Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for two experienced and highly motivated Band 8a Divisional Safeguarding Adult Leads to join our dedicated Safeguarding Team at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

One role will be covering Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset (BNSSG) area, The other role will be covering Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire area (BSW.)

Working closely with the Head of Safeguarding and Divisional managers, you will play a key leadership role in promoting and embedding high-quality safeguarding practice across the divisions, ensuring adults with care and support needs are protected and supported in line with current legislation, national guidance and best practice.

As a senior safeguarding professional, you will provide expert advice and leadership on a wide range of safeguarding and public protection matters, including the Care Act, domestic abuse, MAPPA, Prevent, modern slavery and transitional safeguarding. You will line manage a team of senior safeguarding practitioners. You will work collaboratively with colleagues across health, social care and partner agencies, supporting complex safeguarding work, driving service improvement, contributing to assurance and governance processes, and helping to develop a culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Main duties of the job

• Provide specialist leadership, advice and support on adult safeguarding and public protection matters across a designated locality within the Trust.
• Provide advice and support to clinical teams managing complex safeguarding concerns, ensuring safe and effective care for service users.
• Develop and maintain strong partnership working.
• Lead or contribute to complex safeguarding investigations and statutory safeguarding reviews.
• Support the development, implementation and review of safeguarding policies, procedures, strategies and action plans across the Trust.
• Provide professional leadership, supervision, training and support to safeguarding professionals and wider Trust staff, promoting a culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Monitor safeguarding activity, undertake audits and quality improvement projects, analyse performance data and contribute to assurance reports for Trust committees, commissioners and regulatory bodies.
• Deputise for the Head of Safeguarding as required and represent the Trust at internal and external safeguarding meetings, boards and partnerships.

About us
We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Job responsibilities

• Provide specialist safeguarding leadership, advice and support to clinical teams, managers and safeguarding professionals across the Trust.
• Lead the day-to-day coordination and operational management of safeguarding adults and public protection responsibilities, ensuring effective systems and processes are in place.
• Act as the Trust's expert resource on safeguarding legislation and public protection issues, including the Care Act 2014, Domestic Abuse, MAPPA, Prevent, Modern Slavery, FGM, Mate Crime/Cuckooing and Transitional Safeguarding.
• Provide specialist advice and support in relation to complex safeguarding concerns, investigations and multi-agency safeguarding processes.
• Support the Trust's participation in safeguarding adult reviews, domestic homicide reviews and other statutory review processes, ensuring lessons learned are embedded into practice.
• Develop, implement and review safeguarding policies, procedures, action plans and quality improvement initiatives to strengthen safeguarding practice across the organisation.
• Build and maintain effective partnerships with Local Authorities, Safeguarding Adult Boards, healthcare organisations and other key agencies to support joined-up safeguarding arrangements.
• Provide professional leadership, supervision, training and support to staff, promoting a culture where safeguarding is recognised as everyone's responsibility.
• Monitor safeguarding activity, analyse performance and quality data, undertake audits and contribute to assurance reporting for Trust committees, commissioners and regulatory bodies.
• Represent the Trust at safeguarding partnerships, networks, committees and regulatory reviews, including CQC-related safeguarding activity where delegated.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to influence safeguarding practice at a strategic and operational level, ensuring the delivery of high-quality safeguarding arrangements and improved outcomes for adults at risk.

Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential

• Registered Nurse, Social Worker or Allied Health Professional, with substantial practice experience, in a specialist safeguarding role.
• Evidence of ongoing, relevant professional development
• Management Qualification or evidence of equivalent experience / training

Desirable

• Specific post-registration training in Safeguarding at a Specialist level (e.g. Children and Adult Safeguarding training Level 4)

Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Experience of working collaboratively with other health and social care providers, and ability to promote strong working partnerships
• Demonstrable ability to make appropriate assessments, plan interventions, have knowledge of resources, make plans including review and evaluation.
• Experience in planning, delivering and evaluating training.
• Personal drive and tenacity to motivate, empower and support individuals and teams to achieve.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills and ability to deal with conflict, hostility and vulnerability.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.