Safeguarding Children Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our well-established safeguarding children’s nursing team. You will be required to provide specialist safeguarding advice, education and support to health care professionals and patients.

As a nurse specialist you will ensure that the needs of vulnerable children are recognised and acted upon. The role is a patient facing role and you will have daily contact with vulnerable children and their families. You will be required to undertake direct safeguarding assessments with children and families and ensure that the right support and services are put in place to meet their needs. You will be working side by side with clinical teams. Accessibility and visibility across all trust areas of the post holder is vital.

You will work closely with professionals and external partner organisations. You will be required to attend safeguarding strategy meetings and be able to be part of risk management decision making and planning. Critical thinking, analytical processing and adaptability to changing circumstances are essential requirements.

You will be expected to create an environment of continuous quality improvement and develop safeguarding practice across services; this will be through delivering safeguarding children training, visible leadership, knowledge and expertise in all aspects of safeguarding children.

Main duties of the job

• Act as a role model, demonstrating high standards of care and providing expert and professional clinical leadership in safeguarding related matters.
• Demonstrate appropriate expert practice and highly specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care.
• To work within the safeguarding nursing team in managing and overseeing practitioners and their cases of vulnerable children and families whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering individualised care.
• Directly supervise, support, and advise clinical teams, by the provision of specialist knowledge and advice in relation to the safeguarding of children.
• To identify vulnerable children, young people and families early and provide effective programmes of support and care that protects and promotes their health and wellbeing.
• To contribute to child protection case conferences and strategy meetings in order to plan effectively to ensure optimum outcomes for vulnerable children.
• Participate in the delivery of safeguarding children training.
• Provide regular supervision to practitioners in the acute setting of the Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work within the safeguarding nursing team in managing and overseeing practitioners and their cases of vulnerable children and families whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering individualised care.
• Act as a role model, demonstrating high standards of care and providing expert and professional clinical leadership in the specialist areas.
• Demonstrate appropriate expert practice and highly specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care. Provide professional and clinical leadership and expertise in the speciality and to act as a resource for education and clinical expertise.
• Promote and deliver high standards of practice at all times and assist in the development of the specialist service, through the use of evidence based practice and clinical standards.
• Directly supervise, support, and advise clinical teams, by the provision of specialist knowledge and advice in relation to the safeguarding of children.
• Review families of high concern and provide relevant child protection supervision/ guidance.
• To identify vulnerable children, young people and families early and provide effective programmes of support and care that protects and promotes their health and wellbeing. Provide a seamless high quality service from referral through to assessment, treatment and review.
• Act as an advocate for service users to ensure a child orientated approach to the delivery of care in order to meet standards within the child protection legislation and guidelines.
• Establish, develop and maintain effective working relationship between clinicians, practitioners and managers within the specialty, across the trust and partner agencies.
• To contribute to child protection case conferences and strategy meetings in order to plan effectively to ensure optimum outcomes for vulnerable children. Provide support and guidance to staff who are required to attend these meetings and support individual practitioners’ pre and post conference discussions.
• In conjunction with the Named and Lead Professionals implement and maintain Safeguarding Policies and Procedures in line with Local Safeguarding Children Partnership, Government Policies and Legislation.
• Organise own work and manage caseload and practice, identifying and maintaining supportive networks for self and other staff members.
• Actively participate in local, national and international networking to maintain and develop expert level of knowledge in the specialty.
• To deliver formal safeguarding training sessions to specified staff on Child Protection and safeguarding issues, which facilitates learning and individual personal development.
• The Nurse Specialist will be required to provide regular supervision to practitioners in the acute setting of the Trust at regular intervals as per child protection supervision policy.
• Due to the emotional impact of the role undertake regular support and supervision sessions with the Lead Nurse.
• Identify and intervene where circumstances contribute to an unsafe environment for children.

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.