Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Nurse - Child Development Centre

The closing date is 07 September 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and experienced Specialist Nurse to work as part of our Paediatric multidisciplinary team at both the Chichester and Worthing Child Development Centres.

The Specialist Nurse role will involve using advanced clinical skills and expert knowledge to assess, diagnose and support the needs of children and young people with complex needs who are known to Child Development Service. Training and professional development will be offered as part of your continuing development, and to help you meet the skills, knowledge and competencies required for this post.

This role would suit applicants with an interest in contributing to the Neuro-Developmental pathway and developing their skills supporting children with Autistic Spectrum Condition and their families.

Main duties of the job

  • Contributes to the development of services, protocols, pathways, monitor workload and implement service developments/team objectives.
  • Undertakes assessments of individual children and their families which can include assessment and post diagnostic support of complex conditions.
  • Uses clinical judgement and individual decision making about nursing care requirements; assesses, plans, delivers, evaluates and records care without supervision to address health related problems/needs when needs are relatively stable and consistent with others in the caseload.
  • Co-ordinates and liaises with MDT members, delegating activities to a range of team members and influencing individuals to reach decisions and take resultant actions
  • Promotes health through broad programmes/initiatives
  • Organises and leads training sessions for individual/groups of CYP parents and families
  • Contributes to the development and implementation of policy and care delivery strategies, acting as a source of advice for junior members of the nursing team on clinical matters and decision making.
  • Able to initiate interventions to improve family resilience and reduce risk of family breakdown.. Able to respond appropriately when working with children with disabilities and their families regarding the impact of adverse life events, including how family health history, mental health and parental lifestyle choices impact on the child's health and development

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?o Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trusto Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Details

Date posted

28 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

150-MM1977-PC

Job locations

Chichester Child Development Centre

Westhampnett Centre, 28/29 Westhampnett Road

1) Chichester

PO19 7HH


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Provides a specialist Nurse role within the child development services contributing to the assessment, intervention and care planning for children known to the service.
  • Has an integral role in the co-ordination of services for children and their families and in forging and maintaining links with others working with children with complex needs. Provides consultation, support, training, high quality information and sign posting to families and other professionals.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • Provides a specialist Nurse role within the child development services contributing to the assessment, intervention and care planning for children known to the service.
  • Has an integral role in the co-ordination of services for children and their families and in forging and maintaining links with others working with children with complex needs. Provides consultation, support, training, high quality information and sign posting to families and other professionals.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • RN (Child/Adult) AND with an additional community qualification ie: Health Visitor/Specialist Community Public Health
  • Educated to degree level in relevant subject area or evidence of equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Educated to degree level in relevant subject area or evidence of equivalent experience

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of multi- disciplinary / multi-agency working
  • Minimum three years working as a Registered Nurse with families in the community
  • Experience of providing and receiving complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information

Desirable

  • Experience of working with children with disabilities
  • Evidence of skills for assessment and interpreting specialist patient/client conditions, taking appropriate action, including child protection issues

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to work on own initiative, make decisions and prioritise
  • Ability to relate theory to practice
  • Ability to work as an effective multi-disciplinary team member
  • Ability to act as an educator on a 1:1 basis
  • Ability to assess, develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care
  • Ability to provide cultural awareness and sensitivity to the differing needs of client groups
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of caseload and workload management
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of relevant NHS legislation and policies

Desirable

  • Working knowledge of Child Development and disability demonstrated by good clinical reasoning
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of key legislation relating to children with additional needs.
  • Ability to undertake research and audit activity with support

Other

Essential

  • Ability to competently use computers including software such as word, excel, power points and proficient use of electronic patient records systems
  • Should hold a driver licence and be able travel across the trust area to regular meetings.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • RN (Child/Adult) AND with an additional community qualification ie: Health Visitor/Specialist Community Public Health
  • Educated to degree level in relevant subject area or evidence of equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Educated to degree level in relevant subject area or evidence of equivalent experience

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of multi- disciplinary / multi-agency working
  • Minimum three years working as a Registered Nurse with families in the community
  • Experience of providing and receiving complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information

Desirable

  • Experience of working with children with disabilities
  • Evidence of skills for assessment and interpreting specialist patient/client conditions, taking appropriate action, including child protection issues

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to demonstrate effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to work on own initiative, make decisions and prioritise
  • Ability to relate theory to practice
  • Ability to work as an effective multi-disciplinary team member
  • Ability to act as an educator on a 1:1 basis
  • Ability to assess, develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care
  • Ability to provide cultural awareness and sensitivity to the differing needs of client groups
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of caseload and workload management
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of relevant NHS legislation and policies

Desirable

  • Working knowledge of Child Development and disability demonstrated by good clinical reasoning
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of key legislation relating to children with additional needs.
  • Ability to undertake research and audit activity with support

Other

Essential

  • Ability to competently use computers including software such as word, excel, power points and proficient use of electronic patient records systems
  • Should hold a driver licence and be able travel across the trust area to regular meetings.

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).

Additional information

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chichester Child Development Centre

Westhampnett Centre, 28/29 Westhampnett Road

1) Chichester

PO19 7HH


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chichester Child Development Centre

Westhampnett Centre, 28/29 Westhampnett Road

1) Chichester

PO19 7HH


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Specialist Nursing Team Clinical Lead (Chichester)

Kate Pope

katepope@nhs.net

01243793639

Details

Date posted

28 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

150-MM1977-PC

Job locations

Chichester Child Development Centre

Westhampnett Centre, 28/29 Westhampnett Road

1) Chichester

PO19 7HH


Supporting documents

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