Senior Team Manager – Student Violence & Abuse team

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Senior Team Manager – Student Violence & Abuse team

This new post will be is responsible for overseeing the work of the Violence and Abuse Advisers who make up our well-established Disclosure Response Team.  

This is a team of specialist staff trained responding to disclosures of violence and abuse. This work includes, but is not limited to, harassment, hate crime, sexual violence, relationship abuse, bullying and other forms of unacceptable behaviour. 

Primarily, the Disclosure Response Team offer students practical support in the way of recording an initial disclosure, signposting to specialist support, offering guidance with reporting/ complaining, and helping students understand how the university can assist them with any aspect of student life, such as financial, academic or housing needs as a consequent of their disclosure. 

Advisers must share information when necessary to manage risk, this involves some safeguarding of student and staff safety and partnership working with staff both inside and outside of the organisation.

This post will be expected to hold a senior role in the team, providing line management support to Disclosure Response Advisors and staff on sessional (hourly) contracts. They will be expected to support staff with management of high risk cases, ensuring that case management is coordinated safely and effectively, in compliance with relevant requirements.   

The post holder may carry responsibilities related to safeguarding vulnerable students, therefore they should have both relevant management experience and experience of delivering support services to people who have experienced violence and abuse. 

The post will be responsible for monitoring service demand, providing regular update reports on trends of violence and abuse affecting students to management. They will contribute to the broader strategy related to this area of work as part of a newly launched violence and abuse commitment and student support in general. This will require liaison with Senior Management, internal university staff, Students’ Union Staff and external community partners.

The post is full time, 35 hours per week, and fixed term until 28th February 2025 to cover for an existing member of staff on secondment.

Salary: £36,333 to £43,155 per annum (Grade 6)

This role is not a therapy/counselling role, nor is it intended to be a replacement of existing specialist roles in external specialist organisations, particularly statutory agencies to which the University.

We offer an excellent remuneration package including 37 days annual leave per year plus 8 bank holidays, pro rata for part time staff, as well as access to a range of staff discounts and development opportunities through accredited training.

Date advert posted: Friday, 10 March 2023

Closing date: Sunday, 26 March 2023

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

Key Duties

• Manage the operation of the Disclosure Response Team, planning, organising and delegating work, monitoring progress and intervening as required.
• Offer initial disclosure appointments personally for complex student cases, offering practical support and relevant advice, taking in to account the university’s duty of care to both the student and potentially the accused.
• Understand key referral pathways for support both internally and externally, understand internal complaints procedures and police reporting procedures and be able to provide students with a full range of options when they disclose to guide their decision making.
• Serve as a point of contact and advice for safeguarding matters related ing to case work carried out by the Disclosure Response Team.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance on violence and abuse issues to internal and external stakeholders, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action where appropriate and ensuring complex and conceptual issues are understood, inlcuding educating students and staff around violence and abuse issues, the Student Charter and University Policy regarding inappropriate behaviour.
• Take responsibility for resolving Disclosure Response Team presenting issues independently, seeking advice from management where appropriate.
• Oversee and line-manage the Disclosure Response Team including training, performance appraisal, development, team-working, working hours and meeting schedules.
• Contribute to the long-term strategic planning and management of the Disclosure Response Team, ensuring the University Violence and Abuse Commitment, and other related strategies and plans, are reflected in planned work priorities and standards
• Develop and contribute to preventative approaches which enhance student safety through strategic and sustainable project work, supporting vulnerable students to thrive. E.g. coordinating training programmes and education and awareness campaigns.
• Support and guide team members in welfare/ safety/ safeguarding issues, escalating as necessary to specialist support areas, Principal Safeguarding Officers and management as appropriate.
• Develop networks across the university and to ensure the success of the team’s objectives and long-term plans. For example, working closely with South Wales Police, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre and the RISE service for victims of domestic violence.
• Make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures. 
• Undertake the training of others in areas relating to the team’s work. 
• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to, and which will enhance performance. 
• Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate. 
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the department. 
• Apply a breadth of experience, working knowledge and proficiency in working with people affected by violence and abuse, demonstrate continuous specialist development, undertaking internal and/or external CPD activities.

General Duties 

• Deal with all matters sensitively and discretely and ensure that an understanding of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties. 
• Abide by University Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity, Dignity at Work and Study policies.  
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements in relation to information management including Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Code of Practice on Management of Police Information 2005, as appropriate. 
• Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role. 
• Identify students that may be at risk and invoke emergency procedures or referrals where necessary, ensuring that duty of care responsibilities are discharged. 

Person Specification

Important notice:

• It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable.
• As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.
• Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below.
• Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for 16167BR

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education 

A relevant first degree (or equivalent level) in a health related or social science discipline, or similar subject discipline or
A relevant professional qualification and experience, including but not exclusively, Social Work, Police, Probation, or
Significant equivalent experience of working with victims and/or perpetrators of domestic or sexual violence as an Independent Sexual Violence or Domestic Violence Advisor2  

Knowledge, Skills and Experience  

Substantial experience of managing a team within a setting that supports victims of violence and abuse, including dealing with performance and welfare issues within team settings 

Ability to demonstrate specialist knowledge of key advances within working with people affected by violence and abuse 

Skills and experience in assessment of risk and working with vulnerable people affected by violence and abuse, including experience of safeguarding people at high risk of harm. 

Experience of working within an organisational setting and developing specific processes and procedures for service delivery in this area  

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working   

Ability to communicate detailed and complex information effectively and professionally to a wide range of people, whilst upholding professional boundaries 

Proven ability to develop networks in order to work collaboratively with key stakeholders and to achieve long-term sustainable working 

Evidence of ability to explore stakeholders’ needs and use quantitative and qualitative data to ensure a quality service is delivered.  

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving  

Evidence of ability to plan the work of a team, over extended time periods, reacting to changes in workload and priority 

Evidence of ability to solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions and resolving problems with range of potential outcomes. 

Desirable Criteria

Experience of working in a Sexual Assault Referral Centre or third sector/ community service for people affected by violence and abuse. 

Experience of working in a service where agreed targets are in place demonstrating clinical outcomes. 

Experience of working in a Higher Education environment. 

Fluency in Welsh, written and oral. 

Job Category

Management & Executive