Project Manager - Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership

The Dorset Safeguarding Partnership holds statutory responsibility for leadership and multi-agency co-ordination of “arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.”

This role will support the co-ordination of the work of the partnership across Dorset and work alongside accountable organisations Dorset Council, NHS Dorset and Dorset Police to provide training and information on procedures and signposting. Dorset Council, NHS Dorset and Dorset Police collectively hold accountability and a “shared and equal duty” to engage with all other “relevant agencies” working with children and young people to ensure a coherent approach to the wider, local safeguarding system.  As Project Manager, you will take a lead role in co-ordinating the work of the partnership by fostering excellent working relationships and ensuring timelines are adhered to and actions are completed. You will support in facilitating the partnership to meet the statutory requirements of the DSCP

You’ll join us at an exciting time as we focus on children and young people within the Dorset Council area, allowing us to embed new ways of supporting our families.  We are looking to build family advisory boards who will be integral to hearing the voices of our families and influencing through co-production to continue to improve how we deliver multi agency safeguarding arrangements. Therefore, this role will be vital in supporting the partnership to deliver these changes alongside the changes to statutory requirements under the updated Working Together Guidance 2023

You’ll continue to support our colleagues and partners across the Dorset Council area such as schools, nurseries and voluntary sector colleagues by ensuring training courses meet the needs of our children, young people, families, partners and accountable organisations.

You will report to the Service Manager for the Dorset Safeguarding Children’s Partnership.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• experience of managing projects to successful delivery to achieve project outcomes and priorities in a variety of contexts
• experience in the application of structured project management and the full project life cycle
• experience of motivating and developing relationships with stakeholders and within project teams to help achieve successful results
• an understanding of best practice in managing the delivery of projects; to include formal frameworks and methodologies such as the PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Programmes methodologies
• an awareness of local safeguarding children’s partnerships and local authority working.
• an understanding of factors that influence the success of change management and transformation projects
• excellent interpersonal, management and leadership skills

Here in Dorset, we keep children at the heart of everything we do.  The successful candidate will carry this ethos with them, ensuring children’s voices are heard and reflected upon when shaping conversations, work and programmes.

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.