Quality Assurance Lead / Deputy DSO

Who are Fair Ways and what do we stand for?

Fair Ways is a leading children’s services charity based in the Solent, delivering Fostering, Education, Residential, Mental Health and Family services and cares for over 400 children, families, young people and vulnerable adults each year.

Fair Ways is a great place to work. We are a team. We care about each other and are all committed to making a change to the lives of the young people and service users in our care. We will not apologise for calling our staff great, the best, or world-class. Our staff are at the core of our organisation and we celebrate them by shouting it from the rooftops!

Where and when do we need you?

Primarily working within the Quality Assurance team as part of our Quality and Governance Department you will play your part in providing operationally independent oversight of the quality and safety of Fair Ways services, to recognise best practice and identify opportunities to raise standards so that the organisation continually improves and bring about lasting change. You will also work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Officer to ensure that safeguarding and child protection policies, procedures, and practices are effectively embedded across Fair Ways playing your part in working to keep all of our vulnerable children, adults and families safe from harm.

In this role you will be involved in exciting and rewarding things like:

Quality Assurance:

• Governance and Compliance: Support operational and executive boards in fulfilling their legal, statutory, and regulatory obligations by providing oversight and quality assurance of safeguarding and general service quality practices.
• Audits and Action Plans: Lead and contribute to audits and site visits, identifying risks, areas for improvement, and good practices. Develop, monitor, and manage action plans to ensure continuous improvement across services.
• Guidance and Support: Provide targeted support to services to ensure they meet regulatory and legal requirements, follow best practice, and work towards delivering the highest quality provision.
• Reporting: Provide regular reports to management and executive forums, offering oversight of service quality, compliance, and thematic reviews.
• Learning and Development: Promote a culture of learning within the Fair Ways by coordinating and monitoring after-action reviews, scenario planning, and the dissemination of best practices.

Safeguarding and Child Protection:

• Guidance and Expertise: Act as a subject matter expert, providing guidance on safeguarding and child protection issues, supporting at multi-disciplinary meetings, and assisting in the development and delivery of training programs.
• Training Strategy: Contribute to the development and implementation of an effective safeguarding training strategy that meets the needs of both service users and staff.
• Partnership Working: Collaborate with the Human Resources department to ensure that safeguarding practices are supported with both employment law and safeguarding expertise.
• Reporting: Provide detailed safeguarding reports to governance bodies, analysing qualitative and quantitative data to highlight key themes, trends, risks, and areas for development.

This role is a 1 year fixed term contract and offered at 37.5 HPW Monday to Friday. A minimum of one of the days worked will be based at our central support office in Portsmouth. This role will be a hybrid position working 3/5 of the week on quality assurance activity, and 2/5 of the week as deputy designated safeguarding officer. The role will include working from home, working from our central support office, and visiting our range of services within the Solent area (and additional locations as required.)

You and your specialisms

Our internal community is core to achieving our mission of making a difference through passionate care, support, and education. To support this, you will have the following:

Essential:

• Relevant degree or professional qualification in social work, education, health, or a related field.
• Management experience within a regulated care or education service, or relevant quality assurance / safeguarding experience.
• Strong understanding of current safeguarding legislation, statutory requirements, regulations, and best practices.
• Experience in delivering training and guidance on safeguarding or quality-related topics.

Desirable:

• Significant experience in a safeguarding or child protection role, ideally within a complex or multi-disciplinary environment.

Let us look after you!

At Fair Ways, we care about your well-being, here is what we currently offer to our dedicated team:

• Exciting Opportunities: Participate in free staff lotteries with amazing prizes, such as £1000 holiday vouchers, weekends away, luxury hampers, £1000 fostering referral scheme and vouchers. Experience a workplace that celebrates your contributions.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy a Holiday Accrual Scheme and the option to purchase additional holidays (up to 5 days). We value your time and offer flexibility to accommodate your existing commitments.
• Health and Support: Benefit from Health Shield, our health cash plan, and access to our Employee Assistance Scheme, providing emergency financial assistance and 24/7 counselling services. Access your salary when you need it with Early Pay – The ability to withdraw an amount of your salary early each month to assist with any unforeseen circumstances.
• Growth and Development: Unlock your potential with our Education Grant, offering funding for accreditation up to master's level. Engage in leadership courses to enhance your skills and progress in your career.
• Wellbeing Matters: Experience team-building days, summer festivals, and well-being initiatives, promoting a positive work environment. Take advantage of discounted gym memberships and a cycle-to-work scheme to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Recognition and Rewards: Be appreciated for your dedication through annual Staff Awards and Long Service Awards. Build a secure future with our pension scheme and gain eligibility for a Blue Light Card.
• Supportive Community: Be part of our diverse workforce that embraces all communities. We value your unique perspective and encourage you to contribute to our inclusive and vibrant culture.

Become a part of our community – We can’t wait to meet you!

If you're passionate about making a difference and are ready to embark on an incredible journey, apply today and be a part of something amazing at Fair Ways. Join our team and help shape brighter futures!