday and 08:45 - 16:00 Friday with a minimum lunch break of 30 minutes. Flexibility may be required in the event of emergency responses. ▪ The post is subject to the Council's annualised hours scheme as implemented within the specific work area. This post carries eligibility to join the Local Government Pension Scheme. Information about this will be sent with any formal offer of appointment. Annual leave entitlement is a pro rata flat rate scheme of 207 hours (28 days) annual leave plus bank holidays, with five days extra awarded to those staff with five years local government service giving an entitlement of 244 hours (33 days). Two days of an employee's allowance (pro rota for part time staff) must be taken at Christmas for any potential Christmas closures. Employees who work in a building/service which is required to open over the Christmas period, the two days leave (pro rota) can be carried over into your next leave year but must be used by the end of March. The appointment is subject to three months' notice in writing on either side. The appointment is subject to six months' satisfactory probationary service during which time the notice period will be one week on either side. Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, in Council vehicles or in any Council place of work. It is a condition of your appointment that you provide a suitable vehicle for the performance of your ...