Diocesan Safeguarding Caseworker

Church of England; Birmingham; Hybride; GBP 35 000 - 43 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Hybrid working

Wellbeing support

Church Workers Pension Scheme

Résumé du poste

The Church of England Birmingham is seeking a Diocesan Safeguarding Caseworker to join the Safeguarding Team. You will manage safeguarding concerns across the Diocese, provide trauma-informed support, and work with clergy, parishes, and statutory agencies to ensure safeguarding is embedded in ministry.

You will triage and assess referrals, plan timely investigations, maintain robust safeguarding records, and offer clear, confident advice to parish safeguarding officers while upholding national

Qualifications

• Significant experience in safeguarding children, adults, and vulnerable groups.
• Experience managing safeguarding concerns involving statutory response to protection.
• Strong knowledge of UK safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
• Experience working with statutory agencies (children’s services, adult social care, police).
• Experience producing accurate, high-quality safeguarding records.
• Understanding safer recruitment and safeguarding compliance.
• Experience contributing to statutory risk assessments and safety planning.
• Proven track-record of integrity, discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Experience in safer recruitment, risk management, or safeguarding agreements.

Responsabilités

• Manage safeguarding concerns and cases across the Diocese.
• Triage and assess safeguarding inquiries, concerns and referrals, escalating when required.
• Work within the National Safeguarding Standards Framework and Managing Allegations Code of Practice.
• Support clergy and parish safeguarding officers through safeguarding inquiries and investigations.
• Provide trauma-informed guidance and signposting to victims and survivors.
• Maintain high-quality, legally robust records in line with guidance.
• Complete risk assessments of individuals with safeguarding concerns.
• Undertake risk assessments or safety plans as requested by Diocesan Saf safeguarding Officers.

Description du poste

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Diocese of Birmingham's Safeguarding Team as a Diocesan Safeguarding Caseworker. The role is central to ensuring that children, young people, and adults at risk are safeguarded through the effective management of safeguarding concerns, the provision of trauma-informed support, and collaborative working with clergy, parishes, statutory agencies, and partner organisations. Working within the Church of England's safeguarding policies and national standards, you will contribute to creating a culture where safeguarding is embedded in every aspect of ministry, ensuring concerns are managed with professionalism, compassion, and accountability.

AsaDiocesanSafeguardingCaseworker,you will:

• BeresponsibleformanagingsafeguardingconcernsandcasesacrosstheDiocese
• Triageandassessconcerns,escalatingwhenrequired
• Planworkeffectivelytoensureconcernsaredealtwithpromptlyandappropriately
• EnsureVictims/SurvivorsandRespondentsarelistenedtoandkeptappropriatelyinformed
• Supportvictimsandsurvivorswithsensitivity,dignity,andcare
• Provideconfident,trauma-informedadvicetoclergy,andparishsafeguardingofficers
• Workcloselywiththe diocesan safeguarding teamtoensurerobust,defensibledecision-makingand handling of concerns
• Contributetothesafemanagementofindividualswhomayposearisktoothers
• Ensuresafeguardingpracticeisconsistent,compliant,andreflectiveofnationalstandards
• ProvidesupporttoembedsafeguardingasacorepartofeverydayministryacrossCofE Birmingham

Thisroleisvaried,meaningful,andidealforasafeguardingprofessionalwhothrivesinacomplex context.

Key Responsibilities

Safeguarding Casework

• Managing,safeguardingconcernsandcasesacrosstheDiocese
• Triageandassesssafeguardingenquiries, concernsandreferrals,escalatingwhenrequired
• WorkwithintheNationalSafeguardingStandardsFrameworkand theManagingAllegations Code of Practice
• Supportclergyandparishsafeguardingofficersthroughsafeguardingenquiriesand investigations
• Providetrauma-informedsupport,guidance,andsignpostingtovictimsandsurvivors
• Maintainhigh-quality,legallyrobustrecordsinlinewithChurchofEnglandguidance
• CompleteRiskAssessmentsofindividuals about whom there are safeguarding concerns
• At the Diocesan Safeguarding Officers request, undertaking risk assessments or safety plans for individuals where there are, or have been concerns about their behaviour towards children or adults at risk, where they have convictions for offences against children or adults at risk or where they have a blemished DBS disclosure.

Partnership Working

• LiaiseandcollaboratewithstatutoryagenciesintheUK
• Information share in accordance with CofE policy
• Engagement with national and regional network of diocesan safeguarding officers and relevant local ecumenical or multi-faith forums as well as (when work allows) building relationships with statutory agencies including safeguarding boards, social services, LADO and police.

Policy, Practice & Assurance

• SupporttheimplementationofCofE policy (guidance, codes of practice and frameworks)
• Promoteacultureofproactivesafeguarding,learning,andreflectivepractice

Other

• TakedirectionsfromtheDiocesan Safeguarding Officers asrequired
• Activelyparticipateinteamduties aspartofthewider safeguardinganddiocesanteams,and contribute to wider safeguarding initiatives
• The ability to travel independently across the breadth of the diocese, on occasion to locations without public transport links
• Supporting training activity on occasion at the direction of the DSO when required

Person Specification

About You

Youareaconfident,reflective,experiencedsafeguardingpractitioner whomanagescomplexand sensitive situations with professionalism and care.

Essential Experience and knowledge

• Significantexperienceinsafeguardingchildren,adults,andvulnerablegroups
• Experiencemanagingcomplexsafeguardingconcerns involving the statutory response to the protection of children/adults
• StrongknowledgeandunderstandingofUKsafeguardinglegislationandstatutoryguidance
• Experienceworkingwithrelevantstatutoryagencies(i.e.children’sservices,adultsocialcare, police)
• Experienceinproducingaccurate,high-qualitysafeguardingrecords
• Understandingofsaferrecruitmentandsafeguardingcompliance
• Experience contributing to statutory risk assessments and safety planning
• AproventrackrecordofworkingwithIntegrity,discretion,andrespectforconfidentiality
• Abletomanagecompetingprioritiesinadynamicenvironment
• Experiencedinsaferrecruitment,riskmanagement,orsafeguardingagreements

Essential Skills

• Excellentjudgementandabilitytomakedefensible,proportionatedecisions
• Clear,confidentcommunicationskillsacrossdiverseaudiences
• Emotionalresilienceandstrongprofessionalboundaries
• Abilitytoremaincalmandempatheticinchallengingsituations
• Strongorganisationalskillswiththeabilitytomanagemultiplepiecesofwork
• Confidenceinescalation,advocacy,andprofessionalchallenge
• Team-orientedwiththeabilitytoworkindependently
• Strongcommitmenttosafeguardingasacoreorganisationalvalue
• Reflective,self-aware,andcommittedtoongoingdevelopment
• Abilityandwillingnesstotravel across the length and breadth of the Diocese.

Qualifications

• Professionalqualification or qualified by experienceinsafeguarding,from asocialcare,education,health,orrelatedfield
• SafeguardingtrainingatLevel4+
• Minimum5yearsof safeguarding practice
• Enhanced DBS (or equivalent) & right to work in the UK

Desirable

• Experiencesafeguardingwithinafaith-basedorvoluntarysetting
• KnowledgeofChurchofEnglandsafeguardingframeworks
• Experiencedeliveringsafeguardingtrainingorcontributingtoaudits
• Current knowledge of DBS processes and legislation

Terms & Conditions

Salary and Pension: £39,000 per annum plus membership of the Church Workers Pension Scheme.

Contract: Fixed-term up until June 2028

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week over 5 days - Hybrid working is available where this aligns with the needs of the role. Following an initial settling-in period, employees may work on a hybrid basis, combining office and home working, with a minimum average of two days per week worked on-site.

Holidays: Five weeks annual leave, plus Bank Holidays plus 3 Discretionary Diocesan days.

Responsible to: Diocesan Safeguarding Officer

Employer: The Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance

Closing Date: 3rd November 2026

Interviews to be In-person: 16th November 2026

The Church of England Birmingham is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community: a place where all can be themselves and bring their unique identity to their ministry and/or work.

We welcome applications from any individuals who feel they meet the person specification for this post, particularly those who are currently under-represented within our staff teams, including people from Global Majority Heritage and UK Minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with visible or invisible disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQI+.

We offer a range of inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and wellbeing support for our staff teams.

The Church of England Birmingham is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All appointments to roles undertaking regulated activity are subject to pre-appointment checks, including references and a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check complete with barred list.