Job Description

This permanent role has a starting salary of 56,439 per annum, working 36 hours per week.

We have a great opportunity to join our West Mental Health Service as a Safeguarding Advisor to lead on the development of Safeguarding practice with social care practitioners and with partner agencies, giving expert advice and guidance to both Surrey County Council staff, and partner agencies in relation to safeguarding adults at risk.

We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 2 days per week on average and support working from home the rest of the time.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (pro-rated for part time opportunities)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About The Role

In this rewarding role, you will play a key part in supporting operational services and the delivery of safeguarding adults training across the organisation. Working closely with partners and stakeholders, you will contribute to the development and implementation of safeguarding strategies, ensuring that practice remains fully aligned with the multi-agency training programmes delivered through the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB).

You will build strong collaborative relationships with key agencies, acting as a vital link between services and sectors while supporting the effective management of safeguarding concerns through established safeguarding processes. Providing expert advice and guidance to managers and social care practitioners within a defined locality, including co-located teams from Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, you will help maintain the highest standards of professional practice and service delivery.

The role also involves chairing safeguarding meetings where appropriate, facilitating effective decision-making and positive outcomes for adults at risk. In addition, you will undertake quality assurance activities, including audits and service reviews, helping to drive continuous improvement and ensure services deliver safe, effective, and person-centred support.

Your application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Ability to communicate effectively in highly charged, complex or challenging situations to a wide range of audiences for different purposes and at different levels, including public speaking
• Ability to model and promote a culture of clear communication, supporting the development of effective communication skills in others.
• Ability to gather information to inform judgement for interventions in more complex situations and in response to challenge
• Ability to routinely explain professional reasoning, judgements and decisions made and record these in a clear concise way
• Ability to use knowledge to make complex judgements in uncertain and ambiguous situations and supporting others to do the same
• Excellent partnership working skills with an ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with partners in statutory, voluntary and third sector organisations.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 3 questions:

1. Describe a complex safeguarding adults case involving a person experiencing severe mental ill health where there were concerns about abuse, neglect, or self-neglect. How did you assess risk, apply relevant legislation and safeguarding principles, and what was the outcome?
2. This role requires providing expert safeguarding advice and constructive challenge to practitioners, managers, and partner agencies. Please provide an example of when you identified poor safeguarding practice or decision-making and describe how you influenced improvements while maintaining professional relationships.
3. Safeguarding Advisors play a key role in driving improvements in practice and ensuring compliance with statutory duties. Tell us about a time when you used audits, reviews, quality assurance activity or performance data to identify themes and improve safeguarding practice across a team or organisation. What actions did you take and the impact achieved?

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 11th October 2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is West Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.