School Health Practitioner (Registered Nurse)

Job responsibilities

2. Job Purpose

The post holder will work as part of a wider School Health team to assess health needs, plan, deliver and evaluate evidence-based interventions, in schools and community settings, to promote health and wellbeing of school aged children, young people and their families.

Following completion of appropriate training and competency development, the role also includes case holding of safeguarded children.

The post holder will work in a locality team, led by a School Nurse Locality Lead. They will be expected to complete appropriate training and supervision to ensure they achieve and maintain competency for the role, following which, most activities will be undertaken without direct supervision.

3. Key Results Areas

Service Delivery

To promote optimal health outcomes for children, young people and their families by:

Contributing to the identification and protection of children at risk of abuse and act in accordance with local and national policy and guidance.

Representing the school health team, and wider 0-19 service at multi-agency meetings, for children including those who are subject to safeguarding plans.

Participate in and delegate health assessments to ensure the health needs of children are identified and met; taking responsibility for analysing the data coming from both self-led and delegated assessments.

Provision of reports regarding a childs health needs, including for safeguarding multi-agency meetings.

Provide health related support and advice to children, young people and their families

Liaise with and refer to other agencies and professionals, to meet the health needs of children.

Actively contribute to Educational Health Care plans as directed by the locality lead.

Provide support to education staff on health and wellbeing needs within the school community and actively contribute to health-related policy planning with the support of the locality lead.

Plan, deliver and evaluate health promotion activities. Activities include but are not limited to Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), parent advice clinic, pupil drop-ins, group work, whole school approaches, health assessments and one to one intervention.

Advise schools on the requirements for, and support completion of health care plans for pupils with health needs.

Advise schools on storage and administration of medicines and emergency treatments for long term conditions i.e. asthma or allergies, or epilepsy and link in with specialist medical professionals where appropriate.

Provide training to education staff on areas of health and wellbeing where staff require continuing professional development. This may include supporting children and young peoples emotional health and provision of anaphylaxis and asthma management.

Provide a school health drop-in facility to secondary school pupils, offering confidential advice, support, signposting and follow up where necessary.

Identify students to work as Mental Health Ambassadors and provide active support to them throughout the school year, commencing this relationship by contributing to an annual mental health conference.

Supporting schools to work towards Healthy Schools status

Supporting schools and students to complete the bi annual health survey, completed by secondary school pupils in the borough.

To comply with current evidence-based guidelines, Your Healthcare and relevant policies and procedures.

Being accountable as a professional for actions in relation to own and work delegated to others, acting at all times within the NMC code of professional conduct.

Participating in use of digital technologies to support service delivery.

Participating, as requested by the School health Lead, in Clinical Governance activities such as clinical audit and research.

Acting as a practice assessor/supervisor to pre-registration students following participation in appropriate training.

To maintain professional competence and personal development by participation in mandatory and essential training, which are reflected in the personal development plan.

Communications and working relationships

To maintain up to date and accurate records, ensuring confidentiality is maintained in accordance with Your Healthcare, NMC requirements and the Data Protection Act.

To participate fully in the use of information technology, collecting and entering statistical data.

To build positive working relationships with schools and partner organisations.

To organise and participate in team, organisational and partnership meetings as required.

To participate in and contribute to the development of the School Health team service delivery.

Working in partnership with children and their families to improve health outcomes, with an awareness of the impact of inequalities and wider determinants of health.

Decision Making

To be able to prioritise own caseload.

Working without direct supervision to plan, deliver and evaluate interventions, applying knowledge of evidence, guidance and policy.

To participate fully in regular clinical and safeguarding supervision activities.

To be able to recognise when ad hoc support and supervision from locality lead and safeguarding team is required.

To contribute to multi-agency decision making for safeguarded children.

To ensure the efficient and effective use of all resources to meet the needs of children and their families.

To apply an understanding of inequalities in health and vulnerable populations to working practice.

Personal qualities

Essential

• Flexible
• Approachable

Experience

Essential

• Working with children, young people and their families to promote health and well-being,
• providing support/advice to vulnerable or excluded children, young people and their families
• Planning and delivering health promotion interventions, in line with evidence and guidance
• Working in partnership with multi agency teams and the voluntary sector
• Team working

Desirable

• Working autonomously
• Specialist paediatric, mental health or sexual health experience
• Working within school settings
• Facilitating groups
• Delivering relationships, sex and health education
• Working with safeguarded children
• Working as a practice assessor/supervisor

Knowledge

Essential

• Working knowledge of safeguarding children
• A practical understanding of health promotion theory and practice relevant to children, young people and their families
• Factors affecting the health and well-being of children and young people and public health priorities
• An understanding of equality and diversity
• An understanding of inequalities in health

Desirable

• Understanding of clinical governance
• Working knowledge of public health policy

Skills and abilities

Essential

• Ability to communicate/influence/
• negotiate sensitive information in a non-judgemental and inclusive manner to children, young people and their families, and other professionals
• Good report writing, record keeping and presentation skills
• Ability to be proactive, to prioritise and to organise own workload
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Able to work autonomously, without direct supervision
• Ability to form good working relationships with children/young people and their families and other professionals
• Ability to interpret national and local guidance and translate this into own practice
• Ability to analyse health information, making and sensitively communicating professional judgements
• Adaptable to change
• IT skills including excel, word and PowerPoint and an ability to learn new digital skills

Desirable

• Skills in using Microsoft 365 applications including Teams, Forms, OneDrive, SharePoint and Sway

Other factors

Essential

• An enhanced DBS check will be required
• Travel around the Borough
• Evening and occasional weekend working will very occasionally be required
• Car driver/Bike User (with facility to transport heavy equipment) with access to a vehicle (Car and Bike schemes are available to employees)

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Willing to undertake training to be practice assessor

Desirable

• Registered Nurse (Child)
• Sexual and mental health qualifications relevant to young people s provision
• Practice assessor/Practice supervisor

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).