Safeguarding Officer – Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Are you an empathetic and dynamic individual looking for a new opportunity where you can make a difference?

Do you want to be part of a team who helps protect the most vulnerable people within our communities?

The Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit is a multi-disciplinary team of police staff and officers focused on supporting vulnerable victims after domestic abuse, sexual offences, hate crime and other crimes to guide them through the criminal justice process and help them recover. We strive to identify and protect vulnerable children and adults and a large portion of our work is working within a multi-agency safeguarding environment. Alongside other Police Departments we process and share information to ensure children and adults are kept safe in the community.

Our Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit operates across the Avon and Somerset area with hubs in Bristol, Bridgwater and Keynsham. In the role as Safeguarding Officer there may also be a requirement to service our Multi Agency Safeguarding Hubs which sit at the Town Hall in Weston Super Mare and Badminton Road, South Gloucestershire.

A Safeguarding Officer is one role within this wider team. You will be part of a diverse and collaborative team and will be at the forefront of protecting vulnerable people within our communities. It is a great opportunity to join a busy and expanding team with great development opportunities to progress within the unit and upskill yourself as an individual.

You will deal with the pulling together of confidential and emotive information, from a variety of systems and will be responsible for making decisions under pressure. You will be integral to sharing information with our external partners such as Social Services and other education and health agencies to ensure that vulnerable people are protected and supported appropriately. You will also need to be able to adapt to changing priorities and think on your feet but you will leave at the end of each day knowing the work you do contributes to changing others’ lives.

Please be aware that this role will require you to liaise with external partners only with no direct contact with victims or wider communities.

In this role your main responsibilities will be:

• Assisting and cooperating with external and internal customers both verbally and in writing in respect of public protection enquiries
• Identifying and researching information and intelligence held by the force regarding vulnerable individuals and people who pose a risk, to assist with the risk management process
• Utilising a range of information and intelligence sources in order to compile effective reports
• Identifying victims that require a risk assessment and safeguarding plan and refer to other departments working as a team to keep people safe
• Undertaking referrals and share relevant information held by the Police Service with core multi agency partners

Skills, experience and qualifications required:

• A good working knowledge of data protection and the ability to deal with matters of a confidential nature
• Experience of researching large volumes of information from a range of sources
• Ability to take a methodical approach to work, ensuring accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and as part of a team
• Experience of report writing, working with multi-agency partners and a working knowledge of safeguarding are desirable.

We would also like to invite you to attend a virtual Familiarisation Event where you can find out more about the role of Safeguarding Officer and Team Support Officer which we are both currently advertising for within the Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit. These events will take place over Microsoft teams on the following dates:

Wednesday 28th June between 12pm -12:45pm

Tuesday 4th July between 5:00pm -5:45pm

If you wish to attend one of these events please email talentpolicestaff@avonandsomerset.police.uk. Attendance at this event is not mandatory and we would still welcome an application from you if you are not available to attend. If you have any questions but are not able to attend the event, please email your questions through to talentpolicestaff@avonandsomerset.police.uk.

To be eligible to apply for this role you must have a 3 year ‘checkable history’ in the UK – ideally this means that you would have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

Ready to apply?

We have vacancies available, which are permanent full time positions located across our three hubs Bridgwater, Bristol and Keynsham. We will also be recruiting into a bank for future vacancies, this means if you are successful we will reserve your application for a period of 12 months and offer you the position when it becomes vacant.

Tell us about yourself! We particularly welcome applications from people who can speak additional languages or have personal experience of people from different backgrounds – but don’t worry if you think that doesn’t apply to you, we’ll still be really keen to hear from you and the difference you can bring.

You do not need any qualifications to apply for this role as full training and mentoring will be provided.

This role is blended so you will be able to work from home for a proportion of your working week.

To be eligible to apply for this role you must have a 3 year ‘checkable history’ in the UK – ideally this means that you would have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

Could you be the difference we are looking for? Click the link below to apply.