Job responsibilities
The post holder will need to build and maintain constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to:
Internal ICB staff including managers, colleagues, and senior management as appropriate
Coroner and Coroners Officers
Medical Examiners
Independent Chair for CDOP
Public Health Teams
ICS partners, including portfolio leads, Local Authorities and Provider and Place Collaboratives
Local Safeguarding Partnerships
Non-NHS organisations (including Education, CAFCAS, Housing)
Members of the public and service users as appropriate
External consultancy, as required
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Work with ICB Safeguarding Team (which includes Safeguarding Adults Children, Child Death Review Team, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team and Children in Care Team) to ensure that Commissioners meet their responsibilities towards child death reviews and learning is undertaken.
Responsible for establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships and communication links with a wide range of professionals within health, police, probation, coroner, medical examiner, children and families court advisory services, social care, education and independent providers. Including liaising with professionals for safeguarding children and adults within external to the region
To be able to provide independent scrutiny and confidently challenge practice and support colleagues in challenging perceived views offered by other professionals.
Provide expert advice across the ICBs, liaising with other health organisations
Provide support to the specialist Nurse for Child Death
The Designated Doctor will provide the child death and medical expertise across the system on behalf of the ICB
Provide clinical advice, for example in complex cases or where there is dispute between practitioners
The Designated Doctor for Child Death will provide supervision and professional development guidance to the network of Named Doctors within the system
Contribute to policy and statutory functions with a specific medical and child death issue focus
Contributing an analytical approach to the working of the designated team
Work alongside the Children in Care and Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children to ensure functions are met and not duplicated, providing overlap and cover when necessary
Operational Responsibility
In conjunction with the Specialist Nurse for Child Death Reviews, consult with local authority, police, coroner, medical examiner and providers to develop integrated pathways in response to all child deaths
Contribute to an annual report with the CDR Team summarising the activities of the CDOP
To assess, scrutinise and evaluate CDOP papers prior to the panel meetings including presenting the summaries during the meeting
To participate as an active member of CDOP and Neonatal CDOP; be responsible for presenting cases and contributing to the final, independent scrutiny of a childs death.
Support and advise other professionals on the management of all forms of child death processes, including relevant legal frameworks and documentation.
Assess and evaluate evidence, write reports and present information to any related child death meeting where appropriate.
Provide advice and signposting to other professionals about legal processes, key research and policy documents
Advise on training needs and the delivery of training for all health staff within organisations across healthcare services
Play an active part in the planning and delivery of inter-agency training through local safeguarding partnerships
Work with other designated professionals to produce an overall review of the local healthcare services that identifies gaps in commissioning arrangements and information sharing between organisations and individuals
Provide advice on child death case focused support and supervision for medical health staff at all levels within organisations across healthcare services that deliver health services in relation to the death of a child or young person
To provide mentoring as required to the Named Doctors for Child Death
Financial and Physical Resources Responsibility
To work with the budget holder for department/service and or project
To work with the ICB Commissioners to assist with the review of budgets for the service
Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of resources
Human Resources Responsibility
Meet the organisations and the professional body's requirements for training attendance
Attend relevant regional and national continuing professional development activities to maintain skills. This includes receiving specific training that relates to specialist activities.
Receive regular safeguarding/child protection supervision (quarterly as a minimum), peer review and undertake reflective practice
The Designated Doctor for Child Death will have an annual appraisal under arrangements in place with the ICB
Information Management Responsibility
To be proficient in the use of the electronic CDOP and NCMD (IT Systems) where information and detail in relation to the child or young person is stored and maintained as the record keeping platform for the Child Death Service.
Responsible for the operation of one or more information systems
Manages, maintains, and develops directorate information system
Planning and Organisation Responsibility
Work closely with the Public Health Teams and Independent Chair for CDOP to support in the development of child death review arrangements across health providers and the local authority, clearly identifying links to national, regional and local priorities and policy objectives.
Plan and organise broad range of complex activities; formulates, adjusts plans, or strategies/formulate long-term strategic plans, involving uncertainty, may impact across the whole organisation
Develops a range of plans/long term strategic plans for performance and service
Improvement in new areas across organisations
Policy and Service Development Responsibility
Advise the ICB, Public Health and Safeguarding Partnership on national policies and guidelines related to child death reviews
Work with ICB Safeguarding team professionals in supporting all activities necessary to ensure that the ICB oversees and meet their responsibilities in child death reviews
Work closely with the ICB Safeguarding team; ensuring any local and national recommendations in relation to child death reviews and risk are embedded in local practice.
Assist and facilitate in the development of quality assurance systems across the health economy.
Research and Development Responsibility
Advising on audit and monitoring the quality, acceptability, and effectiveness of child death review arrangements.
Assist in the development of child death review locally and nationally through professional associations and others.
Regularly undertake research and development activity
Undertakes complex audits/surveys related to programme
Freedom to Act
The Designated Doctor for Child Death is a lone autonomous worker having to make critical judgements in a high-risk area of patient care.
Responsible for analysing complex and sensitive information relating to child deaths. Information is received from both within and external to the ICB
Expert and independent scrutiny frequently sought by staff on a day to day basis. The analysis and judgment of risk has often to be made within tight timescales to enable them to act
Make professional judgements and recommendations taking into account resources and policy
Expert liaising with professionals from other agencies to ensure effective working together.
Works to general policies, has freedom to establish interpretation
Interprets national guidelines for organisation
Analytical and Judgemental Responsibility
Provide advice to all organisations across the health community on the implementation of an effective system for child death audit, training, and supervision.
Provide advice on clinical governance and standards to named professionals
Provide advice to the Senior Leadership Team about their responsibilities to ensure that performance indicators in relation to child death are met
Ability to recognise and escalate issues or challenges raised internally and externally that may impact on safeguarding children and families and/or the reputation of the ICB
Communication Responsibility
Work as part of the STW Safeguarding team
Work with other designated professionals to agree team responsibilities
Liaise with, advise, and support named professionals across all healthcare services
Liaise with the NHS England regional safeguarding lead
The post holder will have good working relationships including the following professionals:
ICB Safeguarding Team
Members of the ICB Nursing and Quality Directorate
Contract Managers and Commissioners
Provider Safeguarding Teams / Named Children in Care Nurses and Doctors
Coroner and Coroners Officers
Medical Examiners
Independent Chair for CDOP
Public Health Teams
Designated colleagues across the region
Police
Key Managers in other health, social care and voluntary service agencies
NHSE Regional and National Safeguarding Teams
Local Safeguarding Partnerships
Local Community Safety Partnerships
