About Us
West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents. Employees are genuinely valued, respected and there is an emphasis on work life balance. We are committed to fostering personal growth, with ongoing professional development and continuous learning at the heart of our culture.
The Safeguarding Adults Hub providers the single point of access for all Safeguarding Adults. The referrals and queries that the Safeguarding Hub responds to cover the full spectrum of life across West Sussex. The hub will triage all safeguarding referrals submitted to the Local Authority, initiate all safeguarding enquiries and develop initial safeguarding plans.
They are a fast-paced dynamic team who work across different agencies including the police, the fire service, domestic abuse services and health to assess risk, whilst working primarily under the scope of the Care Act 2014 to determine whether further enquiries should be made under section 42 of the Act.
The Safeguarding Adults Hub is an established team who have a vast combined amount of experience, and have developed a successful approach to Safeguarding Adults in West Sussex. We’re a supportive team who ensure that our practice is developed and maintained by use of team reflection and continuous learning and development.
"I love being a part of a supportive and friendly team and the close connections I have with my colleagues."
— Senior Social Work Practitioner
Our friendly and supportive Adult Safeguarding Enquiries Team is a small specialist county wide team, working entirely on safeguarding that is linked to service providers. This includes residential and nursing home providers, domestic care, supported living providers and health care providers and working with all adult customer groups.
The team focuses on S42 enquiries for individuals and any wider organisational factors. We lead and co-ordinate multiagency work with providers of concern where there are significant safeguarding concerns and / or a wider public interest / possible risk to others.
We asked the team to tell us what it is like working in the Adult Safeguarding Enquiries Team and this is what they came up with:
"The Adult Safeguarding Enquiry Team is a team of highly supportive colleagues who genuinely care for and encourage each other on a daily basis. The team offers a range of training opportunities, with personal and career development promoted within the team. The role is dynamic, which provides a range of interesting experiences each day, and ongoing learning opportunities for practice."
About the Team Manager - Safeguarding Adults Hub
Salary: £55,057 to £58,829 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract Length: Permanent
Location: Horsham office base with hybrid working*, county wide travel required
Interview Date: Monday 24th August
As the Team Manager, you are accountable for ensuring that safeguarding is managed in line with the multi-agency pan Sussex Safeguarding procedures and within the spirit of the Care Act 2014. You will manage safeguarding performance within the Safeguarding Adults’ Hub which provides a single front door, or access point, for safeguarding concerns.
The hub will triage all safeguarding concerns, with an initial safeguarding risk plan being completed if the criteria for a safeguarding enquiry is met. You will maintain an overview of all safeguarding work passing through the hub and ensure that staff are appropriately trained and experienced to undertake the relevant work, dependent upon their role and grade. You will ensure that any urgent concerns are responded to in a timely manner and action is undertaken if required, escalating any concerns to the Access & Safeguarding Adults’ Service Manager. To succeed in this role you need to have sound and accurate IT and keyboard skills, As a senior team member you will need to be able to work autonomously and flexibly, including some working out of normal office hours. You will also need to be able to travel across the county and work from various locations across the county.
You will be a confident and empathetic communicator—capable of managing expectations, delivering difficult messages sensitively, and finding alternative solutions in line with our approach. Experience in a supervisory role (or strong foundations and training in supervision) is essential.
You’ll also be committed to upholding strong social work values and supporting both qualified and unqualified staff.
Please review the job description for the essential skills, experience and qualifications and explain how you meet each of them within your application.
- For this role hybrid working means working in the office with the team for 2/3 days a week and working on a hybrid basis on the other days.
Please note that we are also recruiting for a Team Manager Safeguarding Enquiries role. If you wish to be considered for this role in addition to the Team Manager - Safeguarding Adults Hub role, please indicate this clearly on your application. Only one application is required, as the shortlisting and interview panels will be the same for both roles.
About the Team Manager - Safeguarding Enquiries
Salary: £55,057 to £58,829 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract Length: Permanent
Location: Horsham office base with hybrid working*, county wide travel required
Interview Date: Monday 24th August
As the Team Manager, you are accountable for ensuring that safeguarding is managed in line with the multi-agency pan Sussex Safeguarding procedures and within the spirit of the Care Act 2014. You will manage safeguarding enquiries in relation to the Provider Concern Process and the majority of safeguarding enquiries which are “caused” to other agencies to complete.
You will maintain an overview of all safeguarding work open to the team, and ensure that staff are appropriately trained and experienced to undertake the relevant work, dependent upon their role and grade. You will ensure that any urgent safeguarding enquiries are responded to in a timely manner and action is undertaken if required, escalating any concerns to the Access Safeguarding Adults’ Service Manager. In this varied and challenging role, you will work with colleagues from all our statutory partners, providers, and members of the public when undertaking safeguarding enquiries. The need to be able to rapidly risk assess situations and engage with people who may be in crisis is key to the role.
The role is also responsible for dealing with a complex and challenging portfolio of casework and providing advice and guidance on casework to colleagues. You will be a confident and empathetic communicator—capable of managing expectations, delivering difficult messages sensitively, and finding alternative solutions in line with our approach. Experience in a supervisory role (or strong foundations and training in supervision) is essential.
You’ll also be committed to upholding strong social work values and supporting both qualified and unqualified staff.
Please review the job description for the essential skills, experience and qualifications and explain how you meet each of them within your application.
- For this role hybrid working means working in the office with the team for 2/3 days a week and working on a hybrid basis on the other days.
Please note that we are also recruiting for a Team Manager Safeguarding Adults Hub role. If you wish to be considered for this role in addition to the Team Manager - Safeguarding Enquiries role, please indicate this clearly on your application. Only one application is required, as the shortlisting and interview panels will be the same for both roles.
Rewards and Benefits
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06438.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Laura Richardson (Safeguarding & Access Service Manager) at [email protected]. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].
To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role 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 Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme (if you meet the essential criteria), this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!
Job Reference: CAFHE06438
