UK Safeguarding Advisor

BACKGROUND

Over the past 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC UK

IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England, a programme that is rapidly growing.

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.

The purpose and scope of the role

Are you an innovative and proactive UK safeguarding leader? Do you want to utilise your existing safeguarding skills and expertise within a forward-thinking humanitarian organisation? Are you passionate about safeguarding all vulnerable groups within society?

IRC UK is introducing a UK Safeguarding Advisor role with the overarching aim of ensuring robust safeguarding compliance within our UK service provision, and ensuring high quality and responsive safeguarding practice, process and systems for UK-funded programmes.

The UK Safeguarding Advisor will lead and support all activities necessary to ensure that IRC UK meets its responsibilities to safeguard and protect children and adults. You will also act as a key partner to the UK Board, staff, and partners to provide strategic advice, planning, delivery support, training and counsel.

Key Working Relationships

Internal

• Executive Director of IRC UK
• IRC UK Board Safeguarding Committee
• Head of UK Programmes
• Safeguarding Lead, IRC Crisis Response, Recovery & Development (CRRD)
• Regional Safeguarding Advisor, IRC Europe
• Senior Safeguarding Advisor, IRC Refugee Asylum and Integration (RAI)

External

• Local Safeguarding Partnerships
• Local Safeguarding Adult Social Care and MASH
• Local Safeguarding Children’s Social Care and MASH
• Police
• Probation
• Education
• Health
• Housing
• Other multi-agency partners
• Key IRC UK donors

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Safeguarding strategy, delivery and counsel (40%)

• Provide advice to IRC UK across all services on the implementation of an effective system of safeguarding/child protection audit, training, and supervision.
• Ensure that the IRC safeguarding minimum standards are adapted to and integrated into IRC UK ways of delivering services and compliant with UK laws and award requirements (via working with IRC safeguarding leaders in RAI and CRRD).
• Be responsible for ensuring the IRC is compliant with all mandatory UK conventions related to safeguarding service delivery in the UK.
• Contribute to ongoing analysis and identification of areas to strengthen in IRC policies/procedures via work with IRC safeguarding leaders in CRRD and RAI; this may include advising leaders on UK policies and their implications for UK-funded programming
• Lead strategy for meeting all mandatory UK government reporting and collaboration (e.g. local safeguarding partnerships board for external audits; maintaining risk register; attending statutory meetings; leading on mandatory reviews).
• Partner with the IRC’s Ethics and Compliance Unit and HR to ensure that all safeguarding investigations are conducted according to UK labour laws and grant requirements.
• Provide safeguarding/child protection advice on policy and individual cases to IRC UK in addition to statutory and voluntary agencies, including the police and children’s social care.
• Provide advice to IRC UK on questions of planning, strategy and commissioning with regard to safeguarding/child protection (to include services to adults who pose risks to children), including ensuring appropriate performance indicators are in place.
  • Advise and input into the development of practice guidance and policies for all IRC UK staff and ensure that performance against these is appropriately audited.
  • Provide advice about safeguarding/child protection risks (including any deficiencies or vulnerable areas in service provision) to IRC UK.
  • Provide advice (direct and indirect) to colleagues on the recognition, response and reporting for all forms of child and adult maltreatment including FII, sexual abuse, honour-based violence, trafficking, detention and within the Prevent strategy.
• Provide excellent record keeping and adhere to data protection and GDPR requirements to communicate, assess and evaluate evidence, write reports and present information internally and externally and in related meetings.

Training and knowledge management (40%)

• Meet IRC UK and the professional body’s requirements for training attendance.
  • Attend relevant regional and national continuing professional development activities in order to maintain skills. This includes receiving specific training that relates to specialist activities.
  • Receive regular safeguarding/child protection supervision/peer review and undertake reflective practice from outside the IRC UK (funded by IRC UK)
• Ensure completion/updating/knowledge management for all site level tools in UK service delivery areas (through completing directly or via site level leader).
• Provide advice and signposting to other professionals about legal processes, key research and policy documents.
• Advise on UK safeguarding training needs and the delivery of training for all UK staff.
• Facilitate reflection and critical analysis in respect of safeguarding children and adults.
• Assist and facilitate in the development of quality assurance systems across IRC UK
• Contribute to broader IRC learning and development on safeguarding through shared resources, approaches and delivery efforts

Internal and external partnerships and communication (20%)

• Liaise and effectively collaborate with all multi-agency safeguarding partners within the UK, in close collaboration with other IRC safeguarding leaders
• Provide advice on monitoring of safeguarding elements of contracts, service level agreements and commissioned services for IRC UK
• Engage with IRC UK Safeguarding Board Committee, which is responsible for orienting board members to Safeguarding strategy and needs across all countries (along with other global safeguarding-focused colleagues).
• Ensure that network of UK-compliant local responders for staff/client safeguarding violations is appointed, trained and supported to deliver compliant, best practice response.
• Lead drafting of and stewarding approvals for all required public statements related to safeguarding for IRC UK.
• Participate in and contribute to IRC communities of practice and learning efforts to support safeguarding staff and efforts globally

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Skills, knowledge and qualifications

• Advanced knowledge in safeguarding children and adults at risk, analysis of information at multi-agency case conferences, strategy discussions and other safeguarding adults meetings, enabling risk assessment of children and adults and providing advice to professionals.
• Experience of analysing complex medical and social information in order to assess risk and outstanding wellbeing needs.
• Commitment to keeping up-to-date with current research/evidence and considering implications of the same on local safeguarding practice.
• Ability to encourage and empower staff to develop an open and honest way of working in partnership with families/carers, other professionals and statutory/ voluntary agencies in order to safeguard children and adults.
• Comfort in taking independent decisions and being prepared to challenge professionals at intra- and inter-agency levels.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with some understanding of
  basic counselling skills.
• Proven negotiating and leadership skills.
• Ability to recognise and manage conflict, and challenge unsafe practice.
• Proven ability to produce reports relating to progress of service objectives.
• Experience of frequent exposure to highly distressing and emotional circumstances involved in working within the adult safeguarding arena.
• Track record of providing support for staff distressed by their experience of working within the field of adult safeguarding.
• Tolerance for moderate levels of unpredictability, due to interruptions which will require critical thinking.
• High levels of concentration with the ability to remain objective.
• Ability to undertake teaching, which may be for a whole day, on a multi-
  professional basis and requiring intense/prolonged concentration.
• Ability to plan and prioritise own workload and manage time effectively.
• Ability to travel to dispersed sites in a timely manner.
• Possess high levels of professional judgement skills, to assess and analyse
  standards.
• Basic IT skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.

Experience

• An equivalent senior-level role within another organisation or sector, however the charity sector is preferable.
• A strong professional background and registered qualification to support their safeguarding knowledge and expertise within social Work, police and / or health.
• Completed specific post-registration training in safeguarding/child protection at Masters level or equivalent.
• Substantial professional training and experience relating to the safeguarding children and adults at risk, be currently practising in the field of safeguarding/
  child protection, have a strong understanding of UK legislation, statute and regulation relating to children and adults.
• The post holder must have an enhanced disclosure check. Designated professional posts comprise a registered activity under the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for England and Wales, Disclosure Scotland (for Scotland) and Access Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.