Specialist Nurse for Looked After Children

Job description

Job responsibilities

To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for their own unsupervised actions guided by the NMC professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols. To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence based practice, literature and peer review. To be responsible and accountable for service delivery to clients. Professional development to be gained through accredited courses, workshops, study and in-house training programmes. Able to communicate effectively with children and young people including those with complex needs e.g. language difficulties, learning and behavioural difficulties, and, where English is not their first language, use appropriate resources including interpreters to do so. Able to adapt and be sensitive and flexible to meet the particular needs of the child or young person in care. Able to teach both health staff and non-health staff about the health needs of Looked After Children and able to provide training for individual children and their carers, social worker and educational establishments where a child/young person has a specific health need e.g. diabetes, asthma or disability to ensure optimum outcomes for the child/young person including the seamless transition of care leavers with complex needs to adult services. Understand the relevant aspects of the criminal justice system and be able to contribute to court reports for Care, Placement and Adoption Orders (and equivalent orders) Able to interpret national, regional and local policy documents/reports and their implications for Looked After Childrens health and service provision. Understand and be able to implement relevant child care legislation, information sharing, information governance, confidentiality and consent in relation to Looked After Children. Understand how birth family history, mental health and parental lifestyle choices impact on the childs health and development and take this into account when completing and implementing the child/young persons healthcare plan. Have knowledge of the common psychological and emotional disorders, as well as intellectual disability prevalent in looked after children and young people. Be aware of and able to identify the varying level of psychological distress frequently found in children and young people who are looked after and make appropriate referrals as and when necessary. This includes having knowledge and understanding of normal and disordered attachment, the lifelong impact of disordered attachment and the long-term implications of becoming looked after. Knowledge of the needs of specific groups such as children and young people with disabilities, special educational needs, autism, unaccompanied asylum seekers, minority ethnic groups, children who go missing and those at risk of radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and FGM. Understand and be able to manage the complexity of healthcare provision and resources required to provide a comprehensive health service for Looked After Children. To manage changes in practice in line with national / local protocols, standards and pathways to enhance the quality of care. To maintain the high standards of the service by contributing to the Trust, service and individual team objectives. To be able to manage potentially stressful and upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner. To utilise analytical and judgement skills in the implementation of agreed protocols and pathways. To act as an advocate for the child/young person and their carer when they have difficulties accessing health services required by that young person. Advise other agencies about the health management of individual Looked After Children, interpreting and communicating on a broad range of health information in both a social and education context. Identify and refer any safeguarding issues relating to Looked After Children to the child/young persons social worker, escalating as necessary if an appropriate response is not provided. Contribute to multi-agency meetings or reviews as appropriate. To work with the Designated Nurse to address complex issues related to Looked After Children placed out of area. Be proactive in identifying the voice of the child and addressing any health issues and practice changes required to ensure children and young peoples experiences are of the highest quality and meets their needs regardless of age, ability, gender or culture. To actively engage in clinical governance activities to ensure safe and effective practice To ensure that you continuously look for ways to improve the quality of the service or care you provide to clients or any other areas, where appropriate. To explore ways to involve and consult with clients and carers when developing or evaluating services or the care you provide. To develop and analyse audits, interpret data using findings to enhance clinical practice and outcomes for looked after children and young people. To comply with the procedure for handling any requests under the Freedom of Information Act thereby ensuring that they are dealt with in a timely, specific and confidential manner. Attending Trust Induction, mandatory training programmes and continuing professional development in line with Level 4 Looked After Children, Knowledge, skills and competences of the Intercollegiate Role Framework (2015)

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered General Nurse
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

• SCPHN Qualification

Experience

Essential

• Evidence of recent Children's Nursing experience
• Evidence of undertaking holistic health assessments

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

West Ham Lane Health Centre

84 West Ham Lane

Newham

E15 4PT

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)