Job summary

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.

About us
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe - what better place to shape and develop your leadership career. We deliver care to over 1 million patients & users each year through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. Our 30,000 plus strong workforce is central to our success and innovation.You will play a pivotal part in supporting our operational excellence and strategic ambitions. You'll work collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical teams, driving improvements that enhance patient experience, staff wellbeing, and service efficiency across the Trust.

MFT offers a dynamic, inclusive environment where your leadership, ideas, and expertise are valued. You'll have access to professional development, digital tools and opportunities to contribute to transformational projects that shape the future of healthcare delivery.We are committed to supporting your growth and wellbeing, recognising the vital role you play in our organisation's success.Join us and help shape the future of our Trust--make a real difference to our teams, our services, and our communities, and fundamentally, our patients.

Job responsibilities
To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll 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 onestop 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. Youll 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, were proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOUfor 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 applicationespecially personal statements and responses to role-specific questionsis 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications
Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife with substantial post registration experience
• 1 st Level degree in nursing or health related subject
• Evidence of relevant Safeguarding Children Qualification and/or Looked After Children/ Young People Qualification

Desirable

• Specialist Practitioner Public Health
• Master's degree or working towards
• Teaching qualification

Experience
Essential

• Evidence of significant direct safeguarding children/Looked after Children experience at band 7 or above
• Experience of delivering safeguarding supervision
• Significant experience in a senior clinical position with a proven ability to manage a team
• Experience of contributing to Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LCSPRs) and the subsequent action plans
• Experience of successfully managing the implementation of change
• Evidence of professional leadership, leading to innovation in practice.
• Experience of policy development and implementation and delivery of education programmes in single and multi-agency settings
• Evidence of involvement in multi-agency safeguarding children/ Looked After Children/young people subgroups
• Evidence and experience of implementing and coordinating safeguarding children's procedures within a multi-agency team
• Skilled in multi-agency assessment and working together with partner agencies
• Experience of undertaking and contributing to single and multiagency audit
• Awareness of issues affecting ethnic minority families and other socially excluded groups
• In depth knowledge of children's health and development and the nature and impact of child maltreatment

Skills
Essential

• Expert knowledge of relevant legislation relating to safeguarding children and looking after children/young people
• Expert knowledge of relevant legislation relating to the Families First Programme
• Evidence of current knowledge of local and national policies relating to safeguarding children and relevant professional and NHS policy initiatives.
• Demonstrates in depth knowledge relevant to patterns of abuse and neglect
• Excellent communication skills and ability to provide written and verbal reports for safeguarding children's procedures.
• Confidence to challenge appropriately in difficult situations
• Well-developed presentation skills.
• Ability to analyse and critically evaluate information and record in a concise and accurate manner
• The ability to practice as an expert practitioner in relation to safeguarding children
• Effective organisational skills.
• Ability to communicate across organisational boundaries
• Completion of audits and reports within timescale
• Facilitation skills.
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• IT skills, word processing/database skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, to prioritise, work flexibly and to tight deadlines

Desirable

• IT skills relating to Power Point, Excel

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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.