27469 - Senior Safeguarding Practitioner

£30,531 - £40,488
1
12 Months
West Midlands
Birmingham
THE AXIS BIRMINGHAM, B1 1TG
SEO
B
Fixed Term
Up to 12 Months
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Operational Delivery

Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. We protect people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves.

We are responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection. The Public Guardian has a statutory duty to investigate complaints or allegations of abuse made against deputies or attorneys.

We are looking for an experienced social worker with expertise in adult safeguarding to come to OPG for a fixed term of one-year on a secondment opportunity, to champion and develop safeguarding best practice across the organisation and help us deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers.

Our customer base includes around 3.5 million people with registered LPAs or EPAs, as well as almost 60,000 clients with Deputyships. This secondment offers the opportunity to make a positive impact on a national scale on safeguarding practice for adults who may lack mental capacity.

The post holder will be responsible for:

  • Maintaining and enhancing OPG’s safeguarding culture.
  • Developing best practice across OPG in how we safeguard people who may lack mental capacity, aligning with current approaches across the sector.
  • Building relationships with local authority social services and other key agencies to ensure adults at risk are safeguarded effectively.
  • Supporting staff across the organisation by providing expert advice and guidance, particularly on highly complex cases.
  • Providing leadership around safeguarding practice in OPG.
  • Maintaining own expert knowledge and professional development.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities –

1.            Maintaining and enhancing OPG’s safeguarding culture

  • Be fully conversant with and implement OPG’s safeguarding policy.
  • Embed an organisational culture where safeguarding is everyone’s business and everyone knows how to follow safeguarding best practice in their own roles.
  • Supervise the development and implementation of appropriate safeguarding learning and development across the business, ensuring that appropriate training is in place for each role type and that there is an effective assurance regime.
  • Work closely with our Safeguarding Model Implementation Project to review practice on OPG’s safeguarding interventions, incorporating lessons and experience from the wider sector to maximise timely and proportionate action and minimise omission or duplication.
  • Work with our Change Management Office to identify benefits for any proposed changes and ensure they are robust and reliable.

2.            Act as an expert point of advice

  • Advise on progression of investigations when a safeguarding concern has been identified, ensuring that caseworkers are advised appropriately and are equipped to liaise with the relevant statutory and local agencies.
  • Chair case conferences and lessons learned reviews for complex cases where an OPG investigation has taken place.
  • Provide instruction to OPG Legal where required.
  • Be available to staff as a source of expert professional support, leadership, advice and mentoring.
  • Provide support to the Head of Safeguarding Profession.

3.            Build relationships with external partners

  • Give presentations to external stakeholders about the role of the Public Guardian and the OPG Safeguarding Policy and Strategy.
  • Produce internal and external information and guidance, including Public Guardian Practice Notes and articles for publication.
  • Update OPG executives on changes in government policy, legislation or practice that impact on the OPG’s safeguarding procedures.
  • Work with Communications, the Customer Relationship Management team and the Safeguarding Strategy Implementation Manager to support the delivery of this objective.

4.            Other duties

  • The post holder may have some line management responsibility.
  • Support and contribute to the aims, objectives and performance of Supervision and Investigation Services and wider OPG Teams, including other operational parts of the business.
  • Positively promote and implement diversity and equality of opportunity in all areas of work.
  • Take reasonable care for own health and safety and for the safety of others, abiding by OPG Health and Safety procedure.
  • Undertake any other duties commensurate with the skill set of this post.

The successful candidate will be based in our Birmingham office. You will be required to travel regularly to our office in Nottingham; occasional travel to London may be required.

 

Skills & Qualifications

Essential

  • DiPSW, MA in Social Work, BA in Social Work CQSW or equivalent;
  • Registered with the HCPC (England) or with Social Care Wales;
  • Membership of BASW or another relevant professional body;
  • Safeguarding award (level 1 and 2);
  • Sound, proven practitioner experience at a senior level and ability to work with complex cases;
  • Up-to-date experience of working with adults at risk in a statutory setting;
  • Experience in working across agencies and in a multi-disciplinary way, including with healthcare professionals and the police;
  • Familiarity with the Care Act or Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act;
  • Working knowledge of the Human Rights Act and Mental Health Act;
  • Detailed understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and Code of Practice and ability to champion its practical application;
  • Specialism in head injuries, dementia, mental health or learning disability;
  • Proficient in the use of standard Microsoft office products;
  • Strong written and oral communication.

Highly Desirable

  • A post qualifying award (advanced social work diploma or PQSW 1-6)
  • Experience in using your expertise to mentor, train and advise other frontline social workers.

 

Application process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the initial application, you will be expected to provide details of your work history, as well as a supporting statement of suitability of no more than 1,000 words capturing evidence of the experience and skills required above.

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview. This will be in line with Success Profiles (see above). This will include strength- and behaviour-based questions.

You will also be asked to make a presentation on how the OPG should work with social services to provide effective multi-agency safeguarding. Further details on the presentation will be shared if you are successful at sift.

The behaviours tested at interview will be Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving and Working Together (all at Level 3).

Salary, Working Arrangements & Benefits -

The secondee will remain in the employment of the seconding organisation during the period of the secondment, and their salary will continue to be paid by this organisation.

The OPG will reimburse the authority for the cost of the salary for the duration of the secondment.

Working Arrangements & Further Information Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Annual Leave

Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

To be confirmed

23/07/2019, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference - 27469.
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
Statement of Suitability - word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Working Together
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.
Additional Assessment(s)
Presentation

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.