UWCSEA is looking for a Senior Safeguarding Lead (College -Wide) to join the College from January 2025.
The primary roles of the Senior Safeguarding Lead (College-Wide) are:
- to lead and monitor all aspects of safeguarding and child protection initiatives
- oversee the Senior Designated DEIJ Lead (Senior DDL)
The role works across both campuses of United World College of South East Asia.
Main Responsibilities
Organizational Responsibilities:
- Reports directly to the Head of College
- Consults with both Heads of Campus and Campus Leadership Teams
- Liaises with the Board of Governors (as required)
- Liaises with external agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, and engage on the College approach to DEIJ
- Builds networks with key stakeholders to build sustainable beneficial peer relationships
Strategic Role
- Supports the welfare and well-being of students and staff through the development and promotion of policies and procedures sustaining an effective culture of Safeguarding across the College.
- Guides and advises Senior DDL in developing DEI structures, policies and practices to further our DEI strategy and initiatives
- Establishes, implements, and monitors training requirements and expectations for all staff.
- Develops all aspects of the school’s child protection responsibilities.
- Guides and contributes to the ongoing development of a comprehensive child-safe and DEI informed component in the PSE curriculum
- Raises awareness through the dissemination of policies and information
- Develops and maintains systems to build capacity, understanding, and skills for safeguarding and DEI on each campus
- Is fully conversant with local policies and procedures and maintains a peer network among comparator schools.
- Establishes and maintains links with relevant local authorities
- Promotes integrated safeguarding to ensure child protection is integral to school ethos and practice
- Engage in inter-agency discussions and the referral of cases to external authorities
- Oversee online safety in close collaboration with the E-Safety committees on both Campuses.
Operational Responsibilities
- Maintains and tracks an ongoing log of works in progress and completed, including anything arising from audit recommendations, to inform and drive a continual culture of safeguarding vigilance and improvement
- Builds build capacity and skills in leadership teams to fulfill their safeguarding responsibilities effectively and consistently across College
- Reviews all safeguarding and DEIJ policies, as well as the relevant safeguarding aspects of all school policies and procedures, on an annual basis and recommends any changes to the leadership teams
- Responsible for regular review and reports relating to information on the number and type of concerns and allegations referred to the Designated Safeguarding Leads and Designated DEIJ Leads, including lessons learned.
- Contacts (or ensures Designated Safeguarding Leads contact) parents about child protection concerns and referrals.
- Engages with and coordinates review meetings with the Designated Safeguarding Leads
- Manages the College safeguarding budget.
- Coordinates review meetings with the Designated Safeguarding Leads on a regular basis.
- Ensures child protection files are up to date and shared with appropriate schools when students leave UWCSEA.
- Provides guidance to the Board of Governors on all matters relating to safeguarding, in their accountable role of ensuring the school complies with all relevant legislation and regulations
- Keeps up to date with relevant legislative and regulatory changes for child protection both nationally and internationally
- Responsible for the secure storage, retention, destruction, and transfer of confidential child protection records
- Monitors child protection training across the College to ensure an appropriate level of knowledge and awareness of safeguarding is maintained by all and if appropriate conducts additional training
- Oversees and where necessary commission appropriate safeguarding and DEIJ training for the College as and when required, including specialist external in-person training and the development of on-line training.
- Supports and advises the Senior Designated DEIJ Lead in leading their teams of DDLs.
- Partner with Facilities/IT/HR or other departments to implement any safeguarding improvements required in the College
Person Specifications
Qualification
- Tertiary qualifications in a related field
- Experience working with educational organizations
Experience
- Experience with safeguarding measures to protect children and young people from harm
- 8 to 10 years of experience working with educational organizations
- Knowledge of international child protection legislation
- An understanding of best practice in safeguarding and child protection
- An understanding of the roles of other agencies in protecting children
- Experience in managing projects or areas of work and co-ordinate safeguarding projects with other departments.
- Experience with design, development, and delivery of professional learning relating to Child Protection and the wellbeing of staff, children and young people
- Experience of working in a team
- Experience of working with parents and families
- Demonstrable commitment to children’s rights
- Experience of trauma-informed approaches to DEIJ frameworks, in particular as they relate to adults
Skills and Qualities
Personal Attributes
- Ability to engage and enthuse staff, students, parents
- A compassionate approach to children at risk
- Integrity
- Emotional resilience
- Self-confidence
- Open and approachable
Professional Skills
- In-depth understanding of complex child protection cases and issues
- Able to analyze and evaluate complex issues
- Ability to support, advise and lead staff
- Ability to handle sensitive matters with perception and competence
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- An understanding of training principles and delivery
- Able to support and develop inter-agency cooperation
- Ability to use email, spreadsheets, databases and electronic documentation
- Budget management
Applications
The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. We are committed to creating a community in which all members feel safe and secure, and know that their authentic selves and individual differences are accepted with respect and care. At UWCSEA, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) is an ongoing and evolving process and strive to create and sustain a sense of belonging for all members of our community, past, present and future. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as a part of marginalised group(s) and individuals with (dis)abilities are all encouraged to apply. Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices and all appointments are subject to interview, satisfactory references, identity and criminal record checks.
