Level 4 senior/named professional description

Appendix 1: Role and job description resources for safeguarding children and young people health care staff

All health care staff need education, support, and leadership, both locally and nationally, to fulfil their duties to meet the safeguarding needs of children and young people.

The role description below should be read in conjunction with levels 4 and 5 competencies. Significant expertise, knowledge and skills related to health and outcomes for safeguarding is a pre-requisite for senior posts.

It should be acknowledged that it would be very difficult to accurately data capture time spent in these multifaceted leadership roles. The principles of responsibility and accountability are not restricted to outcome data and model job roles cannot be too prescriptive. Statutory duties must be met. Each health system area of practice must have senior leadership in place as safeguarding children and young people and children and young people in care are integral in general population health needs. Considering a public health approach and long-term planning every intervention for these cohorts of children and young people are also influencing what happens to the adult population of the future and cannot be quantified.

This job description should be read in conjunction with level 4 competencies, outlined within the document.

It should be noted that:

• the level 4 senior/named, and level 5 senior strategic lead/designated professionals are distinct roles and as such should be separate post holders to avoid potential conflict of interest
• these roles are dedicated posts and should not be combined with responsibilities for children and young people in care

All provider organisations should have a level 4 senior/named doctor and for safeguarding children, young people, and adults. In England, commissioning organisations are required to employ a named GP for safeguarding to support and advise practice safeguarding leads.

The job descriptions of level 4 senior/named professionals should reflect an appropriate workload, covering both roles and responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people, and adults, and for the rest of their work. Job descriptions should be agreed by the employing organisation. The generic model job descriptions can be amended as appropriate according to national and local context.

The post holder must have an enhanced disclosure check. These professional posts comprise a regulated activity under the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (for England and Wales), Disclosure Scotland (for Scotland) and Access Northern Ireland (for Northern Ireland).

The level 4 senior/named doctor should:

• hold consultant status or be a senior doctor post with equivalent training and experience; usually the doctor will be working within the provider
• have completed higher professional training (or achieved equivalent training and experience) in paediatrics or child and adolescent psychiatry; in exceptional circumstances where the organisation has no children’s services, the level 4 senior/named doctor should be a practising clinician, who has status within the organisation, has evidenced safeguarding/child protection training to level 3, and who has regular supervision from the level 5 senior strategic lead/designated doctor for the area
• have considerable clinical experience of assessing and examining children and young people as appropriate to the role, including safeguarding (or risk assessment of adult mental health patients in relation to safeguarding)
• be currently practising (or have held an active clinical position in the previous two years) in the field of safeguarding/child protection and be of good professional standing
• have an understanding of and be able to advise on legal and forensic medicine as it relates to safeguarding/child protection.

The level 4 senior/named nurse should:

• hold a senior level post; it is expected that the post would be within the Band 8 range (the role would be subject to the usual Agenda for Change Job Evaluation process)
• have completed specific training in the care of babies/children and young people and be registered on either Part 1 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register as a registered children’s nurse or mental health nurse (in mental health organisations) or Part 3 as a specialist community public health nurse having completed a specific programme with a child and family focus,for mental health trusts/providers – registered mental health nurses with CAMHS specialist
• have completed (or be completing) specific post-registration training in safeguarding children and young people/child protection prior to commencement in the post (including law, policy, and practice at or Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip)); a developmental post can be considered
• have three years’ experience of caring for babies/children and young people or, in the case of mental health relevant experience, be currently practising in the field of safeguarding/child protection and have an understanding (and experience where appropriate) of forensic matters.

The level 4 / for safeguarding children should:

• be a currently practising GP
• have experience as a practice safeguarding lead (ideally for a minimum of three years)
• have expertise, knowledge and skills specifically related to safeguarding children and children and young people in care, with experience of managing complex cases, and level 4 specialist safeguarding training
• have an understanding of and be able to advise on legal aspects of child safeguarding and children and young people in care.

The level 4 senior/and level 4 senior/named midwife are likely to hold responsibility for safeguarding across the whole lifetime of patients. This includes the responsibilities, leadership, accountability, and expertise summarised below for children and young people in care. However, it is recognised that different career qualifications and experience may be considered when appointing to these senior roles.

• support all activities necessary to ensure that the organisation meets its responsibilities to safeguard/protect children and young people
• be responsible to and accountable within the managerial framework of the employing organisation
• at all times and in relation to the roles and responsibilities listed, work as a member of the organisation’s safeguarding/child protection team

• support and advise the board of the health care organisation about safeguarding/child protection
• contribute to the planning and strategic organisation of safeguarding/child protection services
• work with other level 4 senior/named, specialist and level 5 senior strategic lead/designated professionals to plan and develop the health care organisation’s strategy for safeguarding/child protection services
• ensure advice is available to other professionals and services across the organisation on day-to-day management of children and families where there are safeguarding/child protection concerns

• support and advise colleagues in the clinical assessment and care of children and young people where there are safeguarding/child protection concerns as part of their own clinical role, whilst being clear about others’ personal clinical professional accountability
• provide advice and signposting to other professionals about legal processes, key research, and policy documents

• work with the specialist and level 5 senior strategic lead/designated professional to ensure that the health care organisation has relevant policies and procedures in line with legislation and national guidance
• contribute to the dissemination and implementation of organisational policies and procedures
• contribute to monitoring the quality and effectiveness of services, including monitoring performance against indicators and standards
• support and present data collated against KPIs and national requests
• encourage case discussion, reflective practice, and the monitoring of significant events at a local level

• work with specialist and level 5 senior strategic lead/designated safeguarding/child protection professionals across health care services locally to agree and promote training needs and priorities
• support the level 5 senior strategic lead/designated professionals to ensure that there is an organisational training strategy in line with national and local expectations
• contribute to the delivery of training for health care staff and inter-agency training
• support the specialist and level 5 senior strategic lead/designated professionals in the evaluation of training and adapt provision according to feedback from participants
• tailor provision to meet the learning needs of participants

• meet the organisation’s requirements for training attendance
• attend relevant local, regional, and national continuing professional development activities to maintain competence
• receive regular safeguarding supervision and undertake reflective practice
• recognise the potential personal impact of working within safeguarding on self and others and seek support and help when necessary

• receive annual appraisal from a professional with specialist knowledge of safeguarding, and with knowledge of the individual’s professional context and framework; for nurses, midwives, health visitors and relevant health care staff, reference should be made to the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework

• be accountable to the chief executive of the employing body
• report to the medical director, nurse director or board lead with primary responsibility for safeguarding children and young people’s services within the organisation

• should have the authority to carry out all the above duties on behalf of the employing body and should be supported in so doing by the organisation and by colleagues

The tables and related data below are a minimum guide to the resources required for the roles. These have not been updated from the last edition.

Based on 2×4 hours sessions per week to serve a population of 220,000 dependent on contract but may consist of the following:

For acute health care organisations

A minimum of one dedicated wholetime equivalent (WTE)* level 4 senior/named nurse for safeguarding children and young people for each health care organisation with dedicated clinical nurse safeguarding specialists for each safeguarding partnership.

A minimum of 0.5 WTE dedicated administrative support.

For community health care organisations and mental health trusts/providers

A minimum of one dedicated WTE* level 4 senior/named nurse for safeguarding children and young people for a child population of 70,000.

A minimum of 0.5 WTE dedicated administrative support.

*While it is expected that there will be a team approach to safeguarding children and young people, the minimum WTE level 4 senior/named nurse may need to be greater, dependent upon the numbers of serious case reviews, the requirement for attendance at safeguarding committees, the requirement to provide safeguarding supervision for other practitioners, the local deprivation indices, the local child population and the number of children subject to child protection plans, the size of the organisation and whether it provides tertiary services.

1.0 WTE* named midwife should be available in each organisation providing maternity services.

*The WTE will vary dependent upon, for example, the number of births, the requirement for attendance at safeguarding committees and the local deprivation indices.