Information Governance Support Officer

ACHIEVING FOR CHILDREN COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY; York and North Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS or Teachers Pension

Flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning & development opportunities

Staff benefits and discounts

Up to 35 days annual leave

Job summary

Achieving for Children (AfC) is seeking an Information Governance Support Officer to help ensure GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 compliance. You will support FOI responses and data subject requests, coordinate information requests, and provide staff training.

Working in a hybrid setup with one day per week in the Twickenham office, you will engage with the governance team and contribute to policy development while supporting safeguarding and confidentiality across children's services.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.
• Experience in responding to FOI and Subject Access Requests.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly to diverse groups.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and process FOI and Data Subject requests, including redactions.
• Maintain systems for recording all information requests.
• Provide training and advice on FOI and data protection to staff.
• Collaborate to design and implement compliant policies and processes.

Skills

Data protection

FOI handling

Communication

Analytical thinking

literacy & numeracy

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Job description

About the role

Achieving for Children (AfC) is looking for a driven, energetic, and highly organised individual to join our Information Governance Team. As our Information Governance Support Officer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring AfC remains compliant with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Reporting to the Head of Information Governance and Policy, you will support our public response to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Subject requests.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Coordinating and processing FOI and Data Subject requests, including the redaction of information and preparation of public reports.
• Maintaining effective systems for recording and controlling all received information requests.
• Providing essential support, advice, and training to AfC staff regarding FOI and data protection matters.
• Collaborating with the management team to design and implement policies and processes that ensure strict legal compliance.

We work in a hybrid way, with currently one day a week (Thursday) in our Twickenham office to support, learn and collaborate with each other.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about the role please contact Anna Spackman on [e-mail]

About you

We are looking for an independent and flexible person who brings a positive and child focused approach to the world of data protection. To be successful in this role, you should bring:

• A strong working knowledge of the Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR, and FOI legislation, alongside a deep understanding of confidentiality and information security principles.
• Experience of responding to FOIs and Subject Access Requests, redactions and rectifications
• Outstanding customer management and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex, specialist issues clearly to a wide range of individuals, including colleagues and partners, children, young people and their parents and carers.
• Proven analytical, problem-solving, and multitasking abilities to manage conflicting deadlines and prioritise your workload effectively.
• A good level of literacy and numeracy (GCSE level C or above in Maths and English is desirable), and ideally, previous experience working in a Children's Services or Health environment.

If you have the ambition to deliver excellent outcomes for children and the expertise to handle sensitive information with care and discretion, we’d love to hear from you!

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.