Job summary
Please note, this vacancy is part time, 30 hours per week

The Associate Professional for Safeguarding will work closely with the Head of Safeguarding and Integrated Safeguarding Team members.

Ensure that the Trust meets its statutory obligation to safeguard and promote the welfare of all adults, children and young people whom access services from any hospital site within the Trust.

Actively participate in all Safeguarding Training delivery for both Safeguarding Adults and Safeguarding Children training and PREVENT across all levels to all Trust staff, including provision of bespoke training and supporting the Integrated Safeguarding Team with safeguarding training development and review.

Support the Integrated Safeguarding Team in the development and delivery of quality assurance processes, audits and report writing in accordance with the Safeguarding Children and Adult agenda.

Support the Integrated Safeguarding Team in all aspects of the multi-agency Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adult Agenda, as deemed appropriate. This may include deputising within forums and meetings as deemed appropriate.

Main duties of the job

• Main duties include:
• Safeguarding training development &delivery
• Dissemination of learning from case reviews, significant incidents etc (local, regional, national)
• Provide a visible presence within the Trust acting as a sound resource for clinical staff, supporting them in dealing with safeguarding referrals and cases which arises in clinical practice.
• Submissions , report writing etc for safeguarding activity and associated governance
• Case escalation where indicated
• Support and foster an empoweing approach to safeguarding across the organisation - think family and safeguarding is everyones business ethos

About us
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Being open and honest

Ensuring people feel cared for

Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job responsibilities
Key Duties:
The Associate Professional for Safeguarding supports and ensures effective Safeguarding practice for the organisation as stipulated in primary legislation and underpinned in Government strategy and national, regional and local guidance, procedures and standards. Professionals in this role will

• Support the Named Nurses and Named Midwife to develop, implement and review safeguarding practice across the organisation and its networks.
• Support the Named Nurses and Named Midwife in the provision of specialist professional safeguarding advice.
• Deliver safeguarding training and support the Integrated Safeguarding Team to develop, implement and evaluate safeguarding training for all staff groups from induction to specialist courses.
• Facilitate safe and effective multi-professional communication and information sharing appropriately across a range of settings and agencies in accordance with agreed policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding
• Communicate highly complex, sensitive and emotive information within the health service and multi-agency contexts, pertaining to safeguarding adults, children and young people.
• Foster effective working relationships in order to promote inter-disciplinary and multi-agency collaboration and be an active member of multi-agency safeguarding groups.

Facilitation of learning

To assist with the development, delivery and evaluation of evidence based safeguarding training across the Trust.

Participate in the dissemination of any learning and improvement identified by Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, Adults Board, or the Trust, from any Case Reviews that are undertaken both locally and nationally.

Clinical Responsibilities
Provide a visible presence within the Trust acting as a sound resource for clinical staff, supporting them in dealing with safeguarding referrals and cases which arises in clinical practice.

Provide specialist advice to clinicians in relation to safeguarding issues, including safeguarding referrals, court statement processes and other legal issues and the child protection and looked after child processes, under the direction and guidance of the Named Nurses or Named Midwife.

Support the Integrated Safeguarding Team in undertaking review of assessments pertinent to the safeguarding agenda, in conjunction with other practitioners where appropriate, to implement appropriate monitoring mechanisms to ensure continued safety. This will include quality assurance of referral processes, audit proposals and plans and quarterly reports.

Escalate safeguarding cases where deemed appropriate whilst maintaining staff empowerment.

Support the Named Nurses and Named Midwife in the provision of expert advice and support to Trust staff in relation to safeguarding issues.

Liaise and communicate with all Trust staff to promote the significance of safeguarding training, including promotion of teaching sessions. Act as the trust positive role model for safeguarding training to increase staff attendance.

Robustly monitor and review all safeguarding trust training compliance, with provision of data reports to demonstrate continued improvement.

Participate in relevant meetings including the Integrated Safeguarding Committee.

Be aware of and comply with trust policies, pathways and guidelines pertaining to Safeguarding and support the Integrated Safeguarding Team to ensure all remain up to date and based on best available evidence and legislation. Participate on the contribution to review of these documents, where deemed appropriate

Receive regular professional safeguarding supervision from an appropriate supervisor.

Work within the guidelines laid down by the Nursing and Midwifery Council or relevant professional body. Foster an empowering attitude to colleagues.

Maintain own continuing professional development and actively demonstrate a willingness to commit to this.

Governance

• Contribute and support to audit and monitoring of standards relevant to the safeguarding agenda.
• Support and assist in, investigation processes, including internal and external, where deemed appropriate.
• Support the Integrated Safeguarding Team to investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events in accordance with external process and / or Trust policy.
• Contribute to Trust reports pertaining to Safeguarding.
• Contribute towards the development of Safeguarding policies and guidance.
• Input data to data management systems as appropriate.
• Contribute to multi-agency audit processes.
• Carry out and assist in formulating Safeguarding Training Audits as an ongoing activity whilst collecting and collating data to inform analysis of themes and trends.

Leadership/ Management
Support in the work pertaining to the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, Adult Board sub groups, other working groups and committees as deemed appropriate

• As part of a team, work collaboratively within the Trust and across agencies, to form partnerships and working arrangements that facilitate the safeguarding of adults, children and young people.
• Demonstrate ability to resolve issues relating to competence, or conflict personally, within the team, externally within health or in partner agencies.

Standard clauses refer to full job description

Person Specification
Knowledge and skills and personal qualities
Essential

• Ability to contribute to analysis and problem solving safeguarding and practice issues.
• Demonstrate ability to resolve issues relating to competence, or conflict personally, within the team, externally within health or in partner agencies.
• Teaching and assessment skills
• Communication skills
• Organisational skills
• Time management skills
• Change management skills
• Advisory, support and guidance
• Training and a vast array of varying presentation skills
• IT proficient, including the formulation of Excel Spreadsheets, various reports and action plans
• Current issues in health and social care pertaining to safeguarding
• Standards of professional practice and conduct
• Policies and Procedures proficient
• Monitoring and review of systems, practice and processes
• Multi-agency and multi-disciplinary Communication and Liaison
• Knowledge of current issues in relation to Safeguarding Children, young people and families, including Domestic Abuse, Mental Health, Substance Misuse, Child Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, Child Death Overview Process and Looked after Children.
• The ability to write in depth reports affording analysis and great understanding of risk
• Understanding of the local and national safeguarding children agenda and maternal health
• Understanding of relevant National Service Frameworks
• Awareness of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust guidelines and policies
• Professional knowledge and skills for working at a senior level
• Knowledge of child protection policies, procedures and good practice guidelines
• Knowledge of Inter-agency procedures and of the legal framework and related guidelines governing child protection
• Ability to act professionally at all times
• Personal QualitiesExcellent interpersonal skills
• Innovator
• Motivator
• Assertiveness
• Flexibility, adaptable, capable of lateral thinking
• Positive role model
• Resilient
• Autonomous
• Tenacious
• Team player
• Conflict management
• Managing stress
• Uses initiative to resolve issues within their own control
• Other Job Requirements
• Commitment to delivering high quality evidence based child protection practice
• Commitment to working in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency situations
• Commitment to the development of The Trusts safeguarding and child welfare agenda.
• Commitment to valuing the contribution of all colleagues, encouraging a positive and creative working environment
• Commitment to own personal and professional development and to the development of others.
• Car Driver - Required to travel across hospital sites in accordance to service need
• Standard Clauses
• A Disclosures and Barring Service check will be carried out where the position is eligible for a Disclosures and Barring Service Check in accordance with the 2012 Protection of Freedom Act and the guidance issued by the DBS.
• All posts working with children or vulnerable adults are required to have an Enhanced DBS checked including checking against DBS / ISA Vetting and Barring lists.

Qualifications
Essential

• Diploma or degree in Nursing or Professional equivalent - Adult and or Childrens.
• Teaching and Assessing qualification or working towards.
• Evidence of continued professional development and its application with particular pertinence to Safeguarding Courses.

Desirable

• Specialist Practitioner Qualification, School Nurse or Health Visitor

Experience
Essential

• Experience and knowledge of specialty
• Experience of child protection work
• Relevant post registration experience within specialism, including community
• Senior post holder in current or previous job
• Experience of interagency working in relation to Safeguarding practice
• Clinical audit, quality assurance and standard setting
• Service development and or change management

Desirable

• Experienced in the delivery of safeguarding training

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 (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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.