Assistant Safeguarding Lead and Welfare Officer

St Dominic's School; Godalming; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A highly regarded special school in Godalming seeks a dedicated professional to support safeguarding initiatives and lead the team of Safeguarding Ambassadors. The role requires excellent organizational skills and experience working with children and young people. This position offers a supportive environment within a well-resourced school committed to student welfare and therapeutic support.

Benefits

Pathways for progression

Pension Scheme

Salary Sacrifice Schemes

Employee Wellbeing support

Employee Discounts

Season Ticket Loan

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree level and above.
• Recent and relevant professional development, particularly related to safeguarding.
• Experience of planning and chairing meetings.
• Experience of working with children and young people.
• Knowledge and understanding of ASD and social communication needs.

Responsibilities

• Support the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Safeguarding Team.
• Balance face-to-face demands with administrative processes.
• Lead Safeguarding Ambassadors to promote safeguarding practices.

Skills

Exceptional organisational skills

Experience working with children

Experience of planning and chairing meetings

Knowledge of ASD and communication needs

Education

Qualified to degree level and above

Recent professional development related to safeguarding

Job description

Responsibilities

• To support the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the Safeguarding Team to safeguard the school community and promote pupil and student welfare.
• To balance the demands of working face to face with pupils, staff and parents with the administrative processes that sit behind the safeguarding practices in the school.
• To apply exceptional organisational skills in order to be able to prioritise own case load / tasks as well as support the DSL and Safeguarding Team with theirs.
• To lead the team of pupil and student Safeguarding Ambassadors to promote the profile of safeguarding in the school by carrying out an annual safeguarding project and delivering assemblies.

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree level and above.
• Recent and relevant professional development, particularly related to safeguarding.
• Experience of planning and chairing meetings.
• Experience of working with children and young people.
• Knowledge and understanding of ASD and social communication needs.

About St Dominic's School

St Dominic's School is a highly regarded special school in Surrey, set within 56 acres of serene, wooded grounds offering plenty of space for recreational activities. The school caters to pupils and Sixth Form students aged 7 to 19, supporting a diverse range of academic abilities and complex needs.

Our school is proud to offer a comprehensive range of in-house therapeutic services, including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Sensory Integration, all delivered by a team of qualified professionals. This extensive therapeutic support ensures that each student can access the curriculum at a level that suits their individual needs, helping them reach their full potential. Additionally, we provide purpose-built medical facilities with qualified nursing staff on site every day. St Dominic's has earned recognition for its commitment to excellence, achieving Advanced Autism Accreditation, the prestigious Arts Council 'Artsmark' Silver Award, and the prestigious Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) which celebrates our commitment to excellence in primary science.

Rewards & Benefits

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme).
• Employee Wellbeing: We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme.
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more).
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme).

About OHCAT & the Trust

Our Trust St Dominic's School is part of Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust. We are a family of specialist education providers from pre-school through to further education across London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire and fully represent all designations of special education needs and disabilities (SEND). To find out more about us, and what makes us a special place to work please visit our website. We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners. Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential. As a large specialist education provider, we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities. It is an exciting time to be part of OHCAT and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.

Application Process

If you wish to discuss this opportunity before or after submitting an application form, please get in touch with the School directly. Visits to the School in advance of applications are encouraged. Your application form will be scored according to each of the requirements laid out in the person specification for this role. Please demonstrate in your statement how your experience, skills and knowledge match the criteria that are required for the role.