Safeguarding Hub Specialist Practitioner, Safeguarding Children Hubs

Job overview

Awaiting Job Matching

The post holder will work within a single, county-wide Health Hub team, which provides Health support into two Local Authority-based MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) functions. These are the Cumberland Children’s Support and Advice Service (CCASS) and Westmorland & Furness Multi Agency Children’s Hub (MACH) – referred to as the MASH’s for ease within this job description. Both MASH’s are dynamic, multi-agency integrated teams with a responsibility to assess notifications, information and referrals related to safeguarding children.

The Hub Health Team process within the MASH’s includes (but is not limited to) searching for and collating health information, from a range of NHS providers both locally and further afield. They will be part of the multi-agency decision making process for children and families by providing an analysis of health information. This must be carried out with due regard to patient confidentiality and consent.

The impact on a child’s health and their development, must be reflected in any analysis of risk along with the child’s chronological age of any safeguarding concerns.

The post holder will work as part of a highly supportive health team, within a wider multiagency environment. The work requires dealing with highly sensitive and complex issues, including situations which may be distressing and challenging.

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The Hub Health Team’s role within the MASH will include the gathering, interpreting, analysis and sharing of the information that is necessary to safeguard and/or promote the welfare of a child and to share this to inform the MASH decision making process.

The integrated MASH teams aim to ensure that all safeguarding referrals are dealt with in a timely and effective manner, and that appropriate decisions on referrals are made in accordance with relevant risk thresholds, on the basis of high quality information sharing from partner agencies.

The Local Authorities hold the statutory responsibility for the management and oversight of the MASH’s. Where it is not possible to reach an outcome that all partners agree, the Local Authority will hold final decision making responsibility.

This type of multiagency cooperation is a statutory duty of all professionals delivering care to children and families.

Core elements of a MASH have been agreed by stakeholders as:

1. Providing a single front door for referrals and notifications

2. Co-location and co-operation of key partners

3. Provides a safe confidential environment

4. Enables analysis of risk or need on a case by case basis.

Working for our organisation

At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of ‘safe, high quality care every time':

• Being a clinically led organisation
• Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust
• A positive patient experience every time
• A great place to work
• Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.

Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

Disclosure and Barring Service:

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.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50 = £28.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £6.50 = £56.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:

• 27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
• Flexible working Scheme
• NHS Discounts*
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
• Excellent opportunities for development*
• Competitive NHS Pension scheme
• Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems

*Subject to eligibility

Important Information

Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.

If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.

Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Current registration on either part one or part 3 of the NMC register

Desirable criteria

• Educated to degree level
• Qualification relevant to an area of expertise pertinent to the Safeguarding Hub e.g. mental health / youth offending

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Post qualifying experience
• Experience of holding child protection case load
• Understanding of the wider healthcare environment
• Sound knowledge of legislation and policy, e.g. Children Act 1989, 2004, Data protection and NHS Confidentiality Guidance
• Sound knowledge of Multi-agency working (children and families)

Desirable criteria

• Have an advanced knowledge of relevant national and international issues, policies and implications for practice
• Aware of latest research evidence and the implications for practice

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential criteria

• Able to demonstrate experience or co-working in complex and challenging environments
• Experience of assessing risk and need for children
• Ability to analyse very complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources and to respond dynamically to new information.
• Able to give advice about safeguarding policy and legal frameworks
• Numerate and able to understand complex data combined with good analytical skills
• Good understanding of IT systems
• Able to challenge decisions and articulate rationale effectively
• Able to demonstrate capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales

Other requirements

Essential criteria

• Understands the importance and benefits of working in an environment that supports professionals building resilience and capacity within a team.
• Understands the potential personal impact of safeguarding work on professionals and is able to recognise and respond to this sensitively in relation to yourself and others.
• Approachable personality with ability to demonstrate empathy towards others
• Demonstrates flexibility to meet the needs of the service
• Recognises the impact of a family’s cultural and religious background when assessing and managing concerns
• Recognises ethical considerations in safeguarding.
• Consistently act in a way that promotes and accepts Equality and Diversity

Documents

• 2A-26-8074337-A Clinical Lead, Safeguarding Hub (PDF, 144.7KB)