Deputy Head of Safeguarding Adults

Job Overview

Role Purpose Provide senior leadership, specialist expertise and organisational assurance for Safeguarding Adults (SA), the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), DoLS, MAPPA and Prevent. Ensure the Trust meets statutory, national and local safeguarding requirements, including CQC Safe standards. Promote high‑quality, person‑centred and legally compliant safeguarding practice across the organisation.

Key Functions Act as the Trust’s senior specialist for SA, MCA and Prevent, offering expert consultancy to staff at all levels. Lead and assure high‑quality safeguarding practice, embedding Making Safeguarding Personal, dignity, strengths‑based and trauma‑informed approaches. Provide strategic leadership within the senior management team, contributing to service development, workforce standards and organisational improvement. Advise Trust and Directorate leadership on safeguarding legislation, policy and national developments, ensuring SA and MCA requirements are integrated into Trust policies. Lead partnership working with Local Authorities, safeguarding boards, police, health partners and other agencies. Line‑manage Named Professionals and SA/MCA Specialists, ensuring high‑quality supervision and consistent standards. Support Trust‑wide SA/MCA projects, audits and improvement work.

Main duties of the job

• Provide specialist advice on complex SA, MCA, DoLS, MAPPA and Prevent cases across all levels
• Communicate complex and sensitive information clearly to a wide range of professionals
• Deliver expert guidance, training and informal supervision to support safe, lawful decision‑making
• Represent the Trust in Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews and local learning reviews
• Lead report writing, action planning and ensure actions from reviews are implemented and monitored
• Disseminate learning through Clinical Messages, 7‑minute briefings and other channels
• Update and embed SA/MCA policies including PiPoT, Prevent and MAPPA
• Work with corporate services to ensure safeguarding informs recruitment, safer staffing and organisational processes
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of legislation, national policy and best practice
• Support alignment with NHS frameworks such as PSIRF and PCREF
• Build strong relationships with Local Authorities, Police and safeguarding partners
• Work with Safeguarding Children leads to promote all‑age safeguarding and Think Family approaches
• Strengthen joint working through shared forums, initiatives and aligned processes
• Ensure high‑quality Trust‑wide training and promote a legally literate, trauma‑informed workforce
• Oversee safeguarding resources on TrustNet and act as a reference point for MCA and DoLS
• Maintain expert knowledge of local multi‑agency safeguarding procedures
  
  

Working for our organisation

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust offers its staff ongoing career progression through:

• Monthly supervision
• Annual personal development plans/appraisals
• Access to exciting internal and external training opportunities.
  
  

Excellent progression through various career pathway opportunities such as but not limited to:

• Preceptorship Programme
• Support and guidance with Revalidation
• Hidden Gem and annual award ceremonies
  
  

Excellent staff benefits, our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:

• Health and wellbeing services
• Season ticket loans
• Cycle to work scheme
  
  

The trust also values its staff and you are entitled to become a member of MyTrustBenefits. MyTrustBenefits is an online portal for all CNWL staff, as well as their family and friends. It offers over 1400 discounts at hundreds of retailers nationwide. Save money on your weekly food shops, toiletries, cosmetics, cinema, meals out, holidays, travel and entertainment. You can also access free online courses on a variety of topics, professional and personal, ranging from business management, languages, law and teaching.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Values and Behaviours

• Flexible, creative and adaptable approach to problem solving
• Strong commitment to improving safeguarding outcomes
• Able to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams
• Willing and able to travel across Trust sites to build key relationships and attend key meetings
• Calm authority, ethical clarity and unwavering advocacy
• Commitment to dignity, respect and person‑centred, trauma‑informed practice
• Ensures adults at risk are heard, protected and empowered
• Maintains professional curiosity and acts decisively on concerns
• Collaborates confidently with multidisciplinary teams
• Models transparency and accountability in all decisions
• Champions a culture of learning and vigilance
• Challenges poor practice and upholds CNWL values and safeguarding principles
  
  

Education And Qualifications

• Registered Professional with substantial clinical experience
• Management experience in a specialist safeguarding role
• Evidence of ongoing, relevant professional development
• Up‑to‑date statutory and mandatory training (MCA, DoLS, Domestic Abuse, FGM, CSE)
• Advanced/expert understanding of safeguarding adults practice, standards and audit
• Additional accredited training: Domestic Abuse/MARAC; MAPPA; Modern Slavery; Trauma‑informed practice; Forensic mental health; Complex case management; Self‑neglect and hoarding; Prevent/Channel
• Training in audit, quality improvement or service evaluation (QI methodology, RCA)
  
  

Experience

• High level of digital literacy
• Ability to manage complex cross‑organisational information flows
• Experience maintaining safeguarding information systems and performance databases
• Strong analytical skills; able to interpret complex information and identify risk
• Confident decision‑making under pressure
• Experience in audit, benchmarking and quality improvement
• Skilled at embedding learning into practice
• Ability to produce high‑quality reports for senior committees and external bodies
  
  

Education, Training & Workforce Development

• Experience assessing complex risk including domestic abuse, sexual/criminal exploitation, MAPPA and high‑risk adults with fluctuating capacity
• Advanced knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, DoLS/LPS and MHA/MCA interface
  
  

Skills And Knowledge

• Experience designing, delivering and evaluating safeguarding training
• Skilled in teaching, coaching, mentoring and reflective practice
• Ability to disseminate research, learning and best practice
• Strong partnership‑building skills across health, social care, police, education, voluntary sector and regulators
• Skilled in navigating differing organisational cultures and priorities
• Sound understanding of GDPR, Caldicott Principles and safeguarding information‑sharing exemptions
• Able to communicate complex and sensitive information to families, professionals and external partners
• Extensive experience managing complex statutory safeguarding cases including court processes and multi‑agency procedures
• Advanced clinical assessment, intervention planning and evaluation skills
• Experience providing safeguarding and clinical supervision
• Ability to balance safeguarding, human rights and least‑restrictive practice
  
  

Attitudes, Aptitudes & Personal Characteristics

• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
• Communicates clearly, compassionately and professionally, including in distressing contexts
• Able to maintain credibility and confidence with internal and external stakeholders
• Committed to reflective practice and continuous learning
• Promotes a culture of openness and accountability
  
  

Person specification

Values and Behaviours

Essential criteria

• Flexible, creative and adaptable approach to problem-solving. Strong commitment to improving safeguarding outcomes.
• Able to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Willing and able to travel across Trust sites to build key relationships and attend key meetings.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience leading complex enquiries, delivering training, and influencing organisational safeguarding culture.
• Demonstrate highly developed communication skills, the confidence to challenge at all levels, and the ability to build strong partnerships across health, social care, and external agencies.
  
  

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Professional with substantial clinical experience, and management experience in a specialist safeguarding role.
• Evidence of ongoing, relevant professional development, up-to-date statutory and mandatory training relevant to the role - MCA, DoLS, Domestic Abuse, FGM, CSE, formal leadership or management qualification (e.g., ILM, CMI, NHS Leadership Academy programmes or evidence of equivalent experience / training Advanced/expert understanding/application of relevant practice/standards/audit in relation to Safeguarding Adults Additional accredited training:
• Domestic Abuse / MARAC
• MAPPA
• Modern Slavery
• Trauma-informed practice
• Forensic mental health
• Complex case management
• Self-neglect and hoarding
• Prevent/Channel panel participation
• Training in audit, quality improvement, or service evaluation (e.g., QI methodology, Root Cause Analysis).
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Safeguarding, Public Health, Leadership, Forensic Practice, Mental Health, Social Care).
• Qualification or accredited training in clinical supervision, coaching, or teaching (e.g., Practice Assessor/Practice Supervisor).
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Ability to manage complex cross-organisational information flows.
• Experience maintaining safeguarding information systems and performance databases.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex information, identify risk and make critical decisions under pressure. Experience in audit, benchmarking and quality improvement, ensuring learning is embedded in practice.
• Ability to produce high-quality reports for senior committees and external bodies.
• Experience assessing complex risk, including domestic abuse, sexual and criminal exploitation, MAPPA and high risk adults with fluctuating capacity
• Advanced knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, DoLS/LPS and the interface between MHA and MCA.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Skilled in assessing complex safeguarding risk involving:
• Domestic abuse
• Sexual exploitation
• Criminal exploitation
• MAPPA cases
• High-risk adults with fluctuating capacity
  
  

Skills and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Experience designing, delivering and evaluating safeguarding training. Skilled in developing others through teaching, coaching, mentoring and reflective practice. Ability to disseminate research, learning and best practice to improve outcomes.
• Strong ability to build and sustain effective partnerships across health, social care, police, education, voluntary sector and regulatory bodies. Skilled in navigating differing organisational cultures and priorities.
• Sound understanding of GDPR, Caldicott Principles and safeguarding information-sharing exemptions.
• Able to communicate complex and sensitive information to families, professionals and external partners.
• Extensive experience managing complex statutory safeguarding cases involving ethical, legal and professional issues, including court processes and multi-agency procedures.
• Advanced clinical assessment, intervention planning and evaluation skills.
• Experience providing safeguarding and clinical supervision. Ability to balance safeguarding, human rights and least-restrictive practice.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Advanced working knowledge safeguarding legislation of Mental Health Act 1983/2007. Mental Capacity Act 2005, DoLS / LPS Interface between MHA and MCA
• Advanced knowledge of statutory guidance and public protection frameworks for children and adults (e.g., Children Act, Care Act, MCA, DoLS, Prevent, FGM, CSE, Modern slavery).
  
  

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Able to communicate clearly, compassionately and professionally, including in distressing or sensitive contexts
• Skilled at maintaining credibility and confidence with internal and external stakeholders.
• A commitment to reflective practice, continuous learning, and promoting a culture of openness and accountability.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• A proactive approach to quality improvement, familiarity with current safeguarding emerging themes, and the ability to analyse risk with nuance.