Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner (Children) in Wigan

An opportunity has arisen within the Think Family Safeguarding Service for an enthusiastic and skilled Specialist Practitioner within the Safeguarding Children's Team. This post is a full-time, permanent position. We are seeking a highly experienced practitioner with a strong interest in safeguarding children and a genuine commitment to safeguarding under a whole family strategy. The post holder will be expected to demonstrate a sound understanding of the issues relating to children within a safeguarding context.

The Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner Think Family (Children) will work closely with Named Safeguarding Professionals and multi-professional clinical teams to ensure that the Trust's statutory responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children are met.

Main duties of the job:

• To work with all staff to provide support, advice and expert guidance to assist in exercising duties and responsibilities for safeguarding of children, young people, adults and their families.
• To deputise for Named Safeguarding Professionals within the WWL Think Family Safeguarding Team.
• To be a competent, knowledgeable, and visible practitioner, ensuring the provision of a high-quality Think Family Safeguarding Service.
• Assess, implement, plan, and evaluate care and interventions for service users with complex safeguarding needs.
• To complete safeguarding audits as per the Think Family Safeguarding Audit calendar.
• Maintain and develop own levels of specialist knowledge and skills in relation to safeguarding and clinical practice.
• To access regular clinical supervision for own personal and professional development, whilst ensuring participation with management supervision and annual performance reviews.
• Work collaboratively as part of the WWL Think Family Safeguarding Service, in the continued progression and development of such ensuring delivery of the Think Family Safeguarding Strategy.
• Referral of safeguarding concerns as per statutory processes, local and internal policy, and procedure, to ensure coordinated approach in meeting the needs of service users who are at risk of/suffering abuse and/or neglect.
• Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure children, young people, adults and their families' needs are met.
• To elevate safeguarding concerns, internally and externally as per local, regional and National directives.
• To assist with the development, implementation and evaluation of action plans and recommendations of lessons learned from Children Safeguarding Practice reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews, brief learning reviews and Domestic Homicide reviews.
• Ensuring timely and regular review of such to provide assurance.
• To support managers and staff in the delivery of high-quality care throughout the journey of the child, young person, adult, and families (particularly with respect to robust discharge planning) by promoting innovative and progressive attitude to the continual improvement of safeguarding practice.
• Provide safeguarding supervision and case management guidance, inclusive of supporting staff to professionally challenge, where safeguarding concerns have not been adequately addressed.
• To identify emerging themes and inform future training and support needs.
• Facilitate good standards of record keeping, report and statement writing in line with NMC, other professional regulatory bodies and Trust guidelines.
• Attend as required all appropriate safeguarding meetings, to advocate on behalf of service users, acting as a support to staff or as a representative of the Trust.
• To promote a rights-based approach in the safeguarding of service users and their families.

Person specification:

Qualifications:

• Current NMC Registration or relevant regulatory body.
• Post registration education in Child Protection/Safeguarding children and/or adults’ module at graduate level or willingness to undertake.
• Evidence of continued professional development and experiential learning.
• Teaching/training qualification or equivalent experience.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Safeguarding Supervision qualification or willingness to undertake within 12 months.

Experience:

• Recent and extensive experience relating to caring for children, young people, adults and families.
• Experience of Safeguarding Children and/or Adults.
• Experience of team working, multi-agency working and ability to work co-operatively.
• Clinical credibility demonstrated through experience in safeguarding children.
• Experience of representing the organisation at safeguarding meetings.
• Experience in providing safeguarding support and advice.
• Experience of developing, implementing, delivering, and evaluating training.
• Experience of key elements of change management.
• Experience of undertaking audits.
• Experience of report writing.
• Experience of working within an Acute/Community Health Care Setting.
• Experience of research activity.
• Experience of contributing to local Safeguarding Children/Adult Board subgroups and associated work streams.
• Experience of managing professional challenge.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and effectively as part of a team, with minimal supervision.
• Ability to analyse and interpret data, information and situations – offering appropriate advice and guidance.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills and ability to adjust plans to meet demands of service.
• Demonstrate confidence in dealing with highly sensitive, emotive and emotionally challenging information and situations.
• Computer literacy and ability to devise and maintain IT or paper-based systems.
• Excellent teaching and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage personal stress and that of others in highly emotive and distressing circumstances.
• Experience of policy development and/or implementation.
• In-depth knowledge of trauma-informed and responsive approaches when safeguarding children and adults.
• Knowledge of strategy, guidelines and policy development in relation to safeguarding.
• Understanding of the impact of domestic abuse, child/adult mental ill health, substance misuse and adverse childhood experiences.
• Knowledge of National, regional and local safeguarding policies and strategic safeguarding priorities.
• Comprehensive knowledge of legislation relating to Safeguarding Adults and/or Children and the implications for practice and governance arguments.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the current issues affecting safeguarding and protecting children and adults in practice, including clinical effectiveness, evidence-based practice and clinical governance.
• Able to demonstrate an awareness of the complex issues when working across organisations and disciplines.
• Ability to think widely and analyse problems and develop solutions.

Additional:

• Ability to work in an equal opportunity environment.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• Ability to respond quickly and effectively to an unpredictable workload within a highly stressful environment.
• Reliability.
• Willingness and ability to travel independently between sites to meet the requirements of the role.
• Flexible working to meet the needs of the service.
• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.
• Flexible and motivated team player approach.
• Experience of cascading information.