Head of Safeguarding

NHS; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 78,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health board in Wales is seeking a safeguarding leader to manage and oversee the safeguarding strategy for adults and children. The role involves strategic leadership, policy implementation, and financial management within a diverse health care environment. Candidates must have extensive experience in safeguarding and NHS leadership. This is a full-time, permanent position, offering a competitive salary based on experience.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of working at a senior level within the NHS in a safeguarding context.
• Significant experience of planning and delivering strategies.
• Knowledge of legislation related to safeguarding and public protection.

Responsibilities

• Advise on safeguarding matters to ensure the Health Board fulfills its responsibilities.
• Lead the implementation of relevant safeguarding performance measures.
• Manage the Safeguarding Service budgets ensuring financial control.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Leadership and management

Financial acumen

Conflict management

Education

Master's qualification or equivalent experience

NMC Registration

Job description

Job summary

• Responsible and accountable for the management, leadership, direction and financial management of Safeguarding for Adults and Children within the corporate safeguarding team.

• The post-holder will provide safeguarding leadership, strategic and professional management working with Directorates and Clinical Boards within the Health Board, in the development and delivery of the Health Board's strategy and ongoing ambitions of the Safeguarding Strategy, ensuring all relevant professional standards and frameworks are upheld. They will provide external safeguarding leadership on defined areas of work and work closely with the Executive Nurse Director and Deputy Executive Nurse Director to continuously improve the safeguarding contribution of these professionals' groups to supporting population health outcomes.

• Responsible for policy and service development and implementation for safeguarding, interpreting and advising on national and regional policies and professional and clinical standards to ensure the Health Board meets its strategic objectives and discharges its statutory duties in relation to safeguarding.

• Lead on the implementation of the Health and Care Quality Standards relating to Safeguarding and ensure the safe, efficient and effective delivery of care, compatible with professional and national standards.

Main duties of the job

Professional Management and Leadership

Service Improvement

Relationships and Communications

Finance and Resources

Personal and People Development and People Management

Digital and Information

Quality

Effort and Environmental

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

About us

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Boards in the UK, employing over 17,000 staff, providing over 100 specialist services. Working across 6 hospital sites, we have a diverse range of career opportunities to offer. Serving over 500,000 people living in Cardiff and the Vale, we are focussed on the health and care needs of our local population whilst working with our partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone, delivering excellent care and support.

Our mission is "Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together", and our vision is that every person's chance of leading a healthy life should be equal. Our 10-year transformation and improvement strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, is our chance to work collaboratively with the public and our workforce to make our health board more sustainable for the future.

Details Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£78,120 to £90,013 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

001-NMR157-0725

Job locations

Woodland House

Maes y Coed Road

Cardiff

CF14 4HH

Job description Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click "Apply now" to view in Trac

Advise the Deputy Executive Nurse Director, Executive Nurse Director and the Chief Executive on safeguarding children and adult matters to ensure the Health Board fulfils its responsibilities for safeguarding children and adults. This would include:

Welsh Government guidance or legislative change relating to safeguarding children and adults

Key national reviews

Significant local safeguarding children and adult issues, including the findings of Child and Adult Practice Reviews, which could impact on the UHBs governance and accountability

Encourage, support and influence a positive commitment to service improvement and transformation across all staff groups and services within and related to safeguarding services.

Have wide-ranging relationships with senior management, clinical and non-clinical staff, independent contractors and colleagues in statutory and external organisations.

Manage the Safeguarding Service budgets ensuring financial control, innovative ways of working, adjusting skill mix, budget-setting and variance analysis.

Lead and manage the Corporate Safeguarding Team, ensuring the delivery of strategic corporate objectives and performance targets with regard to all aspects of safeguarding

Lead the implementation of relevant safeguarding performance measures and analysis and present data from a number of databases and sources.

Advise the Health Board on all aspects of safeguarding governance including risk management, research audit and setting standards and monitoring.

Workload and complexity are unpredictable and there is requirement for intense concentration for analysing and processing information related to children and adults at risk of abuse and neglect and other public protection information.

Job description Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click "Apply now" to view in Trac

Advise the Deputy Executive Nurse Director, Executive Nurse Director and the Chief Executive on safeguarding children and adult matters to ensure the Health Board fulfils its responsibilities for safeguarding children and adults. This would include:

Welsh Government guidance or legislative change relating to safeguarding children and adults

Key national reviews

Significant local safeguarding children and adult issues, including the findings of Child and Adult Practice Reviews, which could impact on the UHBs governance and accountability

Encourage, support and influence a positive commitment to service improvement and transformation across all staff groups and services within and related to safeguarding services.

Have wide-ranging relationships with senior management, clinical and non-clinical staff, independent contractors and colleagues in statutory and external organisations.

Manage the Safeguarding Service budgets ensuring financial control, innovative ways of working, adjusting skill mix, budget-setting and variance analysis.

Lead and manage the Corporate Safeguarding Team, ensuring the delivery of strategic corporate objectives and performance targets with regard to all aspects of safeguarding

Lead the implementation of relevant safeguarding performance measures and analysis and present data from a number of databases and sources.

Advise the Health Board on all aspects of safeguarding governance including risk management, research audit and setting standards and monitoring.

Workload and complexity are unpredictable and there is requirement for intense concentration for analysing and processing information related to children and adults at risk of abuse and neglect and other public protection information.

Person Specification Person specification Essential

• NMC Registration
• Master's qualification or equivalent experience
• Advance knowledge of legislation related to safeguarding and public protection and related statutory guidance and regulations
• Evidence of leadership and management development qualification
• Significant expert/specialist knowledge in safeguarding and quality improvement
• Knowledge of work and function within the relevant Regional Safeguarding Boards.
• Evidence of further professional development

Desirable

• Teaching qualification or appropriate experience
• Leadership or management qualification or appropriate experience

Experience Essential

• Evidence of extensive experience of working at a senior level within the NHS in a safeguarding context
• Significant experience of planning and delivering strategy
• Experience of working with Local Authorities and the Independent sector.
• Evidence of undertaking audits, service evaluation and writing business cases
• Experience of participating in Adult and Child Practice Reviews and Domestic Homicide reviews

Desirable

• Experience of developing education and training materials
• Experience of working within a multi-agency team
• Experience in research and development of practice.
• Experience in Quality Audit and Performance management.
• Experience in working in partnership initiatives

Skills and Attributes Essential

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Effective influencing skills at a senior level.
• Confident presenter to groups of all sizes and the general public.
• Proven ability to lead and support teams. Financial acumen and budget management skills.
• Conflict management and mediation skills.

Desirable

• Experience in strategy development
• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.

Other Essential

• Ability to embrace the following personal values and behaviours on a daily basis
• Ability to demonstrate a commitment to our organisational values
• Flexible approach to the needs of the service
• Ability to travel across the Health Board in a timely manner
• Satisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance including Adults and Childrens Barred List

Person Specification Person specification Essential

• NMC Registration
• Master's qualification or equivalent experience
• Advance knowledge of legislation related to safeguarding and public protection and related statutory guidance and regulations
• Evidence of leadership and management development qualification
• Significant expert/specialist knowledge in safeguarding and quality improvement
• Knowledge of work and function within the relevant Regional Safeguarding Boards.
• Evidence of further professional development

Desirable

• Teaching qualification or appropriate experience
• Leadership or management qualification or appropriate experience

Experience Essential

• Evidence of extensive experience of working at a senior level within the NHS in a safeguarding context
• Significant experience of planning and delivering strategy
• Experience of working with Local Authorities and the Independent sector.
• Evidence of undertaking audits, service evaluation and writing business cases
• Experience of participating in Adult and Child Practice Reviews and Domestic Homicide reviews

Desirable

• Experience of developing education and training materials
• Experience of working within a multi-agency team
• Experience in research and development of practice.
• Experience in Quality Audit and Performance management.
• Experience in working in partnership initiatives

Skills and Attributes Essential

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Effective influencing skills at a senior level.
• Confident presenter to groups of all sizes and the general public.
• Proven ability to lead and support teams. Financial acumen and budget management skills.
• Conflict management and mediation skills.

Desirable

• Experience in strategy development
• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.

Other Essential

• Ability to embrace the following personal values and behaviours on a daily basis
• Ability to demonstrate a commitment to our organisational values
• Flexible approach to the needs of the service
• Ability to travel across the Health Board in a timely manner
• Satisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance including Adults and Childrens Barred List

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Address

Woodland House

Maes y Coed Road

Cardiff

CF14 4HH

Employer's website

https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Address

Woodland House

Maes y Coed Road

Cardiff

CF14 4HH

Employer's website

https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)