Head of Adult Safeguarding

Role Type: Interim – Initial 3months likely to extend
Location: Hybrid – Local Authority Setting
Reports To: Director of Transformation / Assurance / Integration

Role Overview

The Head of Adult Safeguarding provides senior leadership, strategic direction and professional expertise across safeguarding for adults with care and support needs. The role ensures statutory compliance, high-quality practice, effective risk management and strong partnership working across the wider system.

You will be responsible for developing safeguarding policy, driving quality assurance, leading major change initiatives and improving outcomes for adults and communities. The role requires an experienced safeguarding professional with the confidence and capability to influence at senior and multi-agency levels.

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Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership& Governance

·   Act as organisational safeguarding lead expert, ensuring compliance with legislation and national standards.

·   Lead the safeguarding - Quality Assurance Framework and oversight of regulated providers.

·   Deliver performance assurance through analysis, reporting, benchmarking and insight.

·   Oversee safeguarding risk registers, escalation pathways and governance processes.

Practice Improvement

·   Identify areas of weak practice and implement improvement strategies.

·   Support learning, capability development and a culture of high standards across safeguarding teams.

·   Embed safeguarding learning into commissioning and contract monitoring.

Partnerships &System Leadership

·   Work collaboratively with internal teams, health partners, children’s services, police and voluntary sector.

·   Chair and contribute to safeguarding boards, sub-groups and multi-agency forums.

·   Drive integration initiatives and place-based safeguarding models.

Innovation & Future-Focused Safeguarding

·   Lead on use of data, analytics and emerging technologies to strengthen safeguarding.

·   Ensure ethical practice in areas such as AI, digital surveillance and data sharing.

Operational & People Leadership

·   Provide senior leadership to up to 10 direct reports and wider teams of up to 40.

·   Manage budgets, performance, compliance and statutory duties.

·   Lead transformation programmes and support organisational change.

‍Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Essential

·   Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

·   Extensive senior leadership experience in safeguarding or adult social care.

·   In-depth knowledge of safeguarding legislation, statutory responsibilities and best practice.

·   Strong experience in change management, continuous improvement and quality assurance.

·   Proven leadership capability with the ability to motivate, influence and develop staff.

·   Excellent communication, partnership and negotiation skills.

·   Demonstrable ability to manage budgets, risk and performance frameworks.

Desirable

·   Experience within integrated care partnerships or health-social care systems.

·   Understanding of data ethics, predictive analytics and digital safeguarding models.

What This Role Offers

·   Strategic influence and the opportunity to shape safeguarding outcomes at system level.

·   Leadership of high-impact improvement and transformation work.

·   A collaborative culture focused on quality, prevention, inclusion and innovation.

·   Hybrid working and flexible engagement

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