Specialist Practitioner – MACPT Health Lead

DCHS Foundation Trust; Matlock; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust seeks two experienced safeguarding professionals to join the Safeguarding Service as Specialist Practitioner (Safeguarding Children) - MACPT Health Lead. You will provide specialist safeguarding leadership, acting as lead health representative within MACPT and contributing to safeguarding decisions and child protection planning.

You will strengthen partnerships with Social Care, Police, Education and other agencies to improve outcomes for

Responsibilities

• Act as lead health representative within the MACPT, ensuring health information and expertise contribute to safeguarding decisions and planning.
• Provide specialist safeguarding advice, consultation and professional challenge on complex safeguarding cases across partner agencies.
• Support high-quality multi-agency assessment, planning and risk management for children and families with safeguarding concerns.
• Collaborate with Children's Social Care, Police, Education and other agencies to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
• Lead on the review, analysis and presentation of health information to inform safeguarding decision-making and strategic planning.
• Contribute to safeguarding quality assurance, service improvement, audits and learning activities across the organisation and wider partnership.
• Provide safeguarding supervision, training and support to health professionals and partner agencies as required.
• Support the implementation of Families First Partnership and Family Help arrangements, promoting integrated working and whole-family approaches.
• Work with the Health Co-ordinator and system partners to strengthen health's contribution to multi-agency safeguarding and early intervention services.

Job description

A Vacancy at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.

We are seeking two experienced and highly motivated safeguarding professionals to join our Safeguarding Service as the Specialist Practitioner (Safeguarding Children) - Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) Health Lead. The post holders will provide specialist safeguarding leadership and act as the lead health representatives within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, ensuring that health information, expertise and professional challenge contribute effectively to safeguarding decision-making and child protection planning. These roles are central to strengthening partnership working across health, children's social care, education, police and wider agencies to achieve the best outcomes for children, young people and families.

The Families First Partnership programme represents a significant national transformation in the way services work together to support children, young people and families. Building on the recommendations of the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, the programme aims to strengthen early help, improve multi-agency collaboration and ensure families receive the right support at the right time through integrated, whole-family approaches.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence system-wide change, strengthen health's role within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and contribute to the successful implementation of Families First Partnership reforms across Derbyshire.

• Act as the lead health representative within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT), ensuring that health information and expertise effectively contribute to safeguarding decision-making and child protection planning.
• Provide specialist safeguarding advice, consultation and professional challenge on complex safeguarding children cases across partner agencies.
• Support high-quality multi-agency assessment, planning and risk management for children and families where there are significant safeguarding concerns.
• Work collaboratively with Children's Social Care, Police, Education and other partner agencies to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, young people and families.
• Lead on the review, analysis and presentation of health information to inform safeguarding decision-making and strategic planning.
• Contribute to safeguarding quality assurance, service improvement, audit and learning activities across the organisation and wider partnership.
• Provide safeguarding supervision, training and support to health professionals and partner agencies as required.
• Support the implementation of the Families First Partnership programme and Family Help arrangements, promoting integrated working and whole-family approaches.
• Work closely with the Health Co-ordinator and key system partners to strengthen health's contribution to multi-agency safeguarding and early intervention service.

It is Trust policy that for posts that are for a time limited period, applicants who are currently employed by an NHS organisation will only be appointed on a secondment basis and should have approval from their line manager this is possible before applying. Applicants who are not employed by an NHS organisation, will receive a fixed term contract.

Our purpose is to provide community health services to a patient population of over one million people in Derbyshire and Derby, as part of Joined Up Care Derbyshire.

We employ around 4,200 substantive staff, caring for patients in 11 community hospitals and more than 30 health centres, as well as in clinics, GP practices, schools, care homes and, increasingly, in people’s own homes and via virtual consultations.

This advert closes on Sunday 15 Nov 2026