Safeguarding and Children in Care Lead (Children’s Community Health)

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.

Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.

We welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as: part time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Children's Community Health Service as a Safeguarding and Children in Care Lead 0-19.

The post holder will provide guidance and support for police or court reports. The post holders will be responsible for overseeing and providing advice all elements of safeguarding work within the 0-19 services including attendance and/or delegation of safeguarding meetings, health assessments and review of Police and A & E reports received by the service, escalating concerns and seeking advice from and in collaborative with the corporate safeguarding team where necessary.

• To have expert knowledge on the health and wellbeing needs of Children in Care, including national and local guidance in completing review health assessment and contributing to care plans.
• To have experience on leading on the development of health services for Children in care and knowledge of local health and community services to meet their needs.
• To provide support, advice and support to the 0-19 service for review health assessments for children in care and have the knowledge of experience to work with community and voluntary services.
• To support frontline practitioners in the development and/or analysis of case chronologies.
• To support practitioners to produce factual reports to present as evidence to safeguard children and young people.
• To analyse prepared statements for court from practitioners for court proceedings.
• To provide staff with support during police interviews, where they are required to give evidence to support a child protection investigation.
• Work in partnership with multi-disciplinary colleagues, delegating appropriately to optimise health outcomes and resource management. Attend Strategy meetings as part of the duty role, updating case holders as appropriate.
• To also provide oversight and supervision of staff within the 0-19 service when they are required to attend strategy meetings, providing expert advice on professional challenge and escalation, both to internal and external partners.

Working for our organisation

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ideally situated just a forty five minute drive from Manchester. The Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac and Haematology patients.

Blackpool also offers a number of scenic cycling routes round our local parks and across the surrounding countryside, as well as boasting panoramic views of the coast on its picturesque Promenade. Further afield, Blackpool also benefits from less than three-hour connections via rail to Edinburgh in the north and London in the south.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see full and detailed Job and Person Specification for this role.

Please note the essential and desirable criteria for this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• 1st level Registered Nurse, Midwife with Current NMC Registration
• Community Specialist Practitioner Degree - Health Visiting, School Nursing, Community Specialist Practitioner or relevant additional post grad qualification.
• Safeguarding Supervisor.
• Relevant Experience and training to at least Level 3 of RCPCH and RCN Intercollegiate Competencies

• Educated to Master's Level or willingness to work towards.
• Leadership Degree, or evidence of recent Leadership Qualification and experience

Skills

• Appraisal and supervision skills
• Ability to develop and interpret policies
• Research and development skills
• Ability to utilise Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint as a minimum, including giving presentations.
• Produce and present high quality written reports and presentations
• Highly organised and ability to work to deadlines
• Understanding of local and national policy
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills and qualities
• Flexible Working

• Evidence of managing budgets
• Experience of providing reports for key performance indicators.

Personal Attributtes

• Ability to work under pressure and adaptable to change.
• Ability to communication across a wide range of complex situations.
• Evidence of effective delegation and monitoring of key responsibilities and tasks

Other

• Car owner/driver

Knowledge

• Expert Knowledge on the health and wellbeing needs of Children in Care, including knowledge of national and local guidance.
• Knowledge of Statutory timelines for completion of Review Health Assessments.
• Knowledge and skills to support practitioners in the development of and analysis of Case Chronologies.
• Knowledge and experience of completing Court Statements.
• Knowledge of local SEND strategy.

• Knowledge of Local Area Public health and Wellbeing data, and health outcomes for children and young people.
• Knowledge of a range of local services that support family and child health and wellbeing.

Please click here to view our Care and Compassion Day video

Any invitation to interview will be sent to the email account stated on your application form.

You can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months from your salary or as a one-off payment on commencement in post. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £25.50, Standard DBS check £25.50 and Enhanced DBS check £53.50.

You are encouraged where possible, to register for the DBS update service. This is an annual registration fee of £16. By registering for the update service you will not have the additional cost of repeated disclosures.

Should you withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check.

DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions.

By submitting an application for this vacancy you are confirming your agreement to the above in the event you are successfully appointed.

The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here.

Please ensure that you read the Person Specification attached below as your application will be judged against this.

Please note that every effort will be made to keep the vacancy live until published closing date, though there may be instances where such interest is generated, that for administrative reasons the post may close earlier.

Please note that in line with national NHS guidelines this Trust operates a strict non-smoking policy. Members of staff are not permitted to smoke on Trust premises or grounds at any time nor take breaks during working hours for the purposes of smoking.

The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert.