Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

St Thomas More Catholic Academy, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST3 2NJ

11 days remaining to apply

Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
15 July 2024 at 9am
Date listed
4 July 2024

Job details

Job role: Pastoral, health and welfare
Other support roles
Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern: Full time: 37 hours per week - whole year 28 days holiday + bank holidays
Contract type: Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary: Starting Salary: £36,648

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are seeking a highly qualified and experienced individual to join our team as the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Senior Mental Health Lead. The successful candidate will play a critical role in taking responsibility for safeguarding and child protection, support staff to carry out their safeguarding duties, and liaise closely with children's social care and other services. The role will suit an adaptable, flexible and resourceful individual who can demonstrate drive and relentless focus on acting in the best interests of our students in overseeing the safety and well-being of our students in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education legislation, and the whole academy’s approach towards mental health and wellbeing. You will also forge effective links with NHS mental health services as well as parents/carers, children’s social care and a range of external partner agencies.

Principal duties and responsibilities

Act as the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and support the Designated Safeguarding Lead in all aspects of safeguarding within the school.
Stay up to date with relevant legislation, guidance, and best practices in safeguarding and mental health, including maintaining up to date knowledge of the local safeguarding and mental health services.
Implement policies and procedures in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education legislation and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities relating to safeguarding.
Operationally and strategically lead on safeguarding and mental health and wellbeing initiatives within the school, working closely with key stakeholders and external agencies.
Provide support and guidance to staff on safeguarding and mental health issues with specific concerns and refer students to appropriate support services when necessary.
Work alongside the academy’s safeguarding team, SENCO, pastoral team and other members of staff, including through participation within multi-disciplinary meetings, to co-ordinate holistic support for students who present with safeguarding and mental health difficulties.
Complete risk assessments and safety plans for students experiencing safeguarding issues and/or mental health challenges.
Attend safeguarding meetings, either planned or in response to safeguarding needs, with external partners, including during school holidays
Keep staff up to date with initiatives and understanding of how to support safeguarding and mental health through briefings, team meetings, written communications and/or delivery of training.
Plan and deliver safeguarding and mental health awareness opportunities to promote cross curricular understanding, event days and assemblies in conjunction with DSL and RSE/PSHE Curriculum Lead.
Keep detailed records of safeguarding and mental health concerns for individual students, relevant groups and across whole cohorts, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with data protection regulations in order to track and respond to data patterns.
Produce analysis updates to support with Headteacher, Governing Board and/or Director scrutiny, meetings and audits.
Support the identification of students at risk of, or showing signs of, safeguarding vulnerabilities and/or mental ill health by triaging, assessment, therapeutic support, and/or safeguarding support, as well as developing individual action plans and signposting to appropriate organisations internally and externally.
Lead the coordination of, and support for, students accessing individual alternative providers, offsite directions and/or managed moves including through quality assurance of alternative providers.
Develop and deliver resources on safeguarding and mental health for our induction process of both students and staff. This includes providing information and support to new students and staff.
Ensure policies and practices are adhered to in supporting students requests for assignment deadline extensions, considerations for exam arrangements, mitigating circumstances applications.
Organise and promote effective safeguarding, mental health, resilience and wellbeing to staff across the academy.
Deliver CPD and briefing sessions around safeguarding, mental health and well-being, including Level 1 safeguarding training.

Support around the child

Act as the lead Mental Health First Aider within the school.
Provide support for other Mental Health First Aiders as required. Provide weekly supervision sessions of Mental Health First Aiders to identify any students with emerging or escalating mental health needs and to ensure a safe space for mental health first aiders to ensure their wellbeing.
Complete safety plans with students who are engaging in self-harm or present with suicidal intention. Meet with parents and engage other agencies as required.
Communicate plans with support teams around the student including pastoral, form teachers or the SEN team.
Act as a single point of contact with the Mental Health Support Team and the school’s designated Education Mental Health Practitioner - finalise and submit referrals, co-ordinate individual and small group referrals alongside whole school projects such as PSHE curriculum support.
Provide specialist advice to the pastoral team and SEN team for students that they are supporting when concerns are raised around their mental health and wellbeing.
Ensure an up to date knowledge of services within the area and where possible, current wait times, to ensure the school engages with a diverse range of services as required to meet the needs of students in the most time efficient way.
Implement and maintain an Inclusions Matrix detailing agencies available to support the wellbeing of students.

What the school offers its staff

The school is proud to be able to offer a number of benefits to its employees including:

Access to CareFirst 24/7 our EAP confidential support
Cycle to work scheme
Sick pay
Wellbeing forum
Termly staff breakfasts
Weekly rewards to the employee of the week
Continued Professional Development reviewed annually

Commitment to safeguarding

Positions are exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointments will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). All appointments made are also subject to satisfactory references, medical clearance and Right to Work in the UK.