Band 7 Senior Practitioner (Safeguarding Adults) Bristol

An exciting and rewarding opportunity has arisen to shape safeguarding practice within a newly developed specialist inpatient unit designed for adults with a learning disability, autism or both who require acute mental health treatment. As a Band 7 Safeguarding Adults Practitioner (0.6 FTE, 1-year fixed term), you will play a central role in embedding a strong safeguarding culture across the Kingfisher Unit and Outreach Service. Working closely with the Kingfisher team on the unit and the Corporate Safeguarding Team, you will lead on training, service development, and the management of all safeguarding concerns raised within the service. You will act as the primary point of contact for safeguarding matters, attend key clinical and service meetings, and collaborate with the Multi-Professional Approved Clinician (MPAC) to identify and shape ongoing safeguarding priorities. This role is ideal for someone with experience in learning disability and autism services—particularly inpatient care—who is passionate about promoting safety, dignity, and high-quality care for some of the region's most vulnerable adults.

Main duties of the job:

• Supporting the Kingfisher Unit with management of safeguarding concerns affecting their service users.
• Taking the lead for safeguarding arrangements in the locality including completing multi-agency audits and writing IMRs for safeguarding adult reviews.
• Support practitioners with safeguarding meetings and multi-agency strategy discussions.
• Safeguarding team provide support in relation to: safeguarding adults, safeguarding children, domestic abuse, MAPPA and PREVENT.

About us:

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy. Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support.

Job responsibilities:

• To provide specialist professional advice on managing adult safeguarding cases, and work to assist in developing effective multiagency working to safeguard adults.
• To work within a designated team.
• To provide specialist professional advice on managing MAPPA and Prevent cases and work to assist in developing effective multiagency working in MAPPA and Prevent.
• To provide professional advice on managing safeguarding children and domestic abuse cases.
• To provide professional advice on initial management of cases involving allegations against AWP staff, volunteers or services, and ensure that any such allegations are reported to the Trust Allegations Officer.
• To attend and report to the Trust governance groups/committees in an advisory capacity.
• To be an active member of the local and regional safeguarding networks and working groups.
• To work with the clinical audit department to ensure effective rollout of trust audit programmes in the area(s) of responsibility and assure follow through on recommended actions.
• To participate in the development and implementation of appropriate policy and performance frameworks, to support staff to recognise, understand and meet their duties of care in relation to relevant legislation, in areas of responsibility.
• To participate in the development of, and the delivery of specialist safeguarding training and practice development.
• To participate in the development and implementation of Trust work plans, to assist the trust in meeting statutory, regulatory, and performance standards.
• To be responsible for the development of specific Trust policies, procedures and guidance for safeguarding, as directed.
• To facilitate effective working arrangements with service users and carers, both directly and through PALS, in relation to safeguarding.
• To provide cover for other Senior Practitioners- Safeguarding, as required.

Leadership:

• To be responsible for the management and reporting of specific projects as directed.
• Contribute to the professional development of other staff in this specific area of professional practice as required.
• To deputise, and provide cover, for the Trust Deputy/Head of Safeguarding, both on an identified standing basis, and on an ad hoc one, as required.

Performance Management:

• Responsible for undertaking audit, benchmarking in conjunction with Governance colleagues to ensure learning outcomes are reflected and implemented.
• To support the effective performance and functioning of safeguarding in practice, learning from experience, and management oversight by operational services.

Communication:

• Ensure advice is available to the full range of specialties within the organisation on the day-to-day management of safeguarding.
• To liaise with the Trust named doctor and Lead named professional/nurse, as appropriate.
• Work across external organisations and within AWP (which includes a good deal of cross-site travel) using various methods of communication (e.g. face-to-face, electronic media) to raise the profile and reputation of the services offered, and to build and sustain the confidence of our local population in our current and future service.

Person Specification:

Qualifications Essential: Registered Nurse, or other appropriate professional registration, with substantial clinical experience, and management experience in a specialist safeguarding role.

Experience Essential: Advanced/expert understanding/application of relevant practice/standards/audit in relation to Safeguarding adults. Knowledge and experience of the legislative framework and practice of safeguarding and public protection including information sharing and governance, consent and confidentiality. Proven leadership/management experience, able to demonstrate examples of positive impact/change within service delivery/practice at an advanced level.

Knowledge Essential: Detailed and up-to-date knowledge of policies, statutory regulations and guidance relating to Safeguarding- Vulnerable people especially children and young adults and a working knowledge of guidance relating to Safeguarding Adults at risk.

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.