Specialist Nurse Children in Care

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Runcorn; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Specialist Nurse for Children in Care (CiC) to deliver child-centred healthcare across Warrington and Halton. You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate CiC health needs, supporting care leavers and carers within a multi-agency framework.

You will advocate for CiC, ensure immunisations, monitor SDQs, and contribute to CiC training and professional development. Flexible working is considered.

Qualifications

• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Excellent written communication skills, to include record keeping, report writing, data collection, and evaluations.
• Understanding of national policies relating to children.
• Knowledge of statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of Looked after Children.
• Assessment of care needs, planning, implementation and evaluation of care plans.

Responsibilities

• The post holder will work collaboratively with children and young people in care, care leavers, carers, and multi-agency professionals to promote positive health and wellbeing outcomes.
• They will ensure that children in care receive high-quality, child-centred healthcare in line with statutory guidance and best practice.
• The post holder will be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare for CiC and care leavers.
• Duties include Initial and Review Health Assessments, health plans, advocacy, and timely access to services.

Education

1st level Degree or equivalent Nursing qualification

Sexual health training qualification or willing to undertake

SCPHN

Job description

Go back North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)

Specialist Nurse Children in Care

The closing date is 25 October 2026

Areyou passionate about improving outcomes for Children in Care and ensuring thatthe child's voice is at the centre of everything you do? Do you have theprofessional curiosity, enthusiasm, and experience needed to support childrenand young people to achieve their full potential?

Thisis an exciting opportunity to join a well-established and highly regardedChildren in Care Team during a period of continued development and serviceimprovement. We are seeking a motivated and dynamic practitioner who iscommitted to delivering high-quality, child-centred care and advocating forsome of our most vulnerable children and young people.

Youwill be a forward-thinking professional with excellent communication andrelationship-building skills, able to work creatively and collaboratively withchildren, families, carers, and partner agencies. The successful candidate willbe flexible and adaptable, with the ability to work across both the Warringtonand Halton areas.

Ifyou are committed to making a difference, enjoy working as part of a supportiveteam, and are passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Childrenin Care, we would love to hear from you.

Please note :- Interview Date is scheduled for 30th October 2026.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work collaboratively with children and young people in care, care leavers, carers, and multi-agency professionals to promote positive health and wellbeing outcomes. They will ensure that children in care receive high-quality, child-centred healthcare in line with statutory guidance and best practice.

The post holder will be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare for children in care and care leavers, ensuring their physical, emotional, and mental health needs are identified and addressed.

• Undertaking and contributing to Initial and Review Health Assessments for Children in Care.
• Developing, implementing, and reviewing individual health plans to meet identified needs.
• Acting as an advocate for children and young people, ensuring that their voice, wishes, and feelings are central to care planning and decision-making.
• Promoting timely access to universal and specialist health services.

Please see Full Job Description attached.

About us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) serves more than one million residents across the Halton and Warrington boroughs and the wider North West region.

Bringing together community and out-of-hospital services (formerly provided by Bridgewater Community Healthcare) with inpatient and elective care (formerly Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals) we provide services at two hospital sites and more than 70 community hubs and facilities.

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM).

They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation.

Our mission

We will be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision

We will be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our values

• Kind: We are caring, supportive and respectful to everyone
• Open: We are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working
• Fair: We listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all
• One team: We work well together and with our communities

Job responsibilities

Thepost holder will work with children, young people, their carers and a widerange of professionals across health and social care settings to ensure thatlooked after children and young people (known as Children in Care-CiC) receivethe appropriate services in order to reach their full potential as outlined inPromoting the Health and Well-being of Looked After Children (2022) and theIntercollegiate competencies for looked after children (2025).

Thepost holder will be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementationand evaluation of health care for CiC and care leavers. The overall aim is toensure that children in care health needs are met and positive outcomes areachieved for this vulnerable group.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. To assess, plan, implement and evaluatehealthcare for CiC.
2. To support CiC and their carers with theappropriate health advice, information, signposting and referral.
3. To support social work colleagues in ensuringthat any health needs identified at childrens initial or review healthassessments are promptly addressed with ongoing follow up and reviews.
4. To assist with the compilation of informationto inform the completion of quality Initial health assessments.
5. To attend and /or provide a written reportfor any statutory CiC health reviews and care planning meetings.
6. To ensure that all CiC are up to date withtheir immunisations and to support access to outstanding immunisations in line with theDepartment of Health guidelines.
7. Tomonitor emotional health and stability by interpreting the strengths anddifficulties questionnaire scores (SDQs) liaising with the Lead CiC specialistnurse/childs social worker.
8. To attend meetings on behalf of the LeadSpecialist nurse for CiC in periods ofher absence.
9. To Work in conjunction with the Lead Specialist nurse for CiC participating inthe delivery of CiC training and the ongoing professional development of healthprofessionals, social workers and foster carers.

Leadership

1. Provides professional leadership and healthadvice and support to health professionals including health visitors and schoolnurses and social workers within health and social care settings.
2. Works with a legal, professional and ethicalframework established by relevant bodies. e.g.Department of Health, Nursing and Midwifery Council and local healthtrust policies.
3. To assist and participate in any audits for improving the quality standards forhealth services for CiC.
4. To participate in regional and localstrategic planning groups within CiC nursing.
5. To support and encourage communityinvolvement in decision / policy making including the involvement ofchildren/young people and carers.

ClinicalPractice

1. To work autonomously within own practice, responsible for managing a caseload ofchildren in care.
2. To undertake comprehensive health assessments on CiC both in borough and those CiCplaced within borough from other local authorities in line with good practiceand reciprocal working arrangements.
3. To make clinical decisions to satisfy the expectations and demands of the role,supported by relevant evidence-based practice theories.
4. To adopt a flexible approach to working which may include travelling out ofborough on occasions, or working evenings, to engage with young people andfacilitate their access to health services.
5. To be responsible for the recording of personally generated clinical observationsand the maintenance of relevant nursing records and reports.
6. To work in conjunction with targeted and universal childrens services to providehealth promotion and advice to children in care, including those not accessingmainstream education
7. To work alongside the lead specialist nurse and named nurse for CiC to support thedevelopment, implementation, review and updating of CiC processes andprocedures.

Person Specification

Skills and Knowledge

• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Excellent written communication skills, to include record keeping, report writing, data collection, and evaluations
• Understanding of national policies relating to children
• Knowledge of statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of Looked after Children
• Assessment of care needs, planning, implementation and evaluation of care plans

Relationships

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Experience

• Significant demonstrable experience of working in a community setting
• Understanding the needs of the client group
• Working with children and young people
• Working with looked after children /children in care
• Experience of attending Looked after Childrens reviews

Qualifications

• 1st level Degree or equivalent Nursing qualification
• Sexual health training qualification or willing to undertake.
• SCPHN

Job Specific Requirements

• Ability to travel independently across the trust and on occasion to travel outside of trust boundaries to meet the needs of CiC.
• Self-motivated.
• Ability to demonstrate commitment to developing the service offer for CiC.
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs.

Right to Work

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK?
• If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)?
• Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

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.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)