Local Authority Designated Officer - Leatherhead, United Kingdom - Surrey County Council

Surrey County Council

Verified Company

Leatherhead, United Kingdom

4 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Job Introduction

Surrey County Council is committed to the development of its workforce and as such this role is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in Surrey County Council and would encourage you to review our current vacancies which are available to all.
The salary range for this position is £46,634 - £52,625 per annum based on a 36 hour working week. The role is offered on a 12 month secondment or fixed-term basis.

Are you looking for an opportunity to be a part of a dynamic and inclusive team where you can develop your knowledge, practice and skills in child protection and safeguarding by managing allegations against adults who work with children?

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Service is seeking an enthusiastic learner, capable of working in a fast-paced environment and making safeguarding decisions whilst covering duty.

In this role, you will work within a multi-agency setting, providing advice and support to professionals, volunteers, and carers who work with children across all settings and organisations in Surrey, including health, childcare workers, sports, schools, faith groups and leisure settings.

You will manage allegations against professionals who work with children in a paid or voluntary capacity.

About the Team
The LADO service is one of many teams that sits within the Quality and Improvement service. The LADO team is managed by the LADO Manager and Safeguarding Partnership Co-ordinator. We are a small, unique and friendly team consisting of 3 permanent LADOs.

We pride ourselves in providing a fast, effective and quality service to partners and form part of the wider Safeguarding Partnership, a service that includes the Education Safeguarding Team and Child Employment.

Each of these teams work together to ensure ongoing safeguarding of children.

Over the last 15 months, the LADO service has worked incredibly hard to reduce caseloads and provide clarity and delivery of thresholds.

The service has an effective and efficient duty system and each member of the team is expected to be on duty at least two times a week.

LADOs also hold caseloads of about 30 to 50 cases per month.

About the Role

As a Local Authority Designated Officer, you will be responsible for chairing the Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers meeting, liaising with the police and other agencies as necessary, and ensuring that the management of information regarding allegations is kept up to date.

You will be also be responsible for informing the LADO Partnership Safeguarding Coordinator (and in their absence relevant senior managers) about potentially high profile situations and significant safeguarding matters that may either compromise a child's safety or raise other areas of concern.

You will work alongside the LADO Partnership Safeguarding Coordinator, Surrey's Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB), and others regarding the development of inter-agency performance management processes, standards and performance indicators.

The LADO role includes delivery of "managing allegations" training to staff, volunteers, partners, and multi-agency professionals across the children's workforce in Surrey.

You will also analyse performance management information and support the LADO Partnership Safeguarding Coordinator to present reports to senior management.

As a LADO, you will need to be able to listen and respond with clarity and sensitivity whilst adhering to the legal framework, policy and guidance in regard to managing allegations and keeping children safe in education.

To be considered for shortlisting for this position your CV and personal statement will clearly evidence:

A Social work degree / qualification / SWE registered
At least 5 years' post qualification experience (with experience of safeguarding)
Experience of working within a LADO team, Referral and Assessment and MASH
Good knowledge and experience of Child Protection and Safeguarding
An ability to make quick decisions when assessing referrals on duty
Flexibility to work within a busy and dynamic service and offer support to partners where required
Confidence to support with the delivery of training to multiagency partners and settings
That you are a fast learner who is willing to adapt to the delivery of good quality and timely service to a dynamic county

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

Additional Information
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 16/04/2023 with interviews to follow.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Contact Details

Benefits
From flexible working to job sharing we are committed to providing a healthy work life