Specialist Practitioner – MACPT Health Lead: Sponsorship Available

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHSFT

Job summary

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.

Main duties of the job

  • 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

Person Specification

Education, qualifications and training

Essential

  • Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor or School Nurse Qualification)
  • First Degree
  • Evidence of Post Basic Continuing Professional Development in Safeguarding Children and Adults
  • Evidence of Post Basic Continuing Professional Development in Safeguarding Children

Desirable

  • Management or Leadership Qualification
  • Training Qualification (NSPCC, FETC, RNT)
  • Supervision Qualification
  • Experience of delivering training

Experience and knowledge required

Essential

  • Awareness of legal framework underpinning safeguarding (adult and children)
  • Knowledge of safeguarding procedures
  • Knowledge of Families First Partnership Programme

Desirable

  • Management or leadership Experience

Skills and Attributes

Essential

  • oExcellent communication skills both written and verbal
  • oReport writing skills
  • oIT skills

Desirable

  • oExperience of audit process

Aptitude and Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Ability to work individually and as part of a team
  • Approachable
  • Confidence to challenge professional practice or others in difficult situations with respect
  • Ability manage own well-being

Desirable

  • Awareness of issues affecting equality and diversity

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 15 November 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.