St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Job Title: Safeguarding Officer Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer Professional Supervision: The Regional Safeguarding Lead Contract: Permanent Salary: £22,500 per annum (FTE £39,375) Hours per week: 20 hours Annual Leave: 25 days plus bank holidays (Pro Rota) Role Description The Safeguarding Officer will lead and oversee all aspects of safeguarding within St Edmundsbury Cathedral, ensuring that the Cathedral remains a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. You will be responsible for ensuring that the Cathedral meets all statutory safeguarding obligations and complies fully with the Church of England s national safeguarding policies, diocesan frameworks, and relevant legislation. This includes proactively identifying potential risks, responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns, and ensuring effective reporting and case management in partnership with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and statutory agencies. Beyond compliance, this role is about embedding a culture of care, accountability, and transparency across the Cathedral community. You will support clergy, staff, and volunteers to understand their safeguarding responsibilities, ensure safer recruitment and training practices, and provide guidance and reassurance when safeguarding issues arise. By acting as a source of expert advice, leadership, and advocacy, the Safeguarding Officer will help the Cathedral community uphold the highest standards of safety, dignity, and pastoral care, ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstance, can participate fully and confidently in Cathedral life. The Cathedral Safeguarding Officer has operational authority within the Cathedral (subject to agreement with the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer with respect to responding to concerns and allegations against Church officers) for the following responsibilities, arranged according to the Church of England s National Safeguarding Standards. These four National Safeguarding Standards provide the framework for effective safeguarding practice across all Church settings: Culture, Leadership, and Capacity Promoting a culture where safeguarding is embedded in every aspect of Cathedral life, ensuring that leaders, clergy, staff, and volunteers model and champion best practice. Prevention Implementing robust safer recruitment, induction, and training processes, and proactively identifying and mitigating potential safeguarding risks. Responding to Concerns Ensuring that all concerns, disclosures, and allegations are taken seriously, responded to promptly, and managed in partnership with statutory agencies and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. Learning, Supervision, and Quality Assurance Fostering continual improvement through regular review, reflection, and evaluation of safeguarding practice, ensuring accountability and transparency at all levels. Together, these standards guide the Cathedral s commitment to providing a safe, nurturing, and trustworthy environment for all who engage with its worship, ministry, and community life. Key Responsibilities Strategic leadership Act as the Cathedral s primary safeguarding lead, providing authoritative advice and operational oversight to the Chapter, leadership team, clergy, staff and volunteers. Ensure compliance with national Church of England safeguarding guidance, diocesan requirements and all relevant statutory legislation. Develop, maintain and drive a measurable safeguarding action plan and improvement programme, ensuring policies and practice are implemented consistently across Cathedral activities. Produce clear, timely safeguarding reports and briefings for Chapter and committees translating case and compliance information into strategic recommendations. Actively promote a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, supporting leaders to embed safeguarding into planning, events, recruitment and everyday practice. Engaging in professional supervision and quality assurance provided by the relevant Regional Safeguarding Lead, and in continual professional development, including ensuring that the requirements of the National Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework for Safeguarding Officers are met. Safer recruitment Lead and oversee safer recruitment processes for all paid roles and volunteer positions, ensuring job descriptions, interviews and selection processes assess safeguarding suitability. Support managers to make informed recruitment decisions and ensure all new starters receive safeguarding induction and appropriate supervision. Case management Receive, triage and respond to safeguarding concerns and disclosures quickly and sensitively, ensuring the safety and welfare of those involved. Undertake initial risk and needs assessments and make appropriate referrals to statutory agencies and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. Support and co-ordinate multi-agency responses where required, and follow agreed safeguarding pathways. Provide pastoral support and signposting to victims/survivors while ensuring appropriate boundaries, confidentiality and access to specialist support services. Manage allegations involving staff or volunteers in line with diocesan procedures, ensuring safe working arrangements are put in place while enquiries proceed. Maintain accurate, secure and auditable case records, ensuring all documentation complies with data protection (GDPR) and Cathedral record-keeping protocols Meetings & governance Attend safeguarding-related meetings, including the Safeguarding Committee, Guild Committee and Forum, providing briefings, presenting reports and highlighting risks and compliance matters. Prepare agendas, papers and minutes as required; maintain an action log and follow up to ensure agreed actions are completed. Escalate unresolved risks or urgent safeguarding matters to Chapter and senior leadership in a timely and constructive manner. Attend Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) Meetings. Training & awareness Lead on Cathedral safeguarding training, coordinate and deliver induction and refresher training for staff, volunteers, and clergy. Maintain up-to-date records of safeguarding training for all staff and volunteers (showing completion and renewal dates). Create accessible safeguarding information and communications for the Cathedral community (e.g., weekly bulletin items, posters, webpages and event briefings) to raise awareness and reinforce good practice. Provide tailored briefings for high-risk roles and ongoing advice to managers and supervisors on safeguarding responsibilities. To evaluate training to ensure that learnings have been embedded. Policy & risk management Review, update and implement the Cathedral s safeguarding policies and procedures on a regular schedule (and sooner where guidance or case learning requires change). Lead safeguarding risk assessments for services, events, volunteer activities and external bookings; provide straightforward, action-focused mitigation plans for event organisers and hirers. Conduct audits and spot-checks to ensure practice aligns with policy and report findings with recommended improvements. Ensure contractors, partner organisations and hirers meet required safeguarding standards and that any safeguarding responsibilities are set out contractually where appropriate. Additional duties and professional development Provide clear, timely advice within agreed working hours and support any out-of-hours arrangements for urgent safeguarding concerns as agreed with Chapter. Maintain your own professional development through training, supervision and membership of relevant safeguarding networks; ensure learning is shared across the Cathedral. Carry out any other reasonable duties that support the effective delivery of safeguarding across the Cathedral. Attend the East Anglia Regional Safeguarding Network meeting three times a year, with other DSOs and CSO in the region Key Relationships In the Cathedral, the Dean provides leadership concerning safeguarding, supported by Chapter and senior leadership team requiring good working relationships with both clergy and lay colleagues. It is essential that the CSO forms excellent working relationships with key people in the Diocese, including: the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO), the safeguarding team and other relevant staff; the chair and membership of diocesan safeguarding governance structures e.g., the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) and relevant sub-groups; and the National Safeguarding Team. It is essential to have good connections with colleagues in relevant local third sector agencies, including those working in the fields of homelessness, poverty, domestic abuse, mental health, substance misuse, refugee support, language and learning support, etc. Adults and children who are using, have used or may use the services of the cathedral, particularly in relation to safeguarding. Person Spesification Essential Qualities Qualifications Relevant safeguarding qualification/training, or willingness to undertake Experience . click apply for full job details