Diocesan Director of Safeguarding

at the offices of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Redemption Road, Cork T23PXDO
(Part-time Three-Year Contract – 14 hours per week)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross is a faith community of 68 parishes, which are configured into 16 Families of Parishes, and other religious communities in the Diocese. Diocesan safeguarding structures include a Safeguarding Committee. Each Parish or Family of Parishes has clergy, staff and volunteers who seek to ensure that our faith communities are a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults.

The Diocese, through CRSS, is seeking to recruit a Diocesan Director of Safeguarding with responsibility for Children and Vulnerable Adults. The Employer is CRSS CLG, a registered charity, whose mission is to support certain agencies providing services to the Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross.

Job Purpose:

• To work as Director of the Safeguarding Service in the Diocese of Cork and Ross.
• To plan and manage the Diocesan Safeguarding Service with particular emphasis on developing, maintaining, and monitoring a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults in all aspects of church life and activity.
• To serve and support the Diocesan structures which are set up to advise the Bishop on nurturing a culture of safeguarding children and vulnerable adult matters.
• To plan and oversee all safeguarding training through developing a training plan, supporting trainers, and evaluating the effectiveness of training.
• To ensure that the Diocesan safeguarding message is communicated effectively to all, using a multi-media approach.
• To act as the Diocesan Designated Liaison Person who hears concerns relating to safeguarding, including any disclosures or allegations of abuse, and take responsibility for managing the response to that concern or disclosure.
• To manage all cases, ensuring appropriate pastoral response to complainants and their families; and ensuring appropriate risk assessments and safety plans are in place for respondents.
• To report to the Bishop of Cork and Ross on the management of safeguarding issues and concerns for children and vulnerable adults and the development, implementation and monitoring of appropriate structures and best practice.

Specific Duties:

1 Maintaining and Nurturing a Culture of Safeguarding:

• Together with the Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, develop a three-year plan, which sets out how Church personnel, staff and volunteers will embed a culture of safeguarding.
• To train and support safeguarding representatives in parishes, to equip them with knowledge and skills to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
• To train and support clerics and religious ministering in the Dioceses, to equip them with knowledge and skills to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
• To train and support all other personnel involved in safeguarding in the Diocese.
• To ensure that all safeguarding personnel are recruited in line with Church procedures.
• To ensure compliance across the diocese and in all its activities with such guidelines on the use of on-line platforms of communication as may be issued from time to time by the Bishop of the diocese and to ensure in particular compliance with those governing such communications with or in respect of children or vulnerable adults.
• To develop complaints and whistleblowing procedures and ensures these are implemented.
• To report annually to the Bishop on numbers of complaints and any whistleblowing matters.
• To ensure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place for external bodies ministering in the Diocese and any all external (church) bodies using Church property; as well as ensuring that any non-church body using Church property has a child safeguarding/vulnerable adult policy and adequate insurance.

2 Case Management:

• To hear any concerns relating to safeguarding, including any disclosures or allegations of abuse, and take responsibility for reporting the allegation/disclosure to An Garda Siochana/Tusla/National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, as appropriate. To work collaboratively with these agencies at all times.
• To respond with care to complainants and their families through offering a pastoral response and directing them to counselling and support.
• To assess risk upon receipt of an allegation and advise the Bishop of any restrictions/ or appropriateness of an interim safety plan pending the outcome of Inquiries.
• In consultation with the Bishop, support the Church investigations, preliminary and any other canonical inquiries deemed appropriate, following the conclusion of any civil law inquiries.
• To ensure adequate, appropriate, and regular communication with those involved or affected directly by the allegation of child or vulnerable adult abuse.
• To carefully record all steps undertaken as part of these procedures.
• To ensure the Bishop is fully informed of all relevant matters related to case management.

3 Leadership, Governance and Administration:

• To ensure implementation and monitoring of the standards set out by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
• To maintain and support committees and groups ministering in safeguarding.
• To maintain existing policies as well as future needs demand, to formulate and implement diocesan policies, procedures, and protocols in relation to safeguarding children and the process of responding to allegations.
• To promote best practice throughout the Diocese on the prevention of abuse and responding to allegations.
• To design and implement work plans and objectives which will deliver the Bishop’s objectives.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of practice through producing an annual self-audit (alongside the Safeguarding committee) and an annual report on case management for the Bishop.
• To manage resources in a way that provides a very effective and responsive service.

Essential Criteria:

• A high level of understanding of and commitment to the ethos and values underpinning the mission and the ministry of the Diocese of Cork and Ross and familiarity with church structures and activities.
• A third-level qualification or equivalent professional qualification in a discipline adjudged relevant to the post or work experience of a kind, level, and duration adjudged equivalent by CRSS.
• Exceptional skills and knowledge of Child and Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding and have relevant professional knowledge of the guidelines, policies, and procedures of Tusla, and the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland relating to Children and Vulnerable adults.
• At least five years employment, post qualification, and must have the requisite knowledge and ability for the proper discharge of the duties of the post.
• Ability to manage disclosures or allegations of abuse with responsibility for reporting disclosures or allegations.
• Competence in assessment and management of risk.
• Demonstrable ability to adapt, develop, compile, deliver and evaluate training programmes.
• A proven ability to nurture a safeguarding environment.

How to Apply:

Completed Application Form (Not CV) to be returned via electronic mail to jk.crss@gmail.com
Closing date for receipt of completed Applications for this post is: 12 noon on Friday, 21st. February, 2025
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications/experience. Candidates will be selected following an interview process. Shortlisting may apply.

Further Information about this post with detailed Job Description and Application Form are available to download on www.corkandross.org or via email from CRSS: jk.crss@gmail.com
Or see attachment below for Information for Candidates, and Application Form.