Specialist Safeguarding Practitioner (Adults & MCA)

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To support the development and implementation of safeguarding practice and application of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) across Nottingham CityCare Partnership, ensuring effective multi-agency liaison and training on Safeguarding Adults and the MCA.

To support clinical and managerial staff in performing their safeguarding duties and responsibilities through the provision of advice to operational services, escalation of concerns to/from other agencies and effective feedback and support from safeguarding meetings and forums.

To support in the development and delivery of safeguarding children, adult and domestic abuse training to ensure staff have the skills and knowledge required to perform their roles in line with current legislation and guidance.

To assist in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of safeguarding processes, actions and outcomes within Nottingham CityCare Partnership and multi-agency partnerships. Supporting in the development of reviews and implementation of action plans and lessons learned across the organisation

Dimensions

• You will work in the team base to cover the duty service on a rotational basis, and you will work in any of the team bases across the city to support staff within the organisation.
• You will support in undertaking audits and reviews and implementing action plans and lessons learned across the organisation.
• You will attend a variety of multi-agency safeguarding meetings and act as representative for Nottingham CityCare Partnership and have responsibility for sharing, receiving, and disseminating relevant information.

• You will be responsible for security of goods/equipment needed for training laptop and training materials.

• The post holder will be responsible for the provision and evaluation of training.

Key Responsibilities

• The post holder will work with a range of key professionals and partner agencies contributing to the ongoing delivery of safeguarding systems and practice to protect and promote the welfare of adults at risk, children, and young people and those experiencing domestic abuse.

• Actively encourage and support frontline staff to adopt a think family approach and consider the needs of dependents when providing care.

• Support and advise on safeguarding reporting and management processes.

• Support and advise on the application of the MCA to clinical practice and support the workforce with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Escalate safeguarding concerns to the Lead Professional for Adult Safeguarding.

• Develop and encourage service user and carer involvement when establishing safeguarding processes and service development promoting making safeguarding personal.

• Delivery of training to the workforce relating to safeguarding adults and the MCA and act as a support for other themes of safeguarding training.

• Report verbally and in writing any accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and near misses as per policy.

• Be an active member of the CityCare Safeguarding Network and wider multi-agency safeguarding meetings/forums/networks as appropriate.
• Engage in supervision with the Lead Professional for Adult Safeguarding and MCA.
• Assist the service to gather evidence to provide internal and external assurance as required and assess organisational and service position in relation to safeguarding standards.
• Ensure front-line practitioners are appropriately advised regarding the principles and application of safe and legal information sharing within the safeguarding arena.

Communication

• Provide advice and appropriate safeguarding supervision to all clinical and non-clinical staff at the point of need regarding safeguarding adults and the MCA; working pro-actively and reactively to engage frontline staff and supporting with MCA assessments and best interests decision when there is an identified support need.

• Provide advice on consent and information sharing in relation to safeguarding.

• Support staff with reporting at formal safeguarding processes both written and verbal (i.e. Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings, strategy meetings, Best Interests Meetings, court statements) and the co-ordination of multi-agency meetings that support safeguarding processes.

• Effectively contribute to internal and external safeguarding meetings as required.

• Support frontline staff to respectfully challenge decision making, utilising the escalation process as necessary.

• To be able to communicate both verbally and in writing learning from any serious untoward incidents involving CityCare.

Policies and Procedures

• Implementation of all local and national safeguarding policies, procedures, and guidance.

• Ensure that staff are familiar with organisational policy and local safeguarding procedures and that these are being followed where actual or potential harm is identified.

• Contribute to the review, development, and implementation of CityCares safeguarding relevant procedures and policies, to ensure alignment with national guidance and Local Safeguarding Adults Board and where consultation with other CityCare services may be required to develop procedures that make a difference to the health and wellbeing of patients and represent realistic expectations of service delivery.

Training

• Contribute to the development, co-ordination, delivery, and evaluation of the CityCare safeguarding training strategy and programme in line with the CityCare safeguarding training matrix and Core Skills Framework, in conjunction with Safeguarding Lead Professionals and Safeguarding Partners.
• Monitor, audit, and review training delivered to ensure that training meets the needs of CityCare staff and is of a consistently high standard that remains contemporaneous with current evidence base and local and national guidance.
• Participate in the delivery of both CityCare specific safeguarding training and multi-agency training where appropriate.

Monitoring

• Support the Safeguarding Leads and Head of Safeguarding to arrange, develop and co-ordinate systems of audit to monitor the agreed local and national policies and procedures, audits and inspection in order to evaluate and improve the quality and effectiveness of safeguarding and MCA practice within CityCare.

• Assist with the collection of data in Safeguarding Adults Reviews, Internal Management Reviews and Patient Safety Incident Investigations including producing chronologies and interviewing staff.

• Support the implementation of recommendations from the internal and external safeguarding reviews.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Sound working knowledge regarding the recognition and impact of abuse and neglect.
• Excellent working knowledge and application of consent to treatment and the Mental Capacity Act
• Reflective Practitioner
• Understanding of national policy in relation to safeguarding adults at risk, safeguarding children and domestic abuse
• Good working knowledge of Local safeguarding procedures
• Ability to represent the organisation as appropriately delegated by safeguarding leads
• Ability to be self-motivating and also work as an effective member of wider organisational teams
• Ability to prioritise and deliver within tight timescales
• Effective written and oral communication skills
• Effective Influencing and negotiating skills
• Problem solving skills
• Networking skills
• IT/keyboard skills
• Ability to facilitate, reflective practice
• Able to challenge poor practice and deal with conflict
• Commitment to continuing professional development for self and others in order to support succession planning
• Ability to recognise own need for support and supervision
• Ability to exercise initiative
• Adaptable and flexible
• Self- motivated
• Emotional awareness and resilience

Desirable

• Demonstrates understanding of motivating and developing teams and individuals.
• Proven ability to manage complex problems.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding and commitment to the current issues affecting the delivery of safeguarding services.
• Willingness to develop the range and scope of the post as services change.
• Knowledge of the principles of trauma-informed practice and experience of implementing these principles in the practitioners own safeguarding practice or in previous organisations.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered practitioner (NMC, AHP, SWE)
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
• Evidence of relevant professional development.
• Completion of Level 3 Safeguarding training

Desirable

• Masters degree.
• Mentorship Qualification.
• Supervision Qualification.
• Teaching Qualification.
• Expanded Safeguarding Training.
• BIA qualification

Experience

Essential

• Three years experience working in Safeguarding with responsibility for a safeguarding caseload.
• Experience of supporting change.
• Experience of Supervision.
• Experience of managing multi-agency working / relationships.
• Sound working knowledge of safeguarding and its application.
• Extensive experience working with adults.
• Experience of leading change within a multi-agency setting.

Desirable

• Experience of Safeguarding Children

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).