SCPHN Single Point Access Practitioner in Barnsley

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Specialist Community Public Health Nurse to join our Single Point of Access (SPA) team. This role is central to ensuring that children, young people and families receive timely, appropriate and high‑quality support. As the SPA Practitioner, you will be responsible for managing the day‑to‑day operations of the SPA triage process, ensuring that all contacts and referrals are assessed efficiently and safely. You will oversee the smooth running of the front door to the service, coordinating the flow of information, prioritising risk, and ensuring consistent, high‑quality decision making that supports the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme.

A key part of the role involves providing expert clinical oversight and leadership to practitioners and administrative staff. You will support the team in undertaking robust assessments of need, ensuring that children and families are triaged to the right service at the right time. You will use your clinical judgement to interpret often complex or sensitive information, offering clear direction, and ensuring that all decision making reflects safeguarding policies, professional standards and child‑centred practice. Your ability to communicate compassionately and professionally, especially when dealing with emotionally challenging or contentious situations, will be essential.

Main duties of the job include:

• Working closely with administrative colleagues to maintain effective communication systems that support a responsive and well‑coordinated service.
• Building strong working relationships with internal colleagues and multi‑agency partners, enabling effective collaboration, early help planning and seamless referral pathways.
• Contributing to developing and improving working practices within the SPA, promoting a positive performance culture and ensuring that protocols, standards and systems are consistently reviewed and strengthened.
• Supporting the collection, analysis and reporting of service data, helping drive quality improvement and demonstrating the impact of the SPA function.
• Taking a proactive approach to managing risk, responding to complex scenarios with confidence and professional accountability, and ensuring that safeguarding responsibilities are always upheld.

We are looking for a practitioner who is reflective, resilient and passionate about improving outcomes for families. You will be confident working autonomously while knowing when issues need to be escalated, and you will bring excellent IT skills, strong communication abilities and significant post‑qualification experience. A sound understanding of the Healthy Child Programme, safeguarding processes and multi‑agency working is essential, alongside a commitment to ongoing professional development.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people's lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be. We’re an award‑winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

Job responsibilities include:

• Managing the day‑to‑day operations of the Single Point of Access (SPA) triage process.
• Delivering a responsive and efficient service that meets the needs of children, young people, and families.
• Providing clinical expertise, leadership, guidance, training, and support to both SPA triage staff and the administration team, fostering effective working relationships and practices.

Person Specification:

• Knowledge and understanding of the Healthy Child Programme and related policies and pathways.
• Knowledge and understanding of Local and National Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
• Sound knowledge of professional accountability and professional regulations requirements for continued registration.
• Demonstrate knowledge of clinical governance and its implications for practice.
• Knowledge and understanding of principles and benefits of reflection and use of models and tools to enhance understanding of complex clinical practice and safeguarding supervision.

Additional Requirements:

• Demonstrate a full commitment to develop information technology skills as appropriate to undertake public health nursing duties.
• Willing to undertake training and continuous professional development in connection with the post.
• Willing to work flexibly in accordance with policies and procedures to meet the operational needs of the council.
• Able to undertake any travel in connection with the post.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, but also as part of a team and with a clear understanding of when issues need to be escalated.
• Ability to use all Microsoft packages and excellent IT skills.
• Ability to work with highly confidential data/information and present/communicate this data in reports in a format that stakeholders require and understand.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing to a range of audiences including children, young people, parents and carers and professional colleagues.
• Ability to use reflective practice techniques to evaluate, present and critically analyse own practice.
• Ability to line manage and supervise other team members, organising and delegating as appropriate.
• Demonstrate skills in delivering effective clinical decision making in complex scenarios and to make decisions when there are conflicts and tensions.

Qualifications:

• Specialist Community Public Health Nurse level 6 or above qualification.
• Evidence of continued professional development in safeguarding children to level 3.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

Experience:

• Experience of integrated working/multi‑agency working.
• Evidence of compliance with professional regulations Standards of Proficiency.
• Experience of safeguarding vulnerable children and families.
• Experience of delivering and implementing the Healthy Child Programme.
• Experience of initiating and leading the early help processes for children and families.
• Experience of working in a community setting.
• Experience of managing staff.

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.