Head of Safeguarding Case Management

As Head of Safeguarding Case Management you will be responsible for leading The FA's Safeguarding Case Management Team and ensuring safeguarding concerns involving children and adults at risk are managed effectively and consistently.

You will work closely with internal colleagues, in particular the Strategic Safeguarding Team and external partners, including statutory agencies, to support informed decision‑making and strong risk management across the game. You will also contribute to the development of safeguarding strategy, policy and procedures, providing specialist advice when needed. Working with key stakeholders in football aimed at ensuring children and adults at risk are protected from harm will be a key element of the role.

You will oversee all safeguarding investigations led by the team and ensure that casework is carried out in line with FA policy, regulations and statutory expectations, while also ensuring that safeguarding practice within the team is robust, well governed and aligned to best practice with the aim that football has a safe environment for all participants.

Please include a cover letter with your application, outlining your interest in the role and how you meet the criteria.

What will you be doing?

Leadership

- Lead delivery of The FA's safeguarding case management function.
- Contribute to the safeguarding strategy and policy led by the Strategic Safeguarding Team.
- Provide safeguarding advice, education and guidance to the football network in areas connected to the Safeguarding Case Management Team's work.
- Set priorities, allocate resources and support a high-performance culture.
- Ensure consistent, inclusive leadership and team development.
- Provide supervision, manage performance and uphold Company values.
- Collaborate with the Strategic Safeguarding Team and stakeholders to optimise ways of working.

Safeguarding Policy, Regulation and Process

- Help develop and maintain safeguarding policy, procedures, systems and documentation.
- Ensure legislative and best-practice compliance.
- Oversee quality assurance processes and ensure high practice standards.
- Lead and encourage continuous process improvement to drive efficient ways of working.

Case Management and Regulatory Compliance

- Oversee management of referrals, ensuring compliant investigations and effective risk management.
- Ensure timely risk assessments and implementation of safety plans, including emergency orders.
- Ensure the case management system supports efficient case handling and reporting.
- Maintain effective working relationships with statutory agencies (including Police and Children's and Adults Social Care departments; and Local Authority Designated Officers) and football safeguarding partners.
- Ensure accurate case recording in line with data protection requirements.

Performance and Reporting

- Set and achieve departmental KPIs relating to ongoing case management.
- Provide feedback to stakeholders on safeguarding delivery.
- Set team objectives aligned to the strategy.
- Use data and analytics to report on performance and implement continuous improvement.

Other

- Promote multi-agency working and a positive safeguarding culture.
- Support budget, workforce and resource planning.
- Champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Comply with organisational policies and uphold wellbeing standards.
- Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.

What are we looking for?

Essential for the role:

- Professional qualification in Social Work, Probation, Police, Law (BA/LLB) or equivalent.
- Senior management experience making complex safeguarding decisions under pressure.
- Strong knowledge of current child protection and adults at risk legislation, research and best practice.
- Evidence of a child‑centred approach and understanding of children's rights and needs.
- High‑quality report writing skills and experience quality‑assuring risk assessments.
- Experience drafting safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance.
- Experience managing large teams handling significant caseloads, with high resilience.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
- Proficient in case management systems and Microsoft Office.
- Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and ability to present sensitive information to diverse audiences.
- Proven ability to lead and motivate teams, maintaining morale in a challenging subject area while consistently driving high levels of performance.
- Well‑organised with excellent attention to detail.
- Experience applying a strategic approach to regulatory and compliance issues.

Beneficial to have:

- Experience working in a sports governing body.
- Some understanding of football in England and its structures.
- Experience working with media and communications teams.
- Understanding of legal and regulatory processes in sport.
- Experience in project and change management.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles. To achieve this, we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire, which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.

We pride ourselves on offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

- Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encourages you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well-being.
- Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
- Free private medical cover.
- A contributory pension scheme.
- An additional 'Thank You' day's leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract)
- A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers

Currently, we are working within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application