Named Professional Safeguarding Midwifery

An opportunity has arisen for a fixed term band 8a Named Midwife to join our safeguarding team cross site at King's College Hospital on a 0.5 WTE basis. We are looking for an individual who is motivated, passionate, innovative and a confident decision maker. The successful candidate will report into and work alongside the Associate Director of Nursing for Safeguarding Children and Maternity, under the overall leadership of Director of Nursing for Safeguarding and Vulnerabilities.

There will be a close collaboration with Named Professionals for safeguarding maternity, children, adults and the vulnerabilities team, to support the delivery of safeguarding for pregnant people and their families while under the wider vulnerabilities service. The successful candidate will promote the child protection agenda across the trust and work collaboratively with the clinical teams across the sites and across the wider health community.

Main duties of the job

• The post-holder will be expected to provide expertise and knowledge, demonstrating a sound understanding of the issues relating to identification, assessment, treatment and management of vulnerable women, children and families.
• This will be achieved by providing safeguarding advice and support, assisting with multidisciplinary team meetings, assisting with delivering the trust safeguarding training package and ensuring robust communication pathways between hospital staff and professionals in the community, primary care and other agencies are maintained.
• The job is site based. It is a 6 month fixed term 0.5WTE position.

Professional/ Clinical

• In conjunction with the Executive Board Lead for Safeguarding Children and Lead Named Nurse, to ensure that the maternity maintains optimum standards to meet its responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children.
• Undertake functions of a Named Midwife for Safeguarding in line with Intercollegiate guidance.
• To provide specialist advice to staff and support clinical staff to manage safeguarding concerns/cases.
• To participate in the development of policies and protocols relevant to safeguarding children.
• To attend case conferences and strategy meetings as required and support staff who are required to attend.
• Reviews, evaluates and updates local Safeguarding policies, procedures and guidelines relating to Safeguarding, in line with local and national legislation and statutory guidance.
• Ensure that Kings College Hospital maternity is represented at relevant safeguarding partnership board subgroups and identified relevant local forums in relationship to maternity safeguarding and vulnerable women.
• To maintain effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels and all professions/agencies, providing accurate information, advice and support.
• To ensure that patient and their relatives are updated regularly with accurate information and ensure that this is presented in a sensitive way they understand.
• To always maintain up to date and contemporaneous records of care using the unified patient record.
• To work with clinical staff to ensure appropriate supervision and visiting arrangements are in place for parents who have restricted access to their child or children.
• To promote the wellbeing of children and young people, safeguarding them from actual or potential harm and work within agreed policies for reporting concerns including concerns about colleagues.
• Identify to the Associate Director of Nursing any practice areas or systems, which may place the hospital at risk and where support from Community Health Partner or Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Boards may be required.
• Promote, maintain and monitor effective communication with members of the multidisciplinary team and partner agencies.

People Management and Performance

• To act as a role model for other clinical staff in promoting and safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people.
• Be aware of LADO procedures and when to escalate concerns.
• To work in partnership with multidisciplinary teams to ensure all safeguarding targets are met and new guidance implemented appropriately.
• To manage prioritise and manage own workload.
• Demonstrates highly expert knowledge of safeguarding children, patterns and indicators of abuse, assessment of risk and the appropriate response.
• To ensure appropriate reporting of adverse incidents in line with Trust policy and work with senior nursing staff to investigate complaints or incidents related to child protection.
• To provide cross cover within the safeguarding team and represent the team appropriately within the Trust and with partner agencies.
• To contribute to the update, review and implement Trust policies, procedures and protocols in conjunction with other key safeguarding staff.
• To contribute to Internal Management Reviews/ Serious Case Reviews as directed by the Named Nurse and ensure that learning is disseminated and that recommendations are implemented.
• To support managers/appraisers to ensure that all staff who work with children have the opportunity to review their safeguarding knowledge and practice as part of their personal development plan.
• To contribute to the Trust’s annual safeguarding children report or other reports as requested by the Head of Safeguarding Children/Named Nurse.
• To ensure that all staff know where to access Trust policies and procedures and guidance relating to safeguarding children.

Education and Professional Development

• In conjunction with ADoN and the wider safeguarding team to develop and implement a trust safeguarding training policy in line with legislation, statutory guidance and best practice, research findings, recommendations of Child Practice Reviews and Individual Management Reviews.
• To contribute to the delivery, recording and monitoring of safeguarding children training.
• To participate in partner agency training days.
• To ensure own knowledge and understanding of safeguarding legislative framework/national guidance and local procedures.
• To remain aware of emerging thinking/findings from national guidance.