Safeguarding Officer for Hamwic Education Trust

Role Summary:

We are seeking to appoint an experienced and knowledgeable Safeguarding Officer to join our central safeguarding team. Working under the direction of the Head of Safeguarding, the role will support and further embed a strong culture of safeguarding across the Trust, where high‑quality practice and shared responsibility are firmly established in all our schools.

The role will work alongside school leaders and Designated Safeguarding Leads to provide professional advice, challenge and support, promoting high‑quality safeguarding procedures and consistently strong practice. In doing so, the postholder will help maintain a strong culture of vigilance, underpinned by a shared understanding that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that “it could happen here”.

As a member of the central safeguarding team, the successful candidate will play an active role in safeguarding reviews, training, policy development and quality assurance. Working together with colleagues, they will help ensure that pupils and adults are protected from harm and that statutory safeguarding responsibilities are met to a consistently high standard across the Trust.

We are seeking a professional individual who:

• Has strong safeguarding knowledge and experience managing safeguarding concerns
• Is confident providing clear advice, support and professional challenge
• Understands the importance of effective safeguarding procedures, accurate recording and timely reporting
• Can work calmly and sensitively with complex and confidential cases
• Communicates well and builds positive working relationships
• Is organised, resilient and able to manage effectively competing priorities
• Works well as part of a team and is committed to high safeguarding standards

What we offer you:

• An opportunity to be part of a collaborative managed services team with a shared vision of excellence
• Flexible working approach, where possible
• Wellbeing day (trial for 2025/26)
• Excellent training and development programmes and opportunities
• Eligibility to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement, increasing with length of service
• Access to our benefits portal offering a full range of discounts available through Lifestyle Savings
• Access to Wellbeing Support through our Employee Assistance Programme, this includes free confidential telephone and face to face counselling for employees and family members
• Access to financial wellbeing support through a company that provides comprehensive guidance on all things mortgage related
• Eligible for a Blue Light card

Established in 2011, Hamwic Education Trust (HET) is one of the largest multi-academy trusts in the South of England. We have a growing number of schools and partnerships spread across Portsmouth, Southampton, Poole and Dorset.

Our core principle is to place the child at the heart of everything we do. We celebrate the uniqueness of our pupils, staff, and schools, striving for everyone to reach their full potential through the opportunities we provide. We aim to create an environment where both pupils and adults can thrive. As a learning organisation, we are committed to continuous improvement for ourselves and others. Our strength lies in our people, whom we value and develop. We bring professional expertise and experience to secure the highest possible achievement for all.

We are passionate about delivering education and believe that every local school should be good enough for its community. To achieve this aim, we put the child at the centre of everything that we do. This concept is the driving force behind our ethos, vision and values – and also our decision-making.

A key strategy to ensure we do the best by our pupils is our ‘one team approach’. Investing in our staff through a strong development programme and a combined common purpose is what underpins our drive for school improvement. Leaders, teachers and support staff at both school and trust level work together as one team to deliver the Hamwic vision.