Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly skilled Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner to join the Safeguarding Children and Adult’s Team within Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT).

The post will based at Daisyfield Mill, Blackburn, servicing the Central & West Locality however, there is an expectation that staff would be able to travel to other LSCFT bases as required.

The main remit of this post will be to provide safeguarding input within services in the Central & West area and we are looking for a nurse/social worker with experience of working with safeguarding issues in their current role.

The role will be underpinned by a sound knowledge of the legal frameworks that shape the safeguarding agenda including The Children Act (1989; 2004), The Care Act (2014), The Mental Health Act (1983) and The Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Safeguarding is integral to governance arrangements within LSCFT and we are looking for someone with leadership experience and a track record in providing high standards of care to the most vulnerable children and adults in our society.

Main duties of the job

Working within a multi-professional / agency context the post-holder will provide expert advice on safeguarding issues, policies, procedures and clinical practice which will enable the Trust and its workforce to comply with mandatory and statutory frameworks pertaining to the Safeguarding Agenda.

This will support LSCFT and its workforce to comply with the local, county and national frameworks and guidelines pertaining to the safeguarding agenda. The post holder will be an experienced and highly skilled, specialist practitioner and must have extensive, recent experience in working directly with vulnerable children, adults and their families.

The post holder will be required to participate and assist in the development of skills and competencies for the workforce.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Current NMC/Social work England/HCPC Registration
• 1st Level degree or similar.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of national policy/research and legislation relating to safeguarding children and adults and inclusive of MCA/DoLs agenda
• Demonstrates an awareness of the complex issues when working across organisations and disciplines and understands key elements of change management
• Knowledge and understanding of change process and organisational dynamics within changing environments. IT literate and able to navigate clinical systems Knowledge of Governance processes

• Knowledge of local/national safeguarding priorities
• Contribution to governance process

Experience

• Substantial post qualifying work experience, Clinical experience relating to safeguarding/MCA (Currency in the past 12 months)
• Experience of line management/Clinical supervision as a supervisor/supporting professional development
• Up-to-date working knowledge and application of safeguarding/MCA/DoLs legislation.
• Experience of policy and procedure development Proven track record of success of managing initiatives that have improved service delivery involvement and experience of developing and using audit tools

• Design, facilitation and evaluation of training programmes Able to facilitate group safeguarding supervision Experience of strategy, guidelines, policy development

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Personalisation is essential when submitting an application form to convey your skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.