Autism Nurse Practitioner and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Caudwell Children; Keele; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

An organization focused on child welfare is seeking an experienced Autism Nurse Practitioner and Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure the safety of children and oversee assessments. The role involves developing safeguarding policies, providing clinical support for autism assessments, and effectively communicating with families. The ideal candidate will have experience in a safeguarding role and strong communication skills, and will contribute to a collaborative team environment while respecting the needs of children and families. Flexible working arrangements may be available.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a Lead Safeguarding role, adult or children.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Responsibilities

• Lead on development and implementation of safeguarding policies.
• Provide clinical support for autism assessments.
• Communicate sensitive information with families.

Skills

Lead Safeguarding role experience

Communication skills

Experience with children and families

Team collaboration

Ability to prioritize workloads

Positive attitude

Education

Designated Safeguarding Lead training

Relevant qualifications in safeguarding

Job description

Autism Nurse Practitioner and Designated Safeguarding Lead

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a supportive andcollaborative environment. To take thelead in ensuring that appropriate arrangements for keeping children and youngpeople safe are in place at Caudwell Children. To promote thesafety and welfare of children and young people involved in Caudwell Childrensactivities at all times.

Main duties of the job

Safeguarding-You will lead on the development, implementation, and review of Caudwell Childrens safeguarding and child protection policies, ensuring compliance with local and national guidance. The role includes ensuring all staff, volunteers, trustees, children, and families understand safeguarding procedures and know how to raise concerns.The post holder will receive and manage safeguarding information, assess risk, and take appropriate action in line with policy, including referrals to statutory agencies such as childrens social care or the police. They will liaise with external agencies, maintain secure safeguarding records, and report regularly to senior management and the board of trustees.

Clinical Responsibilities-The post holder will provide enhanced clinical support to the family support team and lead autism assessments from referral to discharge, including contributing to ADOS and ADI-R assessments. They will communicate assessment outcomes sensitively and undertake clinical work with children and families, providing advice, resources, and autism-specific strategies. The role includes risk assessment and management, contributing to multidisciplinary team working, service development, audit, and research. The post holder will support family involvement in service planning, provide mentorship and supervision, and work collaboratively to ensure high-quality, evidence-based practice that respects the views, culture, and wellbeing of children and families.

About us

We areseeking an experienced and enthusiastic Designated Safeguarding Lead and to join our dedicated, experienced and growingteam of professionals as we embark on a journey of expansion.

Establishedin 2000, Caudwell Children aims to change peoples lives, change the waysociety perceives and treats disabled and autistic people and change the waythat charities operate, through the provision of child-centred practical andemotional services, passionate campaigning and demonstrating bestpractice. We believe in a world wheredisabled and autistic children have the choice, opportunity, dignity andunderstanding they deserve #jointhechange and help us in our mission!

Ourfacilities provide a state-of-the-art base within the grounds of KeeleUniversity, Staffordshire, with the option of informal homeworking arrangementsup to 40% of working week after passing probation.

Job responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities Safeguarding

Take a lead role in developing and reviewing CaudwellChildrens safeguarding and child protection policies and proceduresensuringcompliancewithlocalandnationalguidelines.

Take a lead role in implementing Caudwell Childrenssafeguarding and child protection policies and procedures: ensuring allsafeguarding and child protection issue concerning children and young peoplewho take part in Caudwell Childrens activities are responded to appropriately.

Make sure that everyone working or volunteering with orfor children and young people at Caudwell Children, including the board oftrustees, understands the safeguarding and child protection policy andprocedures and knows what to do if they have concerns about a childs welfare.Makesure children and young people who are involved in activities at CaudwellChildren and their parents know who they can talk to if they have a welfareconcern and understand what action the organisation will take in response.

Receive and record information from anyone who hasconcerns about a child who takes part in Caudwell Childrens activities. Takethe lead on responding to information that may constitute a child protectionconcern, including a concern that an adult involved with Caudwell Children maypresent a risk to children or young people. This includes: a. assessing andclarifying the information b. making referrals to statutory organisations asappropriate c. consulting with and informing the relevant members of theorganisations management d. following the organisations safeguarding policyand procedures.

Liaise with, pass on information to and receiveinformation from statutory child protection agencies such as: a. the localauthority child protection services b. the police. This includes making formalreferrals to agencies when necessary.Store and retain childprotection records according to legal requirements and the organisationssafeguarding and child protection policy and procedures.Work closely withthe board of trustees and senior team to ensure they are kept up to date withsafeguarding issues and are fully informed of any concerns about organisationalsafeguarding and child protection practice.

Report regularly to the management team and board oftrustees on issues relating to safeguarding and child protection, to ensurethat child protection is seen as an ongoing priority issue and thatsafeguarding and child protection requirements are being followed at all levelsof the organisation.Be familiar with and work within inter-agency childprotection procedures developed by the local child protection agencies.Befamiliar with issues relating to child protection and abuse, and keep up todate with new developments in this area.

Attend regular training in issues relevant to childprotection and share knowledge from that training with everyone who works orvolunteers with or for children and young people at Caudwell Children.Attendteam meetings, supervision sessions and management meetings as arranged.Workflexibly as may be required and carry out any other reasonable duties. Appointmentto this role is subject to satisfactory vetting and barring checks.Provideleadershipandsupportonsafeguardingpoliciesandpractices,conductregulartrainingsessionsandupdatesforstaffonsafeguardingmatters,includingspecificissueslikeonlinesafetyandchildprotection.

Clinical Responsibilities

Provide enhanced clinical support to the family supportteam in relation to families and children accessing the clinical services. Leadon a child/young persons autism assessment from referral to discharge.SupportADOS and ADI-R assessments with children on the autism service pathway.Communicatein a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment andformulation of children and families accessing the clinical pathway.Undertakeclinical work with individuals, providing advice, resources and strategies, asappropriate, using specialist skills and autism specific approaches whererequired.Where necessary, undertake risk assessments and risk managementfor children and their families and to provide advice to other professions onaspects of risk assessment and risk management.Contribute to thedevelopment of the multi-disciplinary team.

As part of the team engage actively in practicedevelopment, evaluation, audit and research activities to inform evidence-basedpractice.Support service teams to ensure children and families areinvolved in future programme planning and delivery.Communicate withchildren, families and all stakeholders in a way that respects their views,autonomy and culture.Provide mentorship and clinical supervision forpractice education placements.Where appropriate, share and disseminateresearch findings with professional colleagues in the interests of practicedevelopment.Work collaboratively with all members of the MDT.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a Lead Safeguarding role, adult or Children.
• Relevant safeguarding training and qualifications, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training
• Previous experience of working with children/young people with Special education needs and disabilities SEND e.g. Autism, Intellectual disability.
• Experience of working with families in the community.
• Experience of working within an MDT and knowledge of neurodevelopmental pathway assessment tools.
• Experience of undertaking standardised formal assessments.
• Ability to work with a high degree of accuracy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• A positive can-do attitude with a flexible approach to work.
• Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for illness or disability.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey safeguarding policies, procedures and using skills when conversing with young people/families.
• Is able to adapt communication skills when working with children/young people and families.
• Ability to build relationships with children/young people, families, and staff, fostering a culture of trust and safety. Being self-motivated and having a flexible and proactive approach.
• Working with limited supervision or direction and has the ability to work off their own initiative.
• Self-motivated with a flexible and proactive approach.
• Knowledge of statutory and voluntary agencies.
• Experience of working in the Third Sector.
• Experience of working in CQC and ISO regulated organisations.
• Experience of working with volunteers.

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.