Job responsibilities
This role as been developed within SSCH to ensure statutory requirements are met and to strengthen
governance arrangements around safeguarding adult and children concerns. We are looking for a Safeguarding
expert, a qualified nurse or social worker, who will be responsible for ensuring the safeguarding process is
completed within the time frame and participate in relevant subgroups to enhance the high profile of
safeguarding within SSCH. The post holder will demonstrate advanced skills and competencies to influence the
pathways of care in the safeguarding of vulnerable people. They will initiate and add to research evidence in the
field of children and adult safeguarding to ensure that evidence-based practice is inherent in all aspects of care.
The post holder will work in partnership with local authorities and will be involved in quality assessments on all
clinical areas. The role requires a high level of legal literacy of law that interfaces with the safeguarding agenda.
This management role is responsible for the leadership and day-to-day running of the Social Work & Transition
Team.
The post holder will:
- Will be the Designated Lead for Safeguarding Children and Adults.
- Lead and manger the Social Work & Transition Team, providing visible professional leadership across
SSCH.
- Have a high degree of autonomy and work collaboratively with all members of the Care Directorate,
Heads of Care, Safeguarding Team and clinical services, working in partnership with Safeguarding Multiagency Partners, CCGs, Locality LeDeR Group, Allied Health Professionals to ensure that children and
adults who come into contact with the SSCH are safeguarded including promoting their welfare.
- Will be the Lead Practitioner for PREVENT, MCA, DoLS/LPS, Transition, Disabilities and Autism, taking a
lead in all strategic planning and development relating to the protection and welfare of children and
adults.
- Will manage, support and develop the work of the Social Workers in ensuring robust assessment of the
psychosocial needs of families and delivery of interventions focused on safety and wellbeing.
- Will manage, support and develop our transition care, empowering young people and their families
with knowledge and support to make the transition to adult services as seamless as possible.
- Will monitor, continually review and where appropriate, streamline this aspect of service delivery
utilising resource effectively and enabling high quality care.
- Be a highly visible senior practitioner, providing specialist knowledge, advice and clinical expertise to
all staff in SSCH in all areas of safeguarding children and adults at risk, presenting and acting in a
professional manner and ensuring this is seen across staff working for SSCH.
- Co-ordinate and contribute to inter-professional training in safeguarding children and adults across
SSCH, working with the Director of Care and other colleagues on research and safeguarding education.
- Attend and represent SSCH at board sub committees, influencing work streams and transferring
practice across SSCH.
- Work according to their professional code of conduct and maintain personal clinical competence and
credibility.
b) Work relationships
SCCH care is delivered by four clinical areas under the direct operational management of the Heads of Care.
The nature of Safeguarding work necessitates good relationships, awareness and understanding of these
clinical areas, multi-disciplinary professionals and the wider work of the charity:
- Inhouse
- Community Nursing
- SPACE (specialist palliative care team)
- Family Support Services (psychosocial care). This post sits within the Family Support Services.
The individual in this role will work in partnership with internal and external professionals involved in the care
of children, young adults and families. This includes contact within external professional networks to enhance
individual knowledge and skills, to ensure alignment with guidance and regulations, and to continually review
Safeguarding, Social Work and Transition Care.
c) Scope of job
The postholder is required to act as a specialist resource in the prevention, identification, assessment and
management of children and adults at risk, promoting collaborative working with other agencies.
The post holder will work closely with the clinical areas, to safeguard individuals where there is a lack mental
capacity or where there is a need for support or question around a persons decision-making ability.
The post holder will be involved in policy formation and implementation and will be expected to respectfully
challenge decision making and present an evidence-based argument to promote excellence in safeguarding and
mental capacity practice.
The post holder is responsible for ensuring and enhancing the quality, safety and effectiveness of social work
and transition care offered to SSCH children and families. This involves developing professional knowledge and
skills of the team, to respond to evolving needs within childrens and adult palliative care.
The post holder will be required to provide and present expert safeguarding advice and reports both verbal and
written to the Directors, Board, other forums as well as externally at local, regional or national level.
Work will predominantly take place in-person at Shooting Star House or Christophers. Some travel to schools,
colleges, residential settings and family homes may be required. Hospice care is provided 24 hours a day, 365
days a year, therefore the post holder may be required to work occasional Saturdays, Sundays and bank
holidays.
Part 2:
a) Main duties and key responsibilities
Safeguarding
- To lead Safeguarding work that supports the delivery of innovative, clinically excellent, evidence-based
practice in relation to children and adults who are identified as being at risk of harm, including those
affected by domestic abuse and substance misuse.
- To ensure effective processes are in place that enable the Safeguarding Team to respond to staff
seeking support, with specialist child protection, adult protection and safeguarding knowledge, support
and guidance.
- To ensure Safeguarding work is carried through, in particular when competing priorities arise within
the Safeguarding Team.
- To work collaboratively with partner agencies across health, social care, education and others to
safeguarding children and adults at risk and promote welfare.
- To represent SSCH at multi-agency meetings in respect of safeguarding issues, including multidisciplinary strategy meetings and child/adult protection case conferences/review meetings when
required.
- To communicate highly sensitive and complex information appropriately in multi-agency forums. To
support and empower the wider team in communicating highly sensitive and complex information to
colleagues, partner agencies, families and individuals with professionalism.
- To support professionals working with complex cases, utilising highly developed clinical and
communication skills to ensure robust decision making and appropriate response to safeguarding
concerns.
MCA Dols.
- To leads on statutory compliance in respect of DoLS/LPS.
- To design, develop and implement strategies, policies, procedures and guidance for MCA and LPS
regulations, including quality assurance mechanisms and analysis.
- Provide expert oversight and advice to staff in relation to MCA and DoLS/LPS. To ensure that standards
are appropriated applied so that patients are cared for in the least restrictive manner within the options
available to them.
- To ensure that all DoLS/LPS applications are completed and processed.
Advisory
- To ensure extensive knowledge of the safeguarding agenda. To acquire and review national learning
and information concerning safeguarding, including domestic abuse, substance misuse, public
protection, child exploitation, channel, and modern-day slavery.
- To identify new ways of working in response to national drivers and local need. To challenge decisions
when appropriate and implement agreed actions.
- To report to Heads of Care and Directors any potential risk of non-compliance.
- To contribute to the development of policies and protocols that facilitate safe, effective and timely
information sharing processes, reflecting current legislation and national policy.
- To participate in morbidity and mortality meetings, journal club, study days and teaching sessions.
Education
- To oversee the planning and delivery of training programmes for safeguarding children, adults and the
wider safeguarding agenda.
To work with the Heads of Care to identify current and emerging training needs across the clinical areas.
Registered Charity No: 1042495.
- To contribute to a staff supervision and wellbeing programme that promotes safe practice and supports
and empowers practitioners in their professional development. To facilitate learning and increase selfawareness of resilience and burnout. To ensure a provision of specialist safeguarding supervision.
- To work with the Practice Education and Quality Team to develop and deliver a comprehensive MCA
and DoLS/LPS programme of training.
- To maintain personal and team knowledge of safeguarding legislation including the MCA, Gillick
competency and DoLS national, regional and local procedures and practices.
Governance
- To ensure effective policies, procedures and systems are in place for Safeguarding, MCA and DoLS/LPS
in accordance with legislation and statutory and regulatory requirements.
- To actively undertake clinical audits and monitor and collects statistical data in relation to
MCA/DoLS/LPS and safeguarding children and adults at risk.
- Ensure that the Director of Care, relevant committees, and groups are briefed on issues relating to
safeguarding, particularly where a case may present serious concerns for SSCH.
for more information please see full job description.
