Job summary
Working Full Time: hours per week
We are looking for an enthusiastic highly motivated specialist nurse for safeguarding children with a vision to develop and maintain high standards of safeguarding practice across the organisation. The role requires the individual to have an in-depth knowledge of the Safeguarding Children agenda with relevant experience.
The postholder must be able to demonstrate excellent clinical skills, be a caring and compassionate individual focused on providing excellent quality patient care, working within the values held by the Trust.
Main duties of the job
The role involves working closely with the Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children and Named Midwife and other professionals in the Safeguarding and Complex Care team. It involves multi-agency working with partner agencies such as the local authority; experience of partner working would be useful. You will be required to provide safeguarding advice as well as safeguarding supervision to staff and support in the preparation of written reports both in relation to formal safeguarding children procedures and for legal proceedings as well as attending safeguarding children meetings, representing the Trust, and to deputise for the Named Nurse and Named Midwife as directed.
The Specialist Nurse for Safeguarding Children is available to provide expert advice and guidance to all Trust staff and promote best practice. The post holder will create an environment of continuous quality improvement and professional development to enable all staff to care for their patients with Safeguarding needs effectively.
About us
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:
1. The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
2. Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
3. Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualification
Essential
4. RN (any branch)/ RM /SCHPN
5. Degree
6. Teaching & assessing qualification or evidence of recent participation in the design and delivery of training
7. Evidence of / and willingness to gain additional training in relation to complex care issues
Desirable
8. Masters or working towards
9. Qualification in Safeguarding
10. Safeguarding Supervision Training
11. Management or Leadership Qualification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
12. Knowledge of national and local safeguarding and MCA legislation, statutory guidance, and policy
13. Knowledge of patterns of abuse and neglect
14. Knowledge of the national Domestic abuse/safeguarding agenda
15. Experience of working with families where additional needs have required multi agency input
16. Post registration experience of children's safeguarding
Desirable
17. Knowledge around the Mental Capacity Act including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)