Safeguarding Children Practitioner

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults. An exciting opportunity has arisen in our Safeguarding Team for a full time Safeguarding Practitioner for Safeguarding Children, working predominantly within the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub in Portsmouth (MASH). This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced nurse or midwife with a public health registration to develop their safeguarding skills and knowledge, within the safeguarding arena. The post holder will use their excellent communication skills to provide safeguarding knowledge, advice and clinical expertise as the MASH health navigator role, and as required to all staff at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and within multi agency forums. We are looking for a committed, professional individual who can demonstrate passion and drive for safeguarding. You will be working in a dynamic multi-agency safeguarding arena and as part of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare safeguarding team; working closely with MASH and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare staff, other health organisations, the four local Safeguarding Children Partnerships and adult safeguarding colleagues to ensure that the needs of children and young people are paramount Main duties of the job The post holder will work as part of a corporate safeguarding team comprising the Head of Safeguarding and Named Nurse, specialist safeguarding nurses / practitioners and administrative support Support the development and delivery of high-quality safeguarding practice within the Portsmouth MASH and across a range of services provided by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare The post holder will contribute to the health component of the MASH service in Portsmouth in conjunction with Partner agencies to enable effective, integrated, and well-informed decision-making leads to early help and safeguarding. Contribute to threshold decision making as part of MASH strategy discussions. To provide a service that safeguards and promotes the welfare of vulnerable children, young people, and adults by taking a multi-agency approach to address need and lead to improved outcomes To provide specialist safeguarding support and advice to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, MASH, and health colleagues To support the development and implementation of safeguarding practice across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, to enable effective multi-agency liaison meeting the statutory requirements To support Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, safeguarding team in performing their safeguarding duties and responsibilities through providing advice, escalation of concerns to / from other agencies including Named Nurse for Children, Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion / belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible. We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

• Registered nurse / midwife (NMC)
• Degree level qualification or equivalent
• Evidence of recent study
Desirable
• Registered Health Visitor / Public health nurse
• Safeguarding champion or lead in own speciality
Experience Essential
• Evidence of recent community practitioner experience
• Evidence of post qualification experience
• Experience of working in a multi agency environment
• Experience of working with client groups including complex needs and child protection
• Experience of working in a constantly changing clinical environment
Desirable
• Experience of delivering training
Additional Criteria Essential
• Experience of or understanding of the Multi-agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH)
• Ability to work as part of a multi-agency team
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and IT literate
• Undertake chronology on children and young people
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Support training across internal and multi-agency arena
• Implementation of policy and procedures including those of the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership boards.
• Demonstrate and disseminate evidence-based practice
• Able to work with all staff groups offering advice and support in relation to the MASH
• Ability to give and receive positive challenge and open discussion about practice, cases and decision making
• Ability to respond appropriately to sensitive and / or difficult situation
• Ability to work closely as part of a highly skilled safeguarding adult and children team
• Be able to work independently, be flexible, and adaptable at work to meet competing priorities and deadlines
• Knowledge of government and local policy and guidance in relation to safeguarding children including current themes
• Maintain personal / professional development
• Compliance with mandatory training and understanding mandatory procedures
• Understanding of personal health and safety responsibilities
• Good understanding of the meaning of clinical and safeguarding supervision / mentoring
Desirable
• Understand complex analysis of risk for children and young people
• Contribute to planning, implementing, and evaluating health and multi-agency audits
• Identify potential training needs for staff
  
  Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve. Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.