Nurse for Safeguarding Children

NHS; Gateshead; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is looking for an experienced senior nurse for the role of Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children. This leadership position requires strategic and operational oversight of child safeguarding across services. The successful candidate will provide expert advice, lead quality assurance, and represent the Trust in multi-agency meetings. Applicants should possess significant safeguarding experience and leadership skills, alongside relevant qualifications. The role is crucial in ensuring child protection practices meet statutory responsibilities.

Benefits

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Diversity and inclusion networks

Qualifications

• Significant experience in safeguarding children.
• Evidence of leadership development and managing people.
• Post-registration study in safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for safeguarding children.
• Act as Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children.
• Lead development and review of safeguarding policies.

Skills

Interpersonal and communication skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Conflict management skills

Leadership skills

Education

Master's level study or relevant experience

Registered Specialist Community Public Health Nurse

Teaching qualification in child protection

Job description

We are seeking an experienced senior nurse to join our Nursing, Midwifery and Quality Directorate as Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children (Band 8a).

This is a Trust-wide leadership role with responsibility for providing strategic and operational oversight of safeguarding children and child protection practice across acute and community services. Working closely with the Named Doctor, Named Midwife and safeguarding colleagues, the post holder will ensure the Trust meets its statutory responsibilities and delivers safe, effective and child-centred safeguarding practice.

The role involves providing expert advice to staff at all levels, leading safeguarding supervision, contributing to policy development, and representing the Trust within multi-agency safeguarding partnerships. The post holder will play a key role in quality assurance, training, audit and service development, supporting organisational assurance and continuous improvement.

This post is available due to the planned retirement of the current post holder. A structured handover will be provided to support continuity and enable the successful candidate to establish strong working relationships across the Trust and with partner agencies.

We are looking for a senior registered nurse with significant safeguarding experience, strong leadership skills and the ability to work confidently across professional and organisational boundaries.

Main duties of the job

• Provide Trust-wide strategic and operational leadership for safeguarding children and child protection across acute and community services.
• Act as the Trust's Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, ensuring statutory duties are met in line with legislation, national guidance and local safeguarding partnership arrangements.
• Work closely with the Named Doctor, Named Midwife, Looked After Children team and safeguarding colleagues to deliver a coordinated approach.
• Provide expert advice, leadership and professional support to staff at all levels, including leading safeguarding supervision.
• Lead the development, implementation and review of safeguarding policies, procedures and pathways.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate safeguarding children training, including contribution to multi-agency education where appropriate.
• Lead safeguarding quality assurance activity, including audit, learning from incidents and assurance reporting.
• Represent the Trust at multi-agency safeguarding meetings and partnerships, working collaboratively with external agencies.
• Line manage members of the safeguarding children team, including appraisal, supervision and workforce planning.
• Contribute to service development and improvement, using evidence, audit findings and service user feedback.
• Provide professional advice and assurance on safeguarding children matters to senior leaders as required.

About us

Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.

Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.

We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.

Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.

We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.

Job responsibilities

Provide Trust-wide strategic and operational leadership for safeguarding children and child protection practice across acute and community services.

Act as the Trusts Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, ensuring statutory safeguarding responsibilities are met and maintained in line with national and local guidance.

Work closely with the Named Doctor, Named Midwife, Looked After Children team and wider safeguarding professionals to deliver a coordinated and effective safeguarding service.

Provide expert advice, guidance and professional leadership to staff at all levels on safeguarding children, child protection and child welfare concerns.

Lead and deliver safeguarding supervision, supporting staff involved in complex, sensitive or distressing safeguarding situations.

Develop, review and implement safeguarding policies, procedures and pathways, ensuring alignment with legislation, best practice and local safeguarding partnership arrangements.

Lead the planning, delivery and evaluation of safeguarding children training across the Trust, including contribution to multi-agency training where appropriate.

Provide leadership for safeguarding quality assurance, including audits, reviews, learning from incidents, and assurance reporting to senior leaders and external bodies.

Represent the Trust at multi-agency safeguarding meetings, forums and partnerships, working collaboratively with health, social care, education, police and voluntary sector colleagues.

Line manage members of the safeguarding children team, including responsibility for appraisal, supervision, development and workforce planning.

Contribute to service development, improvement and innovation within safeguarding children services, using evidence, audit findings and service user feedback.

Provide professional advice and assurance to senior leaders and the Trust Board on safeguarding children matters as required.

Person Specification

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND APTITUDE

• High level of interpersonal and communication skills
• Analyse and effectively communicate sensitive, complex information with a range of professionals within a multi- agency arena in line with legislation, policy and procedures
• Specialist knowledge of national and local safeguarding strategies, guidance & legislation
• Excellent organisational skills
• Conflict management skills and an ability to diffuse stressful situations Evidence of post registration study in safeguarding
• Significant experience in strategy/policy writing
• Counselling and appraisal skills

QUALIFICATION AND TRAINING

• Master's level study or working towards/relevant experience
• Evidence of on-going professional development at post graduate level
• Teaching qualification and experience of teaching in child protection at a range of levels
• Registered Specialist Community Public Health Nurse or Registered Children's Nurse
• Qualification in Safeguarding Supervision

Experience

• Significant Experience in Safeguarding
• Significant experience in line management, effectively managing people and resources
• Evidence of Leadership development
• Experience of change management
• Evidence of innovation in practice
• Experience in audit and research
• Budget management
• Participation in recruitment and selection process
• Project management
• Experience of working with external agencies

DISPOSITION

• Motivated and able to motivate others
• Flexible
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Outwardly focussed

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Flexible approach to work
• Able to travel to various sites with reasonable adjustments where necessary

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.