Volunteer Safeguarding lead | V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC

This is an opportunity to lead safeguarding efforts in a mental health CIC, implementing policies, providing training, ensuring legal compliance, managing risks, and protecting vulnerable individuals, ensuring their safety and wellbeing.

What difference will you make?

As the Safeguarding Lead at V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both clients and volunteers. Your work will be pivotal in protecting vulnerable clients, particularly those with mental health challenges, from abuse and harm. By implementing and upholding safeguarding policies, you will ensure that concerns are addressed promptly, creating a safe space for clients to receive the support they need. You will ensure V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC adheres to safeguarding legislation and best practices, maintaining transparency and accountability by documenting incidents and actions. This will help ensure the organisation meets its legal and ethical responsibilities. By engaging with volunteers and management, you will foster a culture of safeguarding, ensuring that safety is prioritised in all client interactions and that everyone feels respected. In summary, as the Safeguarding Lead, you will have a vital impact on client safety, volunteer support, and the overall culture of V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC. You will help create a secure and compassionate environment for everyone involved.

What are we looking for?

Key Skills Knowledge of Safeguarding Legislation and Procedures A safeguarding lead must have a thorough understanding of safeguarding laws, policies, and best practices. This includes knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the Care Act 2014, and local safeguarding children and adult board guidelines. A strong grasp of legal and regulatory frameworks is essential to ensuring compliance and best practice. Risk Assessment and Management Safeguarding leads must be able to assess potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This involves identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, evaluating the severity of the risk, and implementing preventative measures. The ability to create and review risk assessments in partnership with relevant professionals is vital. Communication Skills Effective communication is key in safeguarding. A safeguarding lead must have the ability to communicate clearly and sensitively with vulnerable individuals, families, staff members, and external agencies. This includes both verbal and written communication skills, particularly when documenting concerns and reporting incidents. Leadership and Advocacy The safeguarding lead must provide guidance and leadership to staff, ensuring they understand their safeguarding responsibilities and act appropriately. Advocacy skills are also essential, as the lead will often represent the voice of vulnerable individuals, ensuring their needs and rights are upheld. Training and Development As part of their role, safeguarding leads are often responsible for developing and delivering training to staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders. They must ensure that the team is well-informed on safeguarding issues, recognising signs of abuse, and understanding the reporting procedures. Relevant Experience minimum of 3 years experience in safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults. Personal Qualities Empathy and Compassion, Resilience and Emotional Intelligence, Integrity and Professionalism, Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to offer an impactful opportunity for an individual passionate about safeguarding and mental health to join V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC as a volunteer Safeguarding Lead. This role is crucial in ensuring that vulnerable individuals accessing mental health support services are protected, respected, and treated with the utmost care and professionalism. As the Safeguarding Lead, you will be responsible for implementing, monitoring, and improving safeguarding practices across the organisation. Your work will ensure that our services comply with safeguarding legislation, guidance, and best practices, creating a safe environment for clients and volunteers alike. This is a highly rewarding role, offering the chance to directly influence the safety and wellbeing of individuals receiving mental health support through our services. You will lead the development, review, and implementation of safeguarding policies, procedures, and practices within V.L.A.D. Outreach CIC. It will be your responsibility to ensure that these practices align with national safeguarding standards and serve the best interests of service users. You will stay updated on changes in safeguarding legislation and best practices to ensure compliance across the organisation. A key part of your role will involve providing training, guidance, and support to counsellors, peer-support mentors, and crisis support workers. You will ensure that all volunteers understand their safeguarding responsibilities, fostering a culture of vigilance and respect. Regular risk assessments will be part of your duties, helping identify potential safeguarding risks to clients and volunteers. You will implement strategies to manage and mitigate these risks, providing advice on difficult cases and creating action plans when needed. Accurate record-keeping will be a critical aspect of your role, ensuring that all safeguarding issues and incidents are documented while maintaining confidentiality. You will provide regular safeguarding reports to the management team, highlighting trends or areas that need addressing. You will work closely with a dedicated team of counsellors, trainee psychologists, peer-support mentors, and crisis support workers. Your leadership will ensure that safeguarding best practices are followed and that the team is equipped to manage safeguarding concerns effectively. This role offers the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of clients by ensuring they receive care in a safe and protected environment.