Head of Safeguarding and Vulnerabilities

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Development opportunities

Leadership development

Staff benefits

Job summary

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a strategic Head of Safeguarding and Vulnerabilities to provide Trust-wide leadership, advise the Board and clinical leaders, and translate legislation into policy and practice.

The role leads safeguarding governance, risk management and improvement across domestic abuse, Prevent, exploitation and vulnerable groups, ensuring compliance with national standards and promoting trauma-informed, person-centred care.

Qualifications

• Substantial senior safeguarding leadership experience.
• Experience in multi-agency strategic and operational safeguarding.
• Experience advising executive leaders and boards.
• Postgraduate qualifications in safeguarding or related field.

Responsibilities

• Provide Trust-wide safeguarding leadership to the Board and clinical teams.
• Lead governance, risk and Board assurance for safeguarding.
• Oversee domestic abuse, Prevent, exploitation and other safeguarding areas.
• Ensure equitable, person-centred care across mental health and neurodivergence.
• Develop training, supervision and team development.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding expertise

Strategic leadership

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master's degree in a relevant subject

NMC registration or equivalent

Postgraduate safeguarding qualification

Job description

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Head of Safeguarding and Vulnerabilities

The closing date is 23 November 2026

The Head of Safeguarding and Vulnerabilitiesprovides Trust-wide strategic, professional and operational leadership, protecting children, young people and adults at risk from abuse, neglect and avoidable harm and promoting safe, equitable, compassionate care.

Working autonomously, the post holder advises and challenges the Board, Executive Chief Nurse and clinical leaders, translating legislation, guidance and review findings into strategy, policy, training and practice.

They lead and support Named Nurses, Doctors, the Named Midwife and safeguarding specialists, ensuring compliance with national competency frameworks.

They oversee governance, risk and improvement across safeguarding, domestic abuse, Prevent, exploitation, modern slavery, trafficking, serious violence, hidden harms, mental capacity, deprivation of liberty, mental health, dementia, learning disabilities, autism, neurodivergence and least restrictive practice. Audit, intelligence and learning inform assurance and action on inequalities.

They build multi-agency partnerships, embed patient, family and carer voices, and promote inclusive, trauma-informed, whole-family care. They develop the multidisciplinary team, shared safeguarding responsibility and research and innovation to improve outcomes.

Main duties of the job

Provide Trust-wide safeguarding and vulnerable people leadership, advice and challenge to the Board, Executive Chief Nurse and clinical teams; support Named professionals and assure statutory, regulatory and competency requirements.

Lead strategy, governance, risk management and Board assurance, using data, audit, incidents and experience to improve outcomes, elevate concerns and embed learning from statutory reviews.

Oversee complex concerns and allegations with People Services and statutory partners; lead responses to domestic abuse, Prevent, exploitation, trafficking and hidden harms, with lawful information sharing.

Assure equitable, person-centred care across dementia, mental health, learning disability, autism and neurodivergence; apply the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and reduce restrictions through lawful, proportionate, time-limited review.

Embed child-centred, whole-family, trauma-informed and anti-discriminatory practice shaped by lived experience; represent the Trust in system partnerships and deliver agreed actions.

Lead role-based training, supervision and inclusive team development; ensure safe workloads, succession planning, effective budgets, financial compliance, value for money and research-led improvement.

Closing date of applications - 23 November 2026

Interview date - w/c 7 December 2026

About us

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

In return we will offer:

• Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
• On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
• Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts:

• We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
• We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week.
• An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country.
• Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
• Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
• We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
• We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
• UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.

Job responsibilities

UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AIgenerated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.

Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).

Skilled worker: Health and Care Visa

Read about the Health and Care Visa for employing overseas nationals (excluding Irish citizens) under the points-based immigration system.

Person Specification

Experience

• Substantial acute-hospital experience and experience operating as a Named Professional, organisational safeguarding lead or in an equivalent senior specialist role
• Demonstrable experience of multi-agency work at strategic and operational levels, including constructive challenge, escalation and resolution of complex issues.
• Experience of providing expert advice and assurance to executive leaders, Board-level committees, clinical teams and statutory partners.
• Experience across more than one safeguarding or vulnerable-person specialty

Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of current safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance, case law, professional standards, regulatory requirements and NHS policy
• Advanced knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, consent, best-interest decision-making and least restrictive practice
• Knowledge of safe, equitable and person-centred care for people with mental health needs, dementia, learning disabilities, autism, neurodivergence and other vulnerabilities.
• Awareness of emerging digital, data and artificial-intelligence opportunities and risks in safeguarding and vulnerable-person care.

Leadership and Communication Influence

• Highly developed communication, negotiation, facilitation and influencing skills, including the ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information where there may be barriers to acceptance
• Compassionate, inclusive and credible leadership style that promotes psychological safety, accountability, learning and staff wellbeing.
• Experience of influencing policy or practice at Integrated Care System, regional or national level.

Values and Personal Attributes

• Able to maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality and personal resilience when dealing with distressing, complex or contentious matters.
• Experience of working meaningfully with people and communities with lived experience to improve services.

Qualifications and Professional Registration

• Evidence of substantial continuing professional development in safeguarding, leadership and vulnerable-person care
• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council or another relevant UK statutory professional regulator.
• Master's degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent demonstrable knowledge and experience
• Recognised teaching, facilitation, supervision or practice-education qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Postgraduate specialist qualification in safeguarding, mental capacity, mental health, learning disability, public health or a related field.

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.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust