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Job Description (JD)
Band 8
Group Profile - Head of Function Complex
(HOFC)
Job Description - HOFC : Safeguarding
Document Ref.
OR-JES-096-JD-B8 : HOFC : Safeguarding v10.0
Document Type
Management
Version
10.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
8th April 2025
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
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OR-JES-096-JD-B8 : HOFC : Safeguarding v10.0
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Job Description
Job Title
HOFC : Safeguarding
Group Profile
Head of Function Complex
Organisation
Functional Management
Level
Band
8
Overview of the
This is a functional management job in an establishment. This
job
can be either an operational or non operational post with line
management responsibilities. If operational, please see technical
requirements.
All staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children. The post holder must undertake the
appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that
they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the
organisation.
Summary
The job holder will be responsible for managing the
Safeguarding Function. As a member of the senior management
team, they will contribute and implement their Function’s
objectives as defined in the establishment’s Business Plan.
All staff are expected to deliver a service to young people where
they are provided with a fully integrated regime to meet their
care, offending, education and health needs and that is
compliant with Article 3.1 of the United Nations’ Convention on
the Rights of the Child (1989).
All staff will work co-operatively, positively and in partnership to
help deliver service excellence to the young people in our
collective care; ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of young
people is of paramount importance.
All Staff working within an under 18 YOI are expected to
understand their responsibilities to protect and promote the
welfare of children in their care and their duty to report concerns
appropriately and appropriate child protection referrals are made.
This is a rotational role which can be operational or non-
operational. This role has line management responsibilities.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following
Activities and
responsibilities, activities and duties:
Duties
• Manage the achievement of qualitative and quantitative
standards including supporting the delivery of the Service
Level Agreement between the Youth Justice Board and the
Directorate of Public Sector Prisons.
• Manage the achievement of qualitative and quantitative
service standards that are compliant with the Youth Justice
Board’s National Minimum Standards and the policy on Care
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and Management of Young People relevant to the area of
functional responsibility.
• Ensure that all areas of work within function are discharged in
compliance with Section 11 duty to safeguard and promote
welfare under the Children Act 2004.
• Manage the delivery of the HMPPS/YJB operating
specification by ensuring an establishment wide quality
assurance process is in place. Accountable for ensuring that
all areas of work within functions are discharged in compliance
with the specification.
• Ensure that the quality assurance framework provides a
regular review of delivery by bringing together quantitative
management information with qualitative testing of delivery as
set out in HMPPS/YJB operating specification Ensure all
managers and staff within the function provide a respectful,
safe decent environment for all young people and staff.
• Accountable for the performance of the function and the staff
within it. Manage the achievement of qualitative and
quantitative standards including Service Delivery Indicators
(SDIs) within the function, verifying and signing off
documentation as appropriate. Analyses and acts upon data
which is relevant to their function.
• Accountable for ensuring robust and effective procedures for
young people engagements are in place.
• Accountable for completing Impact Assessments as required
for the Single Equality Scheme.
• Ensure that all staff within your department contribute as
required, and in line with the Casework Operating Model and
associated policy documents, to the establishment wide multi-
disciplinary casework model. This may be through a range of
mediums, for example providing progress reports or attending
sentence planning meetings.
• Ensure that the casework department links effectively with the
Safeguarding department in the establishment to take all
reasonable actions to reduce risk to young people.
Accountable for the integrity of the following systems, processes
and management of all staff within the area. This includes:
• Safeguarding
• Child Protection
• Safer Custody
• The approved restraint syllabus
• Dedicated Local Authority Social Workers
Safeguarding
• Accountable for ensuring the establishment complies with
section 11 of the Children’s Act and will review all local child
protection policies.
• Accountable for ensuring that the establishment has in place
an annually reviewed safeguarding and child protection policy,
which details a multi agency and multi disciplinary approach to
safeguarding and child protection. The policy applies to all
young people in the Secure Establishment and is approved by
the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
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• Act as specialist advisor to the Senior Management Team
(SMT) on safeguarding issues and represent the governor on
external boards.
• Accountable for the preparation of reports for safeguarding
meetings, ensuring meetings are attended by the attendees
named in the TOR and the safeguarding policy.
• Accountable for ensuring the establishments’ approaches to
safeguarding and child protection must include a clear process
for learning which shall feed into any reviews and updates of
safeguarding and child protection practice and includes a
requirement to share learning with Providers.
• Accountable for the development of a strong relationship with
the LSCB and involve it fully in scrutinising practice and
offering support to provide improvements. To agree a Service
Level Agreement between the LSCB and the establishment.
• Accountable for the quality assurance of the RAM (risk
assessment and management) ACCT documentation.
• Responsible for reviewing all complaints concerning Young
People held within the establishment for child protection
concerns.
Child Protection
• Accountable for ensuring that work undertaken supports
requirements of government legislation on child protection,
including restraint minimisation and oversight of the approved
restraint syllabus.
• Accountable for child protection referrals, based on evidence
provided by a range of individuals within the establishment
and other stakeholders. Is responsible for the appropriate
action to be carried out, recorded and relevant learning and
actions are implemented effectively ensuring independent
scrutiny is applied to all cases by the LADO (local authority
designated officer).
• Accountable for the development and implementation of a
clear process for reporting safeguarding incidents or
allegations to the child protection team and/or to the Local
Authority’s designated officer and the YJB whenever a child
protection concern is raised.
• Accountable for managing the child protection data for the
establishment highlighting key trends, to the Governor,
ensuring the CP cases are appropriately monitored, discussed
and documented.
Safer Custody
• Accountable for ensuring all managers and staff within the
function understand, promote and support the Safer Custody
Policy.
• Accountable for the establishment suicides and self harm,
violence reduction, strategies and ensure they are
implemented across the establishment.
• Accountable for establishment contributions towards Death In
Custody (DIC) investigations and use information to update
Safer Custody Policy where required.
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• Accountable for ensuring all statistics and trends in relation to
safer custody are monitored and acted upon.
• Accountable for the review of all relevant safer custody local
policies and quality assurance processes.
• Accountable for the management and quality checking of the
Cell Share Risk Assessment (CSRA) database.
The approved restraint syllabus
• Accountable for overseeing the delivery of the approved
restraint syllabus and subsequent staff assessments. The role
will also encompass all elements of monitoring UOF and
restraint that informs and enables the development of future
practice at both a local and national level and contributes and
is aligned to the establishment’s restraint minimisation
strategy.
Dedicated Local Authority Social Workers
• To be accountable for the Children and family social workers
who will assist YOI managers to fulfil their statutory duties
under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004. These social work
posts will be to support YOI managers in meeting existing
safeguarding and looked after children (LAC) responsibilities,
ensuring that YOI managers can draw on appropriate, current
expertise in child protection and social work practice which will
in turn facilitate good working relationships between
establishments and local authorities.
• Accountable for ensuring the service specified in the SLA is
consistently delivered and that dedicated social workers
(DSW) are effectively supported.
Depending on operational experience, will undertake some or all
other management tasks including:
• Act as the Governor's representative by chairing adjudications
and taking charge of day-to-day establishment operations as
Duty Governor.
• Promote Prison Service policy in all activities and behaviours
e.g. promote diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-
offending agendas.
• Review open Assessment Care in Custody teamwork (ACCT)
as and when required in line with audit baselines.
• Provide leadership and management of the Function. Will
have the skills to apply all Human Resources (HR) related
policies and practices and be able to carry out all aspects of
people management such as Attendance Management,
Disciplinary Investigations, Performance Management and
Staff Appraisals.
• Manage the Young People’s Complaints Process within the
Function.
• Responsible for ensuring all litigation claims relevant to the
area have been dealt with in accordance with policy.
• Oversee the compilation and achievement of any performance
improvement programmes reporting on progress regularly as
appropriate.
• Manage the appropriate authorisation of Financial Compliance
Statements.
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• Manage devolved budgets in accordance with the financial
procedures outlined in the budget delegation.
• Ensure that the Function produces and analyses audit and
establishment performance management information
identifying variances and areas requiring improvements.
• Contribute to the establishment’s overall achievement of
(SDIs) and standards and be accountable for the performance
and delivery of targets relating to the budget; People Plan for
the Function.
• Accountable for all local and national policies relating to the
Function, and ensure procedures implemented are compliant,
including the development of new policies.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the medium-to-
long term strategic and business plan for the establishment,
with overall responsibility for implementation within their
Function.
• Attend relevant boards/meetings and actively contribute either
as chair or team member.
• Responsible for ensuring the defined work areas and
associated activities comply with Health and Safety legislation.
Ensure all risk assessments are undertaken and staff are
made aware of their personal responsibility towards Health
and Safety compliance.
• Contribute to the preparation of the establishment contingency
and emergency plans and ensure implementation when
required.
• Ensure the effective use of staff resources and the provision of
training and annual leave opportunities.
• Produce relevant reports as required and ensure that the
response to all correspondence are within agreed timescales.
• Carry out investigations and administration in relation to
incidents of potential discrimination and report on findings.
• Accountable for ensuring actions arising from Standard Audit,
His Majesty Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) Action Plans and
Managing Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) surveys, including
local self audit action plans and Resettlement strategies, are
delivered.
• Deliver and implement projects as directed by the Governor.
• Actively encourage staff engagement within the Function to
ensure objectives are met.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is
at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is
expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of
a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments
may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme
and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.
An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence
through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales)
Welsh.
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Behaviours
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Essential
Experience
Technical
Job holders must complete specific training in their specialism
Requirements
once they take up post.
If Operational
• Must be successfully accredited by passing the Head of
Function Assessment Centre (HFAC), or prior to 2016 be
accredited as an Operational Manager (or in post as a G5
prior to 1999).
• Where HFAC accreditation was gained from 2018, the
Incident Management Silver Command (IMSC)
assessment must also be passed to be eligible for
operational Head of Function roles.
• Successful completion of the workbook
• When transferring to a Young Persons establishment the
job holder will be required to successfully undertake an
assessment to demonstrate suitability to work with Young
People.
Whether Operational or Non Operational -
Any manager working within the under 18 YOI estate will be
expected within one year of taking up post, to have completed the
following WYPC modules:
• WYPC - Child Protection and Safeguarding (plus e-
learning and 3year refresh cycle)
• WYPC - Adolescent Development (plus e-learning)
• WYPC - Speech Language and Communication Needs
• WYPC - Emotional and Mental Wellbeing
Ability
Minimum
• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to
Eligibility
taking up post.
• All external candidates are subject to 6 months’
probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they
have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
• All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a
group or organisa OFFIC
tion IAL
whi
ch HMPPS consider to be racist.
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Hours of Work
37 hour working week
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
Required Hours Allowance - TBC by Recruiting Manager
This role requires regularly working unpredictable and unsocial
hours and be on call to attend their place of work at anytime. A
payment will be paid at the current organisational rate in addition
to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those
hours outside 0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include
working evening, nights, weekends and Bank / Public holidays.
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