Designated Safeguarding Lead Nurse

We are seeking applications for the role of Lead Designated Nurse for Safeguarding in the Black Country ICB.

The postholder will provide strategic and operational leadership for the ICB’s designated safeguarding functions and ensure the ICB meets all statutory safeguarding duties. They will manage local safeguarding teams and workstreams, oversee the strategic plan for their area, and collaborate with partners across the sector to deliver strategic priorities.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work as part of a team to ensure the ICB meets all statutory safeguarding duties as defined in the Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework (SAAF) 2024, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, Intercollegiate Documents for Children and Adults 2025 and all relevant legislation. They will play a key role in strategic leadership for safeguarding, system assurance and quality, and deliver on multi‑agency priorities for adults and children. Expert clinical advice, learning and improvement, and workforce development are core components of the role.

Job responsibilities

In carrying out the role, the postholder will:

• Commissioning for Value and Outcomes
• Accelerating Neighbourhood Health at Pace
• Making the Best Use of Digital Solutions in our Pathways
• Integrated Partnership

Strategic Leadership

1. Support the Associate Director for Safeguarding and Partnerships in statutory delivery for safeguarding adults and children for a defined Place.
2. Act as the expert professional advisor to the Local Safeguarding Partnership and Board on safeguarding matters related to health.
3. Act as the expert professional advisor to the ICB on safeguarding matters including risks, priorities and statutory compliance.
4. Act as the expert professional advisor across the health economy as required.
5. Influence commissioning to embed safeguarding in all services, quality and transformation programmes.
6. Support the Associate Director for Safeguarding and Partnerships in interpreting national policy and legislation relating to safeguarding.
7. Lead and support the development of policy and procedures related to safeguarding.
8. Direct and support innovation to achieve efficiency and productivity in safeguarding outcomes.
9. Provide leadership and direction on key safeguarding areas for the wider portfolio supporting other safeguarding nurses.
10. Responsible as line manager for delivery of statutory safeguarding functions at Place, line management of the specialist safeguarding nurse, and wider delivery of agreed safeguarding portfolio priorities across the footprint, including devising training for safeguarding.

System Assurance and Quality

1. Support NHS England and the ICB in system assurance processes for NHS Provider organisations in line with the NHSE Quality Strategy and the A range of Safeguarding Tools including SCAT and SCRT.
2. Ensure safeguarding is addressed as part of service specifications, contract performance measures and service level agreements with provider organisations, and in the review of their ongoing performance.
3. Provide assurance to the ICB Board that all commissioned and contracted providers meet statutory safeguarding requirements as outlined within the SAAF.
4. Lead safeguarding elements of quality assurance including contract monitoring, quality schedules, CQC interface.
5. Ensure providers meet safeguarding standards through contractual monitoring, quality schedules and serious incident oversight.
6. Analyse safeguarding data, themes and intelligence to identify system risks and drive improvement.
7. Ensure learning from reviews (SARS, CSPRS, DARDR, CDOPs) is embedded across the system.
8. Develop approaches to evidence impact and outcome of interventions to improve safeguarding practice.

Multi‑agency Partnership

1. Represent the ICB at Safeguarding Adult Boards, Domestic Abuse Boards, Prevent / Channel Panels, Strategic MAPPA, and Community Safety Partnerships.
2. Ensure effective multi‑agency arrangements are in place, including information sharing.
3. Provide expert health input into multi‑agency safeguarding reviews as required.

Expert Clinical Advice

1. Provide expert safeguarding advice within the ICB and with all stakeholders.
2. Support and contribute information, giving advice to resolve complex enquiries that may have legal, ethical and professional implications.
3. Work with Business Intelligence to support commissioners with safeguarding performance and population‑risk indicators to inform commissioning decisions and monitoring frameworks.
4. Provide up‑to‑date specialist advice to support safeguarding related policy development.
5. Handle complex safeguarding cases involving all forms of abuse, mental capacity and deprivation of liberty, domestic abuse, and digital safeguarding oversight.
6. Support system resilience.

Learning, Improvement and Governance

1. Lead and support safeguarding innovation and transformation.
2. Ensure learning from incidents, audits and all reviews is translated into practice and system improvements, including safeguarding adult reviews, child safeguarding practice reviews, and domestic abuse related death reviews.
3. Maintain oversight of learning implementation from all reviews.
4. Lead the ICB’s governance framework including safeguarding related policies, procedures and audit.
5. Produce high‑quality safeguarding reports for the ICB, SABS and SCPs.
6. Ensure accurate and timely completion of SCRT.
7. Maintain oversight of safeguarding risks and ensure timely escalation.

Workforce Development

1. Ensure training aligns with Intercollegiate Documents.
2. Provide and receive supervision allowing for reflection and restoration.
3. Provide professional leadership to named and specialist safeguarding professionals across the system.
4. Support primary care with safeguarding advice.

Key Relationships

• Chief Executive Officer
• Chief Clinical and Quality Lead (Chief Nurse)
• Deputy Chief Officer Safeguarding and Strategic Partnerships
• Associate Director for Safeguarding and Partnerships

About us

Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care System brings together the NHS, councils and voluntary sector to serve 2.7 million people. Our vision is to be the healthiest place to live and work, improving life chances and reducing inequalities.

You will model system values, champion inclusion and actively address health inequalities, helping create an environment where everyone can thrive. In return the Cluster offers a supportive, ambitious and inclusive environment with opportunities to develop and work across partners to deliver meaningful change.

The ICB is committed to having a workforce that is representative of the population of Birmingham, the Black Country, and the Solihull Cluster. We actively welcome applications from women and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds for this role.

The ICB is registered as a Disability Confident Employer. We actively welcome applications from applicants with a disability and commit to shortlisting all suitable candidates who meet the essential criteria. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to participate in the recruitment process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse – NMC
• Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in the relevant specialism or related field, or equivalent level of demonstrable experience
• Evidence of professional and personal development at senior management level
• Leadership/Management Qualification
• Experience in commissioning
• Experience in quality assurance

Experience

• Extensive safeguarding experience at a senior level
• In‑depth knowledge of Care Act 2014, Working Together 2023, SAAF, MCA/DOLS, Domestic Abuse Act, and multi‑agency partnership working
• Leading safeguarding systems; managing complex cases; workforce development/training and supervision provision
• Oversight of provider safeguarding arrangements
• Participation in a wide range of statutory safeguarding reviews – SARs, DHRs and CSPRs
• Adequate analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Experience developing robust operational and strategic plans and strategies
• Clear understanding of national NHS strategy and policy, and ability to translate this into operational outcomes
• Experience building and nurturing strong relationships with stakeholders
• Knowledge of IT platforms relevant to the role
• Experience managing potentially challenging, sensitive or contentious situations and/or characters
• Experience working in the NHS and at least one other sector
• Experience of directly line managing a team

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975; a Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required to ensure no prior convictions that would affect the role.

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