Designated Nurse Child in Care and Care leavers

NHS; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the UK is seeking a Designated Nurse for Children in Care to join their team in Gloucestershire. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in safeguarding and understanding the health needs of children and care leavers. Responsibilities include leading health contributions, providing expert advice, and ensuring compliance with care standards. A master's level education or equivalent and current NMC registration are essential for this permanent position.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas with post graduate diploma or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of CPD and understanding of healthcare policy.
• Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead health services contribution to Children in Care.
• Ensure robust systems, procedures, and policies are in place.
• Provide expert advice to the Board on Children in Care matters.

Skills

Management Skills

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Planning Skills

Education

Registered Nurse with current NMC registration

Educated to masters level or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Job summary

Due to retirement, an exciting opportunity has arisen to join our team at NHS Gloucestershire ICB as Designated Nurse for Children in Care (CiC) and Care Leavers. We are looking for an experienced Registered Nurse with significant CiC health expertise to work within the safeguarding children and adult team. The successful applicant will be responsible for advising and assisting the ICB and our partners to fulfil their statutory responsibilities to commission and provide safe, effective services across all aspects of health care for CiC and Care Leavers in Gloucestershire. In this statutory leadership role, you will have a deep understanding of the health and support needs of CiC and Care Leavers. You will also have significant and wide experience of working in a senior specialist health role with partner agencies to promote the health and wellbeing of CiC and Care Leavers. You will be a steadfast advocate for this population to ensure that their voices are heard and are central to the planning, commissioning and delivery of high quality, child focused and trauma informed services.

Due to hybrid working, applicants are invited from all areas, with an understanding that the successful candidate will be required for regular team office days in Shire Hall and to attend some system meetings in person. This varies week on week and is driven by business need.

Main duties of the job

• Taking a strategic professional lead across every aspect of the health services contribution to Children in Care and Care Leavers across all provider organisations which are commissioned to undertake this service.
• Ensuring robust systems, procedures, policies, professional guidance, training and supervision are in place across all providers in keeping with statutory guidance recommendations.
• Providing expert advice and guidance to the Board and executives of commissioner organisations on all aspects of Children in Care and Care Leavers including regulation and inspection.
• Being involved and advising commissioners, providers and partners on the direction and monitoring of national Children in Care and Care Leaver standards and to ensure that these standards are integrated into all commissioning processes and service specifications.

About us

At our Organisation, our selection process ensures we recruit candidates with the right skills and values. We monitor AI use in applications and remain alert to misuse that misrepresents abilities. You must declare any AI use when submitting your application.

Details

Date posted: 08 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 8b

Salary: £64,455 to £74,896 a year Per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: D9843-ICB-6061HB

Job locations: Shire Hall, Gloucestershire County Council, Westgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 2TG

Job responsibilities

1. Job Summary

The Designated Nurse is a senior clinical, statutory post, with substantial clinical experience and understanding of Safeguarding Children and Adults and the health needs of Children in Care and Care Leavers.

The post holder will be a source of highly developed specialist knowledge, advice and consultancy to nurses and other professionals in relation to complex issues with regards to Children in Care, locally, regionally and nationally.

The Designated Nurse, working within GICB as a commissioning organisation will demonstrate knowledge of relevance to CiC and Care Leavers commissioning processes and ensures a focus on CiC and Care Leavers is maintained within strategic and organisational plans and service delivery.

The Designated Nurse role advises and assists GICB on service planning and in the fulfilment of responsibilities as commissioners of services, driving forward the health needs of CiC and Care Leavers and initiatives to achieve standards of excellence across all aspects of commissioned health care.

The Designated Nurse should always, in relation to the roles and responsibilities listed, lead and support all activities to ensure that organisations within the health community meet their responsibilities for CiC and Care Leavers, alongside the Designated Dr Children in Care.

This job description and person specification are only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The post holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Department and the Organisation.

Person Specification

Essential skills and qualifications include:

• Management Skills: Abilities for financial and staff management.
• Communication Skills: Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level; good presentational skills; ability to use informed persuasion to influence others.
• Physical Skills: Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions, and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery; ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and make decisions where opinions differ or no obvious solution.
• Qualifications: Educated to masters level or equivalent, Registered Nurse with current NMC registration, extensive knowledge of specialist areas with post graduate diploma or equivalent experience, evidence of CPD, understanding of healthcare policy and engagement, and appreciation of relationships between Department of Health, NHSE, ICB and providers.
• Planning Skills: Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and services on time.

Other information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure to the DBS may be required. UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration.