LONDON BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position / Independent Chair Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board
Accountable to / Chief Executive, London Borough of Lewisham
Responsible for / Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board

Job summary

To have overall responsibility, as Independent Chair for the Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) for promoting the Board’s ability to independently fulfil its statutory objectives of:

- Co-ordinating what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area;
and

- Ensuring the effectiveness of what is done by each such person or body for those purposes.

The successful candidate must ensure that Lewisham’s Safeguarding Children Board operates effectively, objectively and independently of its member organisations and exercises the functions as set out in the statutory regulation and guidance and lead the strategic development of the LSCB, ensuring effective implementation of all statutory functions and responding to locally identified priorities for safeguarding.

Principal accountabilities

To the Chief Executive, the Executive Director of Children’s Services, London Borough of Lewisham and to the Lead Member for Children’s Services.

Key responsibilities

To lead Lewisham Safeguarding Children’s Board in the exercise of its functions establishing close collaboration with the Children and Young People Strategic Partnership and liaison with the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Children’s Services, Lewisham. Key responsibilities include:

  • as a core member representing the LSCB and its work on the Children’s Partnership
  • ensuring that the work of the LSCB is reflected in the wider Children and Young People’s Plan
  • ensuring that safeguarding children is reflected in all the relevant partnership plans
  • ensuring that the LSCB strategies reflect statutory requirements and local priorities for safeguarding, reflect issues of equalities and diversity and are regularly reviewed
  • ensuring that all aspects of regulation and guidance set out within Working Together 2015 are implemented within the designated timescales
  • entering into collaborative arrangements with neighbouring Safeguarding Children’s Boards (SCBs) to effectively manage cross border issues

Functional responsibilities

1.To agree safeguarding prioritieswith the Executive Director of Children’s Services and Chief Executive Officer, liaise with Chief Officers ensuring that key issues and national developments are brought to the attention of and considered by the Board.

2.To chair Board meetings and any additional meetings convened as a response to specific and exceptional circumstances (minimum four meetings per year).

3.To agree the Board’s minutes and ensure their timely distribution; following up decisions as required (including items for “Chair’s action”).

4.To contribute to the delivery of safeguarding priorities ensuring a clear connectivity between the work of the LSCB and other key strategic partnerships.

5.To keep abreast of and ensure compliance with the latest Government guidance, recommendations and requirements such as the Laming report.

6.To ensure that key issues and national development are brought to the attention of and considered by the Board and its various sub-groups including standards, practice, training, communications, human resources sub-groups.

7.To ensure that the LSCB undertakes robust performance monitoring to demonstrate the effective performance of all member agencies in relation to safeguarding and to ensure that the expectations of the LSCB Business Plan are met. To oversee the development of an effective auditing system within the LSCB partner organisations to ensure that the expectations of the Business Plan are met.

8.To assist in priority setting for the LSCB budget ensuring Board oversight of forecast and spend.

9.To oversee the production of the Annual Report and Business Plan, ensure its publication and follow up with an agreed programme of work.

10.In consultation with Lewisham’s Executive Director of Children’s Services, act as the public facing leadership of the LSCB, attending and representing Lewisham at national and regional events, and making public statements in line with agreed media strategies.

11.To make decisions whether or not to instigate a serious case review (SCR) and ensure that the process for undertaking one is carried out with due diligence. To consider the information following the death or serious injury of a child following the recommendations of the Serious Case Review Panel.

12.To ensure that robust arrangements are in place for the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) and holding accountability for the performance of the CDOP Chair.

13.To provide independent arbitration as necessary when conflicts of interest arise within the LSCB. To respect confidentiality of sensitive information provided by the constituent agencies of the LSCB. To participate in consultation and decision making on individual case issues as set.

14.To ensure that the LSCB responds to correspondence sent personally to the Chair or generally to the LSCB, referring matters to the relevant agencies for action.

15.To ensure, with others, that the voices of children and young people are well and broadly represented in the work of the LSCB.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Position:Independent Chair Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board

Accountable to: Chief Executive, London Borough of Lewisham

Responsible for: Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board

Note to Candidates

The Person Specification is a picture of the skills, knowledge and experience needed to carry out the job. It has been used to draw up the advert and will also be used in the shortlisting and interview process for this post.

Those categories marked 'S' will be used especially for the purpose of shortlisting.

Please ensure that Equality and Diversity issues are addressed specifically in relation to the role for which you are applying when addressing the requirements of this person specification where appropriate.

If you are a disabled person, but are unable to meet some of the job requirements specifically because of your disability, please address this in your application. If you meet all the other criteria you will be shortlisted and we will explore jointly with you if there are ways in which the job can be changed to enable you to meet the requirements.

Equality & Diversity

Awareness of and a commitment to Equality of Access and Opportunity

in a diverse communityS

Understanding of how equality and diversity relates to this post S

Knowledge

Understanding of statutory safeguardingS

Sound knowledge of the Children Acts 1989/2004 and Government

Guidance relevant to this post such as Working Together to Safeguard

Children 2015S

An understanding of how local service needs influence service demands

andtrendsS

Knowledge of roles and safeguarding responsibilities of the constituent

agenciesS

Aptitude

Ability to promote a culture of high quality practice across Lewisham

ensuring all of our children are appropriately safeguarded, allowing them to

achieve their potential

Ability to distinguish safeguarding priorities from resource constraints

Ability to take an evidence based, resourceful and innovative approach

Ability to act as an ambassador for the partnership

Ability to galvanise partners to act and at the same time to hold them to account

Ability to motivate, encourage and influence partners

Ability to identify and promote good practice

Ability to think and plan ahead, balancing needs and constraints

Ability to balance curiosity and challenge with a supportive leadership

approach

Ability to communicate effectively and actively promote the work of the Board

Recognises the distinction between Board responsibilities and those of the Director of Children’s services / Executive Member

Skills

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

Influencing skills

Negotiating skills

Leadership skills

Chairing skills

Experience

Strong chairing and partnership board experienceS

Significant experience of critical enquiry, assessing risk and

understanding how local needs influence service demands and

trendsS

Experience of robust performance monitoring and development of

effective auditing systems

Experience of working effectively in partnership and building

cross-sector and or multi-disciplined strategic alliancesS

Significant demonstrable experience with negotiating and influencing

partner agencies S

General Education

Highly literate, numerate

Personal Qualities

Committed and dedicated to delivering excellent outcomes for children, young people and families in Lewisham

Demonstrates and promotes high standards of integrity

Committed to public engagement

A passion to develop and innovate

Circumstances

Able to attend evening meetings as required

Enhanced DBS Disclosure Required

Physical

Generally candidates must meet the standard Lewisham requirements for the post

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