Safeguarding Children Practitioner

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and relationships

• To provide child protection supervision (under the direction of the Named/Specialist Nurse) to health professionals involved in child protection by telephone or 1 to 1 contact

• To liaise with frontline practitioners to integrate safeguarding children practices into staff roles.

• To be able to present safeguarding children information in a variety of formats including verbal / written / data with analysis and via PowerPoint presentation.

• To deputise for the Named Nurse and Specialist Nurse at LSCP sub groups as required.

• To support practitioners at Child Protection Conferences / Core Groups and during Court appearances.

• To deputise for the Named Nurse and Specialist Nurse at the monthly Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) , The Missing , Explicated , Trafficked Risk Assessment Conference (METRAC) and the High Risk Domestic Abuse meeting (HRDA)

• To challenge Trust staff & practitioners (at any grade) if LSCP policy and procedure is not followed or adhered to.

• To support Trust staff to escalate safeguarding children concerns when concerns persist despite appropriate action.

• To challenge safeguarding partners including Children’s Social Care and the Police if LSCP policy & procedure is not followed or adhered to.

• To work in conjunction with:

• Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Partnership (IWLSCP)
• Designated Doctor and Designated Nurse
• Named Nurse / Named Midwife / Specialist  Nurse for Safeguarding Children
• Statutory and voluntary agencies involved in safeguarding children
• HantsDirect - Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
• Children In Care Nurse
• Mainland Safeguarding Children Teams

• The nature of this role is such that there will be regular communication with safeguarding partners including children’s social care / Police / Child Death Overview Panel and LSCP  of  a highly emotive, sensitive, confidential and complex information.
• To demonstrate reasoning and decision making for clinical risk issues relating to children. This is achieved through adherence to current legislation and in line with child protection policies, escalation of cases, guidance and professional standards for practice.

• To form specialist reasoned judgement around areas of risk and safety of a child’s/Un-born situation with staff so they can contribute to inter-agency discussions or meetings and fully participate to safeguard children.

• To gather, assess and analyse information on individual children and families relevant to specific MASH enquiries, including making a judgement on further action to be taken.

• To advise staff on reports for child protection conferences and statements for care proceedings referring to the Named Nurse/Specialist Nurse when deemed necessary, using clinical judgment skills to decide when to do so.

• To support the Named Nurse in analysing information for Child Safeguarding Practice reviews (were called Serious Case Reviews) including initial scoping and attendance at any reflective learning sessions.

• To ensure evidence-based risk assessment is undertaken during all supervision with frontline staff ensuring escalation to the Safeguarding Children Specialist Nurse is undertaken when required.

• To advise and support frontline staff in data sharing practice taking the responsibility for appropriateness of information sharing of highly confidential and sensitive data the best interest of the child in line with the 7 Golden Rules of Information sharing  and in line with the Data Protection Act.

Planning and organising

• To access training to maintain own competences appropriate to the role in line with the Trust Safeguarding Children Training Policy.

• To access regular child protection supervision from the Named Nurse / Specialist Nurse for Safeguarding Children.

• Ensure effective investigation of suspected and actual cases of child abuse and to ensure that organisational procedures and systems for safeguarding children are coordinated effectively.

• Where appropriate to participate in an any scoping or interviews as required as part of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review process and to co-ordinate meetings with frontline practitioners aimed at ensuring learning and development takes place as part of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review process.

• To ensure all HantsDirect MASH responses meet the required timeframe (Section 47 within 2 hours and Section 17 within 48 hours).

• Ensure all reporting deadlines are met, escalating to the Named Nurse when concerns for deadline achievement exist.

• Ensure a prompt response to safeguarding children concerns from frontline staff Monday – Friday 09.00 – 17.00.

• Prioritise and re prioritise own workload in response to urgent safeguarding children demands.

• Commitment to work flexibly in response to the needs of the service e.g. Non accidental injury examinations/strategy meetings and Joint Agency Responses to a Child Death.

Patient and client care

• To demonstrate reasoning and decision making for clinical risk issues relating to children to ensure the child’s best interests are maintained at all times.

• To form specialist reasoned judgements around areas of risk and safety of a child’s situation with staff so they can contribute to inter-agency discussions or meetings and fully participate to safeguard children.

• To support frontline practitioners with complex cases including joint visiting / support at various meetings, acting as an advocate for the child/Un born at all times.

Service and policy development

• To contribute to the development of local and national strategies for public involvement in the area of safeguarding children and families.

• To support the Named Nurse in the production of Safeguarding Children policies and guidance.

Managing financial resources

• The post holder will have responsibility, together with the team, for ensuring that the budgets relating to safeguarding remain within balance and the best use is made of staffing and training resources.      

People management and development

• To support the Named Nurse / Specialist Nurse and Named Doctor to deliver safeguarding training (with support) on a regular basis, this will include bespoke sessions to staff groups in order to meet the requirements of the Trust Safeguarding Children Training Policy.

• To provide child protection supervision (under the direction of Specialist/Named Nurse) of health professionals involved in child protection practice either by telephone or 1 to 1 contact.

Information system use and management

• To be confident and proficient in the use of various Trust systems i.e. E-Care Logic / Patient Centre / PARIS / Symphony/Systm One/Adastra
• To be able to search IOW NHS Trust Information Systems for individual information on a child / children in order to contribute to safeguarding children enquiries.
• To input information onto Paris and notify the named health professional.

• To be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office software including Word / Excel and Powerpoint in order to present safeguarding children information in the best format.

Involvement in surveys and research

• To participate in or initiate audits and contribute to reports and action plans as required. These may be as part of an internal audit program, LSCP multi agency audits or part of a national audit.

• To participate in research as required both nationally and locally.

• To maintain own professional responsibility in keeping up to date with current national developments in safeguarding children.

Freedom to Act and autonomy

• Working under the direction of the Named Nurse and Safeguarding Children Specialist Nurse, following National / Local / LSCP / Trust child protection procedures.

• Be accountable for own professional actions and manage own workload within agreed objectives as set by the Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, deciding when to refer to others as appropriate.

• To share information with internal staff and external partners “in the best interest of the child” in line with the 7 Golden Rules of Information sharing and in line with the Data Protection Act.

• To provide safeguarding children support and advice to staff under the day to day guidance of the Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children.