About this role
Job summary
One vacancy based at Haylock House, Kettering with the other based at County Hall, Leicester.
We are seeking an exceptional Designated Safeguarding Lead - Looked After Children (LAC) to join our LLR and Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board Cluster, providing strategic leadership and expert safeguarding oversight across the health and care system for looked after children and young people.
Main duties of the job
This is a senior specialist leadership role responsible for ensuring the ICB meets its statutory safeguarding responsibilities for looked after children and care leavers, while driving quality improvement, service development and system-wide partnership working.
Working across organisational boundaries, you will champion the voice of children and young people, influence commissioning decisions, and ensure services are safe, effective, trauma-informed and responsive to the needs of vulnerable children and young people.
About us
We are seeking an exceptional Designated Safeguarding Lead - Looked After Children (LAC) to join our LLR and Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board Cluster, providing strategic leadership and expert safeguarding oversight across the health and care system for looked after children and young people.
This is a senior specialist leadership role responsible for ensuring the ICB meets its statutory safeguarding responsibilities for looked after children and care leavers, while driving quality improvement, service development and system-wide partnership working.
Working across organisational boundaries, you will champion the voice of children and young people, influence commissioning decisions, and ensure services are safe, effective, trauma-informed and responsive to the needs of vulnerable children and young people.
Job description Job responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and professional oversight for looked after children and care leavers across the health and care system. Ensure the ICB fulfils its statutory safeguarding duties and maintains robust assurance and governance arrangements. Lead on the quality assurance, monitoring and improvement of health services for looked after children. Drive integrated multi-agency working with local authorities, providers, education partners and children's services. Influence and shape commissioning strategies and service development to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities. Provide expert safeguarding advice, support, supervision and training across the system. Lead audit, performance management, learning and assurance activities to promote continuous improvement. Champion the needs and lived experiences of looked after children, care leavers and vulnerable young people, ensuring their voices influence service design and delivery.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registered Nurse, Midwife or Specialist Community Practitioner Educated to degree level, or equivalent experience of working at a senior specialist level
Desirable
Educated to master's level, or working towards this, in a relevant subject
Experience Essential
Significant post-registration clinical experience Proven experience operating at a senior leadership level Significant post-registration experience of working with vulnerable groups, including looked after children Experience of change management in implementing national and local policy
Knowledge and Understanding Essential
Comprehensive knowledge of current looked after children legislation and guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018, updated 2023), Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked After Children (2015), and the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework (2022) Clinical knowledge base sufficient to ensure compliance with statutory guidance and best practice, and to challenge the decision-making of others where appropriate Knowledge of the application of the NMC Code of Conduct and Scope of Professional Practice Understanding of the background to, and aims of, current health and social care policy and its implications for engagement
Desirable
Appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England, and individual provider and commissioning organisations
Communication Skills Essential
Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including at very senior level Strong presentational skills for conveying complex and sensitive concepts relating to looked after children Ability to use informed persuasion and negotiation to influence others, including where there may be resistance to change
Analytical Skills Essential
Ability to identify risk, anticipate issues, create solutions and resolve problems in relation to service delivery, often where no precedent exists Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and make decisions where opinions differ or no obvious solution exists
Planning Skills Essential
Evidence of planning, leading and delivering complex programmes, projects and services on time, including the development, implementation and evaluation of strategy
Autonomy Essential
Ability to work without supervision, providing expert specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales Ability to interpret national policy and legislation for local strategic implementation
Management Skills Essential
Skills for direct line management and job management, including line management of the CDOP Officer Skills for delivering results through managing others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility Skills for developing and sustaining strategic relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Local Authority and LNR Children's Trust
Physical Skills Essential
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills
Equality and Diversity Essential
Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity, and an awareness of how individual actions contribute to the equality agenda
Disclosure and Barring Service Check 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. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board
Address Haylock House Kettering and County Hall Leicester
Venture Park
Kettering
NN15 6EY
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.icnorthamptonshire.org.uk/icb (Opens in a new tab)