Job summary
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 acronymICORE; 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 description
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.
Job description
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
Essential
- 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
- Leadership skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Computer literacy
- 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
Essential
- BSc/ BA (Hons) degree
- 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
Desirable
- Registered Specialist Community Public Health Nurse or Registered Children's Nurse
- Qualification in Safeguarding Supervision
Experience
Essential
- 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
Essential
- Motivated and able to motivate others
- Flexible
- Enthusiastic
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
- Outwardly focussed
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Essential
- Flexible approach to work
- Able to travel to various sites with reasonable adjustments where necessary
Person Specification
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND APTITUDE
Essential
- 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
- Leadership skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Computer literacy
- 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
Essential
- BSc/ BA (Hons) degree
- 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
Desirable
- Registered Specialist Community Public Health Nurse or Registered Children's Nurse
- Qualification in Safeguarding Supervision
Experience
Essential
- 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
Essential
- Motivated and able to motivate others
- Flexible
- Enthusiastic
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
- Outwardly focussed
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Essential
- 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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
