Job summary
Interview Date: 4th December 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly motivated safeguarding professional to join our integrated Safeguarding Team as Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children.

This senior leadership role provides expert safeguarding advice, support and professional leadership across the Trust, ensuring that children and young people are at the heart of safe, effective and high-quality care. You will lead and influence safeguarding practice, supporting the Trust to meet its statutory responsibilities and maintain compliance with national legislation, statutory guidance and NHS safeguarding standards.

Working closely with the Head of Safeguarding, Named and Designated Professionals and multi-agency partners, you will provide specialist advice on complex safeguarding matters and contribute to policy, training, supervision, audit and quality assurance. You will represent the Trust within local safeguarding partnership arrangements and promote effective information sharing and multi-agency working.

We are looking for a credible and compassionate leader who can provide professional challenge, influence practice and support continuous improvement while championing the voice and rights of children and young people.

Main duties of the job
As Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, you will provide expert leadership and specialist advice to staff across the Trust and community services on safeguarding children and young people. You will support complex cases, provide safeguarding supervision and ensure staff have access to high-quality policies, guidance, education and training.

You will lead and contribute to safeguarding audits, quality assurance, incident investigations and statutory review processes, identifying learning and ensuring that improvements are embedded into practice. You will monitor safeguarding performance and provide reports and assurance to senior leaders and Trust governance groups.

You will work collaboratively with health, social care, police, education and other partner agencies, representing the Trust at safeguarding partnership meetings and supporting effective professional challenge and information sharing.

The role also includes contributing to child death processes, mental health safeguarding, domestic abuse arrangements, child exploitation and contextual safeguarding, as well as supporting staff involved in child protection conferences, strategy meetings and court proceedings. You will line manage the Safeguarding Children Advisor, contribute to the Safeguarding Team duty rota, and promote a strong, child-centred safeguarding culture throughout the organisation.

About us
Barnsley is a place of real warmth and community spirit. With a proud industrial past, the town offers affordable living, great transport links, rich culture and many green spaces. Barnsley punches above its weight and has recently seen economic growth, substantial regeneration and digital ambition, whilst leading the way in healthcare innovation and employability.

At Barnsley Hospital, we are a close-knit, ambitious team delivering outstanding care in the heart of South Yorkshire. Our aim is to be the best place to work and we have been consistently rated by our people as being amongst the very best Trusts in the country in areas such as compassionate leadership, teamwork and supporting colleague wellbeing.

We offer a friendly working environment where you will be recognised and valued for what you do, led with compassion and integrity and have your career and wellbeing supported.

Barnsley Hospital NHS FT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and fair treatment to all applicants.

Visa sponsorship is only available to applicants who meet UK Skilled Worker eligibility requirements, including salary thresholds. Please use the link on the right hand side of the advert to check your eligibility.

The cost of the DBS (criminal records check) for Band 6 and above roles will only be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction.

Please note we reserve the right to close positions early

Details
Date posted: 04 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: C9163-0104E-11-2026

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Significant experience of working at a senior level.
• Significant experience of working to safeguard children.
• Experience of planning, delivering, and designing training.
• Experience of multi-agency working at a senior level.
• Experience in undertaking audits, collating data and analysing findings.
• Experience of developing or contributing to policy, procedure or guidance.
• Experience of managing investigations, including root cause analysis.
• Experience of making/ leading improvements in service delivery.
• Experience of facilitating and supporting change in practice delivery.
• Experience of offering specialist advice and support to staff.
• Experience of delivering safeguarding supervision.
• Experience of preparing reports and statements for case conferences and court statements.
• Experience of escalating concerns and making professional challenge.
• Experience of producing annual reports.
• Experience of representing an organisation at subgroups of the safeguarding board.
• Experience of undertaking serious case reviews or contributing towards them.

Desirable

• Experience of working as a Named Nurse.
• Experience of dealing with the child death, rapid response process.
• Experience of horizon scanning and implementing changes to practice based on local or national drivers.
• Experience of the MARAC process.

Personal Attributes
Essential

• Conscientious.
• Highly motivated.
• Ability to work alone, in a team and under pressure.
• Flexible and adaptive to changing circumstances.
• Honesty and integrity.
• Be able to manage stress and emotional situations adequately.

Skills and abilities
Essential

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to communicate with a range of people including staff, other professionals, service users and parents/carers.
• Ability and skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff internal and external to the organisation i.e. partner agencies.
• Able to confidently deliver safeguarding training.
• Able to undertake audits.
• Able to work independently, organise workload, prioritise, and demonstrate initiative.
• Effective problem solving skills.
• Will have the skills and ability to be able to analyse information and make decisions in stressful and complex situations.
• Ability to prioritise and move from one task to another at short notice.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to offer constructive challenge and escalate concerns where appropriate.
• Ability to lead a small team.
• Computer literate

Knowledge and Awareness
Essential

• Principles underpinning effective child protection practice.
• A good level of knowledge of the national and local safeguarding agenda including relevant policy, procedures, practice legislation and developments.
• Knowledge of current research findings and evidenced based practice.
• A thorough understanding of policy and issues relating to data protection, confidentiality and information sharing.

Values
Essential

• Please describe in around 100 words: What Equality & Diversity means to you and why they are important
• Please describe in around 100 words: Describe a time when you were under pressure but remained calm, compassionate and focused at work

Qualifications
Essential

• Must hold one of the following qualifications: Registered Adult/Childrens Nurse; Health Visitor or School Nurse; Training/teaching qualification; Masters in a relevant subject or be working towards this.
• Undertaken supervision training equivalent to the NSPCC safeguarding supervision skills course.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Pogmoor Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 2EP, United Kingdom

For questions about the job, contact:
Head of Safeguarding, Dawn Gibbon
d.gibbon@nhs.net
01226432092

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and fair treatment to all applicants.