Designated Safeguarding Senior Manager – All Age – B8b

Designated Safeguarding Senior Manager – All Age – B8b

Only applicants currently at risk within an NHS organisation in the East of England are eligible to apply.

When completing your application, you must:

Clearly state your current NHS employer

Include AT RISK alongside the organisation name

Applications not meeting these criteria will not be considered.

We are seeking an experienced practitioner to join the ICB Safeguarding Team as Designated Safeguarding Senior Manager All Age. You will operate within NHS England’s Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework, providing expert leadership to help the ICB meet its statutory safeguarding duties for children and adults at risk.

This role requires confidence working across organisations and a strong commitment to meeting the needs of diverse communities.

If you are passionate about safeguarding, have strategic leadership experience in healthcare or a related system, and want to make a meaningful impact, we would welcome your application.

Main duties of the job

The responsibilities for the post holder will include:

• Leading safeguarding across SET, ensuring the ICB and all commissioned services standards are compliant with national and local guidance, and legislation
• Acting as an expert on children and adult safeguarding, advising multidisciplinary teams
• Collaborating with the safeguarding team to identify and address risks across all ages
• Reviewing and evaluating safeguarding practices and contributing to the development of policies for a safe and responsive healthcare environment
• Engaging in training, supervision, and quality assurance activities
• Representing the ICB in multiagency meetings, including Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Domestic Abuse Related Deaths Reviews, ensuring thorough governance and disseminating key learnings

We seek a proactive and knowledgeable health professional with:

• Active professional body registration and specialist safeguarding training or experience in safeguarding children and adults
• Extensive experience in children and / or adult safeguarding within a healthcare setting, with knowledge of local and national frameworks
• Strong leadership, excellent communication, and strategic decision-making abilities, plus experience working with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders
• A commitment to safeguarding children and adults at risk, handling complex safeguarding cases, and supporting the delivery of high-quality care

About us

NHS Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for the planning and funding of NHS services for around 1.9 million people across Essex. The headquarters is Seax House, Chelmsford, and we operate a hybrid working model (2 office-based days) that includes working across Essex and from home. Essex ICB has offices in Brentwood, Harlow and Colchester, in addition to the Chelmsford HQ.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including people of all ages, disabilities, sex, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Our policies ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently throughout the recruitment process, including consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.

Job responsibilities

ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY

The Designated Safeguarding Senior Manager – All Age role sits within the All-age Safeguarding team and the Nursing and Quality Directorate. The role is required to discharge all the ICBs safeguarding statutory duties, roles and responsibilities set out in legislation and guidance, such as the Care Act 2014 and adults at risk in the NHS – Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance framework (SAAF, 2022). The all-age approach to safeguarding acknowledges the impact of abuse and neglect across the lifespan, the interdependencies of safeguarding in its widest concept and the diversity of the population we serve.

The post holder will work closely with the Director of Nursing and Consultant Lead Safeguarding and a variety of healthcare and multiagency professionals to enable the delivery of the All-age safeguarding agenda.

This post is a senior strategic role with the authority to act as an expert in the discharge of the ICBs safeguarding statutory functions and the design and delivery of the ICBs All-age safeguarding strategy.

The post holder will be a clinical expert in the field of Safeguarding and be responsible for ensuring comprehensive and robust arrangements are in place and support its responsibilities in becoming a robust strategic commissioning organisation (set out in the NHS model blueprint for safeguarding).

The post holder will be able to work across organisational and geographical boundaries to ensure safeguarding issues are represented at every level of health organisations activity. To fulfil the requirement, they will need to show key skills such as innovator and negotiator along with a strong solution focus.

They will inform the strategic thinking and direction of the ICB and local partners and will be directly involved in the development and monitoring of safeguarding standards through commissioning arrangements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Promoting quality outcomes, patient experience, and sustainability in commissioning and contract management
• Ensuring robust positive relationships are in place with safeguarding statutory partners
• Shape the safeguarding agendas for all ages across Essex
• Engaging residents and partners in decision-making
• Driving excellence through coaching and constructive challenge
• Prioritising system-wide collaboration over individual or organisational agendas
• Upholding public accountability for safety, quality, and resource use
• Ensuring there is a strong commitment to our ICB values and behaviours charter which is essential to becoming a successful strategic commissioning organisation

As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focussed strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the Director of Nursing and Consultant Lead Safeguarding in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:

• From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning
• From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health
• From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:

Policy and service development

• Implement policy and / or service developments related to all aspects of the safeguarding agenda, interpreting requirements from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan
• Ensure compliance with relevant ICB policies
• Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management

Strategy and analysis

• Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
• Analysis of complex qualitative and quantitative data relating to all aspects of the safeguarding agenda
• Turning analysis into useful insights that can be used to inform decision making
• Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
• Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services

Planning and organisation

• Develop project plans to drive delivery of complex projects relating to all aspects of the safeguarding agenda
• Manage delivery against agreed project plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
• Develop and oversee annual business plan for all aspects of the safeguarding agenda

Communications and Partnerships

• Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
• Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making
• Present information and training to large groups
• Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed
• Effective engagement with patients and the public as required
• Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of projects that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system
• Share complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing
• Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery

Financial and resource management

• Support the Director of Nursing and Consultant Lead Safeguarding maintaining strong value for money across ICB expenditure
• Demonstrate a strong sense of financial acumen
• Supports procurement of relevant services

Team management and capability building

• Develop and lead the All-age Safeguarding team, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members
• Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition
• Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
• Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
• Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
• Supporting effective Information Asset Management for the team

Other

• Use initiative and work with independence to deliver on requirements of the role
• Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in online or in person meetings
• Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel, AI)

Flexibility and evolving responsibilities

As the ICB continues to evolve, portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:

• ICB senior leadership
• Information Governance team
• Health & Wellbeing Board officers
• Local Authority partners
• Adult and Childrens Safeguarding boards
• Police
• Public Health
• Named Professionals and GPs
• NHS Providers
• NHSEI regional partners
• VCFSE sector, local health entrepreneurs, campaigns groups and social media influencers and local employers

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level (relevant focus) or equivalent managerial experience
• Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development
• Demonstratable higher qualification in Safeguarding
• Required to be a Nurse registrant, Midwife, Health Visitor, AHP or Social Worker

Experience

• Minimum of 3 years experience working in a senior safeguarding specialism, ideally in a healthcare setting
• Proven experience of providing expert safeguarding advice and supervision to professionals
• Experience in leading and participating in incident reviews, such as patient safety and safeguarding multiagency reviews (i.e. Safeguarding Practice Reviews or Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews)
• Experience in implementing safeguarding policies and procedures within a large organisation or community setting
• Experience of working at a strategic level, able to recognise direction and implications of policy and potentially competing priorities
• Understanding of Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework (NHS, 2026) and implications for ICBs and health providers
• In‑depth knowledge of Southend, Essex, and Thurrock safeguarding children and adult guidelines and national legislation related to safeguarding
• Compliance with the Safeguarding Roles and Competencies for Healthcare Staff (RCN, 2024; RCPCH, 2026)
• Knowledge of governance and quality assurance processes within safeguarding, including dissemination of learning from reviews

Strategy and Analysis

• Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills, especially in complex and sensitive safeguarding matters
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence and advise senior leadership and multidisciplinary teams
• High‑level analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex safeguarding cases and data
• Organisational skills to manage multiple priorities effectively, including governance and quality assurance processes

People and Culture

• Demonstrated ability to manage and lead a team, ensuring all voices are heard, supporting professional growth, and ensuring effective safeguarding standards
• Experience representing an organisation in multiagency panels
• Ability to foster effective partnerships with external agencies to address complex safeguarding issues
• Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery

Partnership and Communities

• Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
• Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, partners and communities as needed
• Ability to travel to attend meetings at several locations across Southend, Essex and Thurrock

Governance and Assurance

• Implement policy and / or service developments related to all aspects of the safeguarding agenda, interpreting requirements from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan
• Ensure compliance with relevant ICB policies
• Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management
• Support the Director of Nursing and Consultant Lead Safeguarding maintaining strong value for money across ICB expenditure
• Demonstrate a strong sense of financial acumen
• Support procurement of relevant services

Personal Attributes and Values

• Personal commitment to the values of the NHS 10-year Plan, the NHS People Plan, the Nolan Principles, to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within the ICB and the wider health system
• Primarily desk‑based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in online or in person meetings
• Able to use software required to develop reports, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel, AI)
• Ability to work independently and take initiative, especially in urgent safeguarding situations
• Personal attributes include emotional intelligence, resilience and flexibility

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