Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner

We are looking for an experienced practitioner who is confident in their safeguarding children knowledge and skills to join our teamon an interim contract to cover a period of extended leave of the current post holder. TheIntegrated Safeguarding Team (IST), led by theAssociate Director of Safeguarding andHead of Safeguarding,providesevidence based safeguarding children andadult’sadvice, safeguardingsupervisionand safeguarding related training for all disciplines of staff across allNorth BristolTrust(NBT)sites. The team supportstaffin theirmanagement of all aspects of safeguarding practice from early help signposting tohighly complexand serious child and adult protection cases.

The specialist role acts as a resource within the integrated team supporting all safeguarding professionals to develop further their safeguarding children advice, guidance and practice. This will include all areas of familial and extra familial harm alongside knowledge of safeguarding adults and PREVENT supporting developing knowledge of Transitional Safeguarding for the 16-25 year old patient cohort. It is expected that the post holder will work within the ‘Think Family’ approach already established in the team and will work with the existing Specialist Safeguarding Practitioners to support the Trust to embed a culture that routinely considers children when treating adult patients.

The post holder will also participate in the development, updating and delivery of all levels of safeguarding children training, including relevant knowledge on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and PREVENT, to aid staff to embed this learning into their everyday clinical practice. The post holder will be required to offer planned and ad hoc group and 1:1 supervision to staff to facilitate their development through reflection and enquiry. This should promote professional curiosity in practice and ensure all staff are offered an opportunity to reflect on learning with a focus on the child and improving outcomes.

This post includes delegated work deputising for the Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children at partnership meetings.

This role will work withing the integrated safeguarding team which is a dynamic and established team that is focused on improving patients lives through support of best practice when safeguarding concerns are identified by NBT staff during their daily work.

The successful applicant will be based at Southmead Hospital but work across all sites and will be line managed by the Operational Lead for Safeguarding.

To have an advanced knowledge of the legislation, statutory guidance, policy, recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review reports, and research in relation to safeguarding children.

To be able to use advanced knowledge to support clinical staff to assess risk and share information with partner organisations where there are concerns about the welfare of children.

Be confident in giving advice and guidance to clinical staff on all aspects of safeguarding children and child protection processes both national and local.

Experienced in evidencing the voice of the child when writing for all levels of statutory assessment and safeguarding processes (for example: referrals, ICPC, Court Reports, MARAC).

Able to adjust the support offered to clinical staff considering their learning needs, level of experience and confidence and competence in role.

Able to provide clear analysis of risk to inform information sharing and onward referral where concerns are raised for children who are patients or are the children of adult patients.

Knowledge of data protection, human rights legislation, and national guidance on information sharing.

Clear understanding of quality improvement processes and tools and how these can be used to support safe practice and risk management.

Advanced understanding of the additional vulnerabilities Children in Care face and the role of health staff in assessing risk when children access services.

Knowledge of learning styles and how to adapt training for different staff groups.

To contribute to an environment which encourages collaborative working practices.

To prioritise and organise a varied workload and to work autonomously to meet the needs of the patient, staff, and organisation within the agreed lines of accountability for the Trust safeguarding service.

Be able to work flexibly to respond to unpredictable situations rapidly. Manage unscheduled interruptions to deal with urgent safeguarding priorities.

Able to provide safeguarding children supervision keeping the needs of the child at the centre and being focused on developing practice for the staff, department, and Trust.

Have sound clinical skills and understand how these are used to support safeguarding practice including exercising professional curiosity and asking difficult questions.

Able to develop and maintain multiagency relationships keeping the family and the child at the centre of multiagency safeguarding system