A career that's life-changing

The Rewards

We offer a highly competitive salary, with a minimum of 29 days leave plus bank holidays, regular and supportive supervision, season ticket travel loan facility, interest free Development Loans and discounts at major high street retailers. Plus, there are a lot more besides.

Action for Children

Every year, Action for Children impacts on the lives of 310,000 children, young people and their families across the UK, through our professional and committed workforce of c.4300.

This is a significant opportunity to develop a UK-wide leadership of safeguarding children issues. This role will see you provide whole organisational safeguarding expertise through advice, support, quality controls and face to face and online mechanisms. You will develop Action for Children's safeguarding plan and support the Director of Practice Improvement in ensuring that best practice is followed in work with children and families, recruitment, retention and management of staff, foster carers and volunteers and that safeguarding needs of children inform all our priorities.

The role will see you:

· Lead, develop and implement service specific and related policies, procedures, practice standards and guidance, ensuring these are maintained and up to date.

· Support the Director of Practice Improvement to ensure that all cross-cutting issues relating to safeguarding are identified and addressed.

· Lead, commission and contribute to improvement projects as necessary to support the safeguarding of children and young people and improve outcomes of vulnerable service users, in line with best practice and outcomes.

· Lead the development of best practice in services by embedding of safeguarding practice through networks of managers and practitioners responsible for local and operational safeguarding matters.

· Develop Action for Children's voice by way of relationships with key partners in the sector

What are we looking for in the person?

· Qualification in Social Work - Registered Qualified Social Worker

· At least 3 years' management experience in a children's services setting with responsibility for safeguarding and child protection

· Experience of staff management

· Detailed understanding of legislation, guidance and regulations relevant to safeguarding children across the UK

· Experience of managing projects to achieve positive change for children

· Successful experience of achieving change through use of influence without direct line management responsibilities

· Experience of using an outcomes-focused approach to service delivery and quality assurance

· Experience of management of budgets

· Excellent report writing skills

· Experience of effective communication with internal departments and external agencies

· Ability to lead major new initiatives as required

· Able to travel across UK, including staying overnight when required, as this post has UK wide responsibilities

Diabetes is the most potentially devastating – and fastest growing – health crisis of our time, requiring ongoing high-quality care and support. There are currently 4.5 million people in the UK living with diabetes, and 11.9 million more at increased risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. Those diagnosed face the risk of life-changing, and life-limiting, complications, unless they are given the very best care and support needed to manage their condition well. Most people with diabetes just want to live a normal life, but the truth is that coping with the condition impacts the way they live and the choices they make, every single day.

Our desire in Services is to help people manage their diabetes and live a fulfilling life. With a determined vision to transform lives we tackle the problems and challenges that people can sometimes face through providing a range of services that offer hope and solutions. We provide practical support through our Customer Care Centre Helplines, the Online Forum, our events for children and families, and running the major diabetes professional and academic conference in the UK. We also lead on Safeguarding and Type 1 strategy, and are developing a highly innovative digital diabetes education service.

Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, as amended in particular by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 this post is subject to pre-employment criminal records checks through the Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS), Disclosure Scotland, Access NI.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for an experienced leader to play a major part in the leadership and drive of all these services, to help build operational excellence and develop external partnerships. You will have proven experience of leading high performance services, balancing the need for efficiency with sensitivity towards service users. In addition, you will have senior level strategic influencing skills to deliver complex projects to a high standard.

What we can offer you:

- Generous annual leave starting at 25 days plus bank holidays

- Discounted gym membership

- Annual Season ticket loan

- Employee assistance programme

- Pension provision

- A Cash Healthcare Plan

We have a vision of a world where diabetes can do no harm – if you’d like to be part of that, why not join us?