Families First Programme (FFP) Operational Lead


Location
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum / pro rata
Profession
Operations manager
Grade
Band 8
Deadline
09 Sep 2026
Contract Type
2 years (2 years fixed term or secondment)
Posted Date
02 Sep 2026
Medical Protection — the side of locally employed doctors from £83

Job requirements

Requirements from the employer’s person specification. These describe the role, not your personal match.

Essential

32 listed

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

  • Skills

    Expert knowledge of relevant legislation relating to safeguarding children and looking after children/young people

  • Skills

    Expert knowledge of relevant legislation relating to the Families First Programme

  • Skills

    Evidence of current knowledge of local and national policies relating to safeguarding children and relevant professional and NHS policy initiatives.

  • Skills

    Demonstrates in depth knowledge relevant to patterns of abuse and neglect

  • Skills

    Excellent communication skills and ability to provide written and verbal reports for safeguarding children’s procedures.

  • Skills

    Confidence to challenge appropriately in difficult situations

  • Skills

    Well-developed presentation skills.

  • Skills

    Ability to analyse and critically evaluate information and record in a concise and accurate manner

  • Skills

    The ability to practice as an expert practitioner in relation to safeguarding children

  • Skills

    Effective organisational skills.

  • Skills

    Ability to communicate across organisational boundaries

  • Skills

    Completion of audits and reports within timescale

  • Skills

    Facilitation skills.

  • Skills

    Evidence of continuous professional development

  • Skills

    IT skills, word processing/database skills.

  • Skills

    Ability to work under pressure, to prioritise, work flexibly and to tight deadlines

  • Experience

    Evidence of significant direct safeguarding children/Looked after Children experience at band 7 or above

  • Experience

    Experience of delivering safeguarding supervision

  • Experience

    Significant experience in a senior clinical position with a proven ability to manage a team

  • Experience

    Experience of contributing to Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LCSPRs) and the subsequent action plans

  • Experience

    Experience of successfully managing the implementation of change

  • Experience

    Evidence of professional leadership, leading to innovation in practice.

  • Experience

    Experience of policy development and implementation and delivery of education programmes in single and multi-agency settings

  • Experience

    Evidence of involvement in multi-agency safeguarding children/ Looked After Children/young people subgroups

  • Experience

    Evidence and experience of implementing and coordinating safeguarding children’s procedures within a multi-agency team

  • Experience

    Skilled in multi-agency assessment and working together with partner agencies

  • Experience

    Experience of undertaking and contributing to single and multiagency audit

  • Experience

    Awareness of issues affecting ethnic minority families and other socially excluded groups

  • Experience

    In depth knowledge of children’s health and development and the nature and impact of child maltreatment

  • Qualifications

    NMC Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife with substantial post registration experience

  • Qualifications

    1 st Level degree in nursing or health related subject

  • Qualifications

    Evidence of relevant Safeguarding Children Qualification and/or Looked After Children/ Young People Qualification

Desirable

4 listed

Additional qualities the employer would prefer.

  • Skills

    IT skills relating to Power Point, Excel

  • Qualifications

    Specialist Practitioner Public Health

  • Qualifications

    Master’s degree or working towards

  • Qualifications

    Teaching qualification

Job overview

Families First Programme in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

The Department for Education’s Families First Programme will deliver system-wide reform in children’s safeguarding, in line with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is committed to working with safeguarding partners to fully implement the programme. In collaboration with Trafford Local Authority Children’s Social Care and Trafford Integrated Care Board, MFT has established the Families First Programme Operational Lead post to provide operational leadership and translate Families First priorities into effective operational delivery in the Multi Agency Child Protection Hubs and the Family Help workstreams.

Main duties of the job

  • The Families First Operational Lead will
  • Lead the operational scoping, design, testing and implementation of the NHS contribution to both the Multi Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT) and Family Help workstreams, acting as the named statutory healthcare professional for MFT within the MACPT structure.
  • Pilot and test new ways of working for the NHS contribution to Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams and Family Help arrangements across Trafford.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading.

Explore ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place’

To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place. This welcoming one‑stop hub gives you a real sense of who we are — what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. You’ll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.

To access ‘Inside MFT – Your Candidate Place, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the ‘Supporting Documents’ section and once opened, you can where either scan QR code or click on the link provided.

Closing vacancy listings early

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity Matters MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU—for our patients, our communities, and each other. As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application—especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions—is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for Families First Programme (FFP) Operational Lead with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Operations manager role. The advertised salary is £57,528 - £64,750 per annum / pro rata. The contract type is 2 years (2 years fixed term or secondment). The application deadline is 09 Sep 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (02 Sep 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.