Safeguarding and Welfare Coordinator

SAFEGUARDING AND WELFARE COORDINATOR The Registry You will lead the coordination of support for students with complex needs. About the role Principal accountabilities Person specification Benefits How to apply Job details Responsible to Student Welfare Manager Location Buxton Campus Kedleston Road, Derby Campus Closing date Wednesday 1 April 2026 Salary £38,285 to £45,738 per annum (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £52,605 per annum) Job grade MPS 1 Reference 0064-26 Contract type Permanent Post type Full-time Adaptive working type Onsite This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location. About the University We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better. The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region. We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes. Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills. About the College/Department The Registry support all aspects of the student journey, right from initial enquiry and application, all the way through to final award and student completion. We strive to provide an outstanding service to all our users and to be thought leaders in our fields of expertise, developing research informed practise. Registry teams work collaboratively with stakeholders to deliver a high-performance culture that promotes wellbeing, diversity and opportunity for all, supporting excellent student experience.  About Student Services Student Services at the University of Derby is committed to providing the best possible support services to our students, to enhance the student experience, to help students achieve their full potential and to meet the strategic aims of the University. These services are central to the student experience they are visible, seamless, effective and tailored to the needs of our student community. As part of this commitment, a transformational programme of work is underway in Student Services to ensure that the support we deliver not only meets the needs of our students but also enables delivery of a vision for a developmental and collaborative model of student services that supports a transformational educational experience for students. About the role We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated professional to join Student Services as Safeguarding and Welfare Coordinator. In this key role, you will lead the coordination of support for students with complex needs, including those experiencing significant mental health difficulties or identified through safeguarding, Prevent and Fitness to Participate in University Life processes. Working collaboratively across the University and with external partners, you will assess and manage risk, coordinate multi-agency support, and provide expert guidance to colleagues to ensure students receive timely and effective support. The role will primarily support Higher Education students but will also work alongside colleagues supporting Further Education learners, contributing to safeguarding practice across both adult and child contexts. About You You will be an experienced professional with substantial expertise in mental health, safeguarding and the management of complex cases. With a strong understanding of risk assessment and crisis response, you will be confident supporting individuals experiencing significant mental health difficulties and coordinating multi-agency responses where risk is identified. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling you to build effective relationships with students, colleagues and external partners, and to provide clear advice and guidance to staff. Organised and resilient, you will be able to manage competing demands, maintain accurate case records and remain calm when working with sensitive and complex situations. A commitment to inclusive practice and supporting positive student outcomes will be central to your approach. Principal accountabilities For Students Responsible for triaging all Safeguarding and Prevent reports, SupPUL referrals, and cause for concern referrals, taking appropriate action and referring cases to external agencies including Social Services, Police and Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in conjunction with the Student Welfare Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Responsible for maintenance of the University Safeguarding, Prevent and SupPUL records, coordinating updates on risk and support from external agencies, Student Services Teams and Colleges. Referring students to other internal procedures such as conduct etc where appropriate. Overseeing the support of and management of complex student cases referred to SupPUL and carry a caseload of students. Engaging with Student Services Leadership, Colleges, Professional Service Departments (PSD) and external agencies to ensure procedure is followed and students support is coordinated with a view to ensuring positive student engagement, outcomes and experience. Assess complex mental health presentations referred via the Safeguarding, Prevent, cause for concern and SupPUL reporting procedure. Carry out risk assessments and assess complex mental health presentations. This will include assessing levels of distress, risk (including suicide risk) identifying when further risk assessment and risk management plans are required and engage with external mental health services and Student Services colleagues as appropriate. To attend and administer weekly University wide risk register meetings with appropriate colleagues to keep track of ongoing cases, share expertise, and ensure a joined-up support response to students identified as moderate to high risk. To oversee the updates to and coordination of the support of students on the risk register ensuring that levels of risk are monitored and updated, support packages and the University response remains appropriate and proportionate to the risk identified and that a multiagency approach to support is always adopted. To support the safeguarding provision at Buxton Campus when necessary, supporting FE and Under 18 safeguarding concerns, advising and supporting staff and students. For Staff Develop and maintain relationships with academic and professional services colleagues providing expert advice and guidance on matters relating to SupPUL, Safeguarding and complex student presentations to ensure timely and effective support and interventions for students with complex support requirements Lead and support the University Local Safeguarding Officer (LoSO group). Design and deliver workshops and training to staff to support them in their interactions with students who have mental health/wellbeing issues and safeguarding concerns e.g., managing boundaries, supporting students in crisis. Administration Maintaining all case files, statistical records, relevant databases, files, records and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in accordance with legislation and best practice. Contribute to preparing, analysing and presenting reports; ensure that records and other management information is gathered; anticipate trends; provide related feedback to the Head of Student Services and Student Services Leadership Team. Professional Development Have specific expertise in the area of mental health, disability and safeguarding practice, keeping abreast of any changes in legislation/policy or procedure that could impact on the delivery of services to students with a mental health disability or on the legal duty of the University and advising University services/staff accordingly. Make use of and keep up to date with the use of ICT and Assistive Technology (AT) to develop and enhance the work and the support of students. Attend training and other events to maintain the specialist skills and knowledge required for the post; attend regular internal supervision and case discussion meetings. Represent and/or promote Student Services at both internal and external meetings/events, contribute to committees and working groups within the University focusing on areas relating to complex student support, safeguarding and mental health and wellbeing. Together with the Student Services Leadership Team, support the development of a University Mental Health Strategy and approach. Other Contribute to the work of Student Services, working collaboratively and towards the shared goals of the Department. Ensure that the Student Services profile is maintained across the University by representing the service on internal committees and working groups, overseeing staff contributions to publicity materials, co-ordinating involvement in induction sessions and Open Events. Person specification Essential Criteria Qualifications Educated to degree level or equivalent experience Relevant Safeguarding training and/or extensive experience of safeguarding matters Experience Experience of working in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders Post qualification experience of working within a mental health setting, assessing, and managing risk, crisis situations and clients with severe and enduring mental health issues Experience of working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds including people with mental health difficulties Experience of delivering 1:1 mental health related support in person and remotely Experience of, and to be able to demonstrate the confidence to, deliver training and to talk to large groups of students and staff Experience of working with clients over a sustained period and of maintaining accurate case notes and files Skills, knowledge & abilities Recognised as having specialist expertise and knowledge in safeguarding children and adults at risk and/or mental health and has a breadth of experience in working with vulnerable individuals and/or those at risk Knowledge of local NHS mental health services e.g., Crisis Team, Early Intervention Team etc. Capacity to work patiently, emphatically, and non-judgmentally Ability to liaise with others as appropriate with due regard to boundaries of confidentiality Able to positively utilise support from team colleagues and to utilise formal and informal networks with and external to the area Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbally and in writing), with the ability to interact with staff at all levels of the University and to complete complex reports Excellent IT skills with experience of MS Office including Word, PowerPoint, MS teams, Excel and Outlook to a very high standard