Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer
Job title: Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Temporary up to March 2026
As an Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer you’ll thrive on working with agencies to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in the city of Leeds.
It’s not about challenges, it is about opportunities to work together to improve outcomes for children and families.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
About you
As an Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer, you will bring to the role:
* Experience of working as an operational safeguarding officer in an education setting.
* A good understanding of the work undertaken at the Front Door by CSWS colleagues.
* Knowledge and understanding of statutory and local legislation in regard to keeping children safe.
* Educated to degree level or a relevant qualification in this area of work.
* Ability to provide high challenge and high support to colleagues and other professionals working in the safeguarding arena.
About the role
The role of the Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer is to support the various work streams undertaken by the Education Safeguarding Team (EST) and the Front Door Safeguarding Hub to ensure that the statutory duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority are met and to quality assure safeguarding practice in Education and Early Years services. This will involve participation in multi-agency audit and quality assurance activity to support improvements in practice and to provide a working link between education and CSWS at the point of referral.
As our next Education Safeguarding and Front Door Officer, you’ll be able to develop the role to further enhance the links between education and CSWS at the point of referral.
The role is integral to our well-established Education Safeguarding Team by ensuring education is a part of key decision making in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children across the city.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
* a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
* membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
* flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
* a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
* a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
How to apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Deborah Jobson, Education Safeguarding Manager. Tel. 0113 3789685 or email Deborah.jobson@leeds.gov.uk
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.
All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, candidates must consider their own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the 'standard' salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. For more information visit Skilled Worker visa on the government website. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose
To support the various work streams undertaken by the Education Safeguarding Team (EST) and the Front Door Safeguarding Hub to ensure that the statutory duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority are met and to quality assure safeguarding practice in Education and Early Years services.
Responsibilities
* To support education settings in relation to the referral process to CSWS via the Front Door
* Represent Education settings at bi-weekly MARAC Interagency meetings and act on identified issues within Leeds Local Authority
* Liaise with schools in respect of any specific actions required in individual cases to assist designated staff in the development of individual support plans for children and young people subject to MARAC.
* To set up relevant systems to monitor issues arising from MARAC meetings, to work with schools to ensure a co-ordinated and consistent approach to issues of domestic violence and support for pupils on a city-wide basis.
* Develop and disseminate good practice in safeguarding work which promotes a co-ordinated interagency approach to supporting schools, individual pupils, and families in relation to MARAC/Operation Encompass
* To liaise with schools in matters relating to Operation Encompass and Domestic Violence Notifications.
* Support education settings to attend daily strategy discussions/meetings at the point of front door referral to ensure education representation is working collaboratively with CSWS, WYP and health colleagues.
* Support education settings to attend the daily Project Shield meeting to ensure education representation is working collaboratively with CSWS, WYP and health colleagues.
* Attend the weekly referral and review meeting quality assurance meetings in relation to referrals from education settings with a view to supporting practice improvement via engagement with designated staff and senior leaders in education and early years settings.
* Participate in multi-agency audit and quality assurance activity to support improvements in practice.
* To provide telephone/consultation support to education settings and Front Door social workers in relation to safeguarding matters, ensuring compliance with local and national statutory guidance.
* To work in a multi-agency environment, providing high support and high challenge to professionals and settings in matters of safeguarding children and young people.
* To provide a working link between education and CSWS at the point of referral.
* To participate in, and provide, appropriate training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills, and continuous professional development.
* To work in partnership with the multi-agency team/professionals based at the Front Door, senior leaders and designated staff in schools, FE and early years settings.
* The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
Qualifications
Substantial experience of operational safeguarding practice, particularly within education settings.
Educated to degree level.
GCSE Maths
It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.
Skills Required
* Ability to communicate with children, young people and families ensuring that all staff place children and young people at the centre of all decision making and that their wishes and feelings are considered in relation to the practice of the team.
* Ability to act with confidence and independence and to challenge poor practice within the team; within education and Early Years services and within other agencies.
* Ability to share information effectively, accurately, and concisely.
* Ability to analyse complex situations and complex data leading to considered decisions.
* Prepare and present reports on complex issues to a variety of different audiences using statistical data.
* Ability to chair multi-disciplinary meetings.
* Good inter-personal and communication skills, including delivery of written and verbal reports and presentations.
* Advising sensitively on appropriate responses and services to children and families
* Effective time management and organisational skills
* Ability to use information technology to enhance data and improve communication.
* Effective partnership and inter-agency working skills to provide effective links to maximise positive outcomes for individual pupils.
Knowledge and Understanding
The post holder will be expected to have knowledge and understanding of the following:
* Sound understanding of the MARAC processes.
* Understanding of the work of the LSCP partner agencies and of safeguarding issues.
* Knowledge of current developments affecting the provision of services to children.
* Knowledge of current issues in research and legislation regarding child protection/safeguarding.
* Knowledge of child protection roles and responsibilities of schools, local authority, and other interagency partners in the child protection process.
* Understanding of positive ways of working to promote the prevention of abuse and the protection and support of children who may have experienced abuse and/or are living with domestic violence.
* Understanding of wider social factors that can contribute to child abuse.
* Understanding of professional training and development processes.
* Understanding of equal opportunities policies both national and local.
Experience required
* Direct work with children
* Comprehensive understanding of safeguarding children and young people including legislation and statutory guidance.
* Multi-agency working to support children and families.
* Developing plans, services, and/or other initiatives to meet identified needs.
* Successful organisation of working groups through to completion of tasks
* Promoting positive team working
* Comprehensive record keeping and presentation of reports to different audiences.
* Creative problem solving
Essential Behavioural and other Characteristics
* Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
* Be aware of and be able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies.
* Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety.
* Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities
* Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
* Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
* Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity.
* Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
* The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
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