Business Manager: Safeguarding Children

The Opportunity

Salary: Hay B £56,713 to £59,946 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time

Location: Countywide - your base location can be from Chichester, Worthing, Horsham, or Bognor. You will need to travel across the county to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

Closing date: 12 November 2024

Interview date: 18 November 2024 at County Hall, Chichester

Are you experienced in safeguarding children? Do you have a passion for leading others?

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) are looking for a Business Manager for West Sussex Safeguarding Children's Partnership.

The vision for the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSSCP) is to develop "an assured Safeguarding Partnership, which collectively engages with children and their families, enabling them to thrive."

We're looking for a dynamic and experienced manager to provide strategic support to our partners, being instrumental in managing how each partner agency safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. You will lead three partners: Sussex Police, NHS Sussex, and West Sussex Children's Services.

You will provide ongoing support to statutory partners and the Independent Scrutineer, with wider multi-agency impact, and will manage the Partnership Business Team. This high-profile role is essential in improving safeguarding arrangements and front-line inter-agency practice.

You will be pragmatic in your problem-solving decisions, making judgements based on analysis and principles, and tackling varying difficult situations of a technical, professional, or people-related nature.

We need someone who is passionate about safeguarding children by providing a clear county-wide understanding of best practice and is experienced in working with partner agencies at a strategic level. You will be self-motivated and experienced in management or leadership, with the confidence to manage, oversee, and advise on safeguarding with a detailed understanding of statutory and relevant guidance, knowledge of policies and procedures, and the ability to provide specialist advice and information to others.

For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter.

About Us

The West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSSCP), hosted by West Sussex County Council, is the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and ensure the effectiveness of what they do.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 statutory guidance sets out expectations about how we, as a safeguarding children partnership, provide help, support, and protection for children and their families.

The business team within West Sussex Safeguarding Partnership is agile and dynamic and drives forward the safeguarding priorities for the children of West Sussex. This team is fast-paced, motivated, and passionate about delivering their service. A key role for the business manager is to engage with partner agencies such as the Police, Health, and Districts and Boroughs to ensure the best possible outcomes with sustainable positive change.

For further information about us and about working in Children's Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership website to find out more.

Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

For a full list, this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05431.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact our Embedded Coordinator Safeguarding team at

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter.

In your cover letter, please outline your motivations for applying and explain the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.