Job summary
The post holder will work as a key member of the Lincolnshire ICB Safeguarding Team and will support Lincolnshire ICB in meeting their statutory duties as both commissioners and employers (Section 11 Children Act 2004, Care Act 2014, Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked After Children (HM 2015), Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance: England (HM 2018 and Working Together 2023) and support the continual improvement and development of the child death review partnership agenda.
Alongside the CDOP Chair, this post will provide expert strategic leadership, independent scrutiny and challenge in all aspects relating to the overview of child deaths across Lincolnshire.
This post is being offered on a secondment basis and will be reviewed after 12 months.
Main duties of the job
The role together with the CDOP chair has a key function of providing independent scrutiny and challenge in the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) within the overall Lincolnshire Child Death Review Partnership Process, and ensures the ICB delivers their statutory function for child death review.
You will work with the CDOP Chair to provide strategic support and direction including complex professional advice on matters relating to child death reviews.
You will also provide expert advice to Lincolnshire ICB, the Safeguarding partnership and the child death review partnership on questions of planning, strategy and the audit of quality standards in relation to child death reviews.
When required, you will provide advice to ICB commissioners and NHS providers in relation to addressing quality concerns relating to the child death overview process.
You will take the lead in the multiagency early response to child deaths where this is not the role of another statutory agency ensuring that families are appropriately supported.
You will work alongside the CDOP Chair to assist CDOP in the development and implementation of appropriate preventative strategies to reduce child deaths. You will also contribute to the development of local multiagency policy and procedures relating to the child death overview process and provide advice, as appropriate, to the ICB and NHS providers in relation to the development of health specific policies.
About us
NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a statutory organisation bringing the NHS together locally to improve population health and establish shared strategic priorities within the NHS.
The ICB is part of a wider Lincolnshire Integrated Care System which has four key objectives:
1. Improve outcomes in population health and healthcare.
2. Tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access.
3. Enhance productivity and value for money.
4. Help the NHS support broader social and economic development.
By working together with the ICB, the wider system will deliver its agreed vision of 'Better Lives for the people of Lincolnshire'. Lincolnshire ICB will use its resources and powers to achieve demonstrable progress on these aims, collaborating to tackle complex challenges which include improving the health of children and young people.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
1 Functional Responsibilities
consult with local authority, police, coroner, medical examiner, and providers to develop integrated pathways in response to all child deaths.
Contribute to an annual report summarising the activities of the CDOP.
To participate as an active member of CDOP and be responsible for presenting cases and contributing to the final, independent scrutiny of a childs death.
2 Financial and Physical Resources
Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of resources.
3 Staff Management
Forge positive working relationships to support an effective approach to achieve objectives. Providing safeguarding leadership in child death reviews and safeguarding children to meet national and local safeguarding priorities.
4 Planning and Organisation
Work closely with the wider Child Death Review Team to support in the development of child death review arrangements across health providers and the local authority, clearly identifying links to national, regional, and local priorities and policy objectives.
5 Policy and Service Development
Working with the CDOP chair to advise the ICB, child death review partnership and safeguarding partnership on national policies and guidelines related to child death reviews.
Work with Lincolnshire ICB Safeguarding team professionals in supporting all activities necessary to ensure that the ICBs oversee and meet their responsibilities in child death reviews,
Work closely with the Lincolnshire ICB Safeguarding team. Ensure any government recommendations in relation to child death reviews and risk are embedded in local practice.
6 Freedom to act
The Designated Doctor for Child Death Review is a lone autonomous worker having to make critical judgements in a high risk area of patient care.
Responsible for analysing complex and sensitive information relating to child deaths. Information is received from both within and external to the ICB.
Expert and independent scrutiny frequently sought by staff on a day to day basis. The analysis and judgment of risk has often to be made within tight timescales to enable them to act.
Make professional judgements and recommendations taking into account resources and policy.
Expert liaising with professionals from other agencies to ensure effective working together.
The service will be provided throughout the year with appropriate cover arrangements for periods of leave. It is recognised that the workload of the Designated Doctor for Child Deaths can be unpredictable and can fluctuate, particularly in the event of a cluster of unexpected deaths. The post holder needs to be sufficiently flexible to respond to service need.
Person Specification
Essential
Essential
5. Consultant paediatrician, MRCPCH, on UK specialist register for paediatrics
6. Evidence of strong clinical professional leadership in a strategic role working with vulnerable children in a NHS Organisation
7. Sound knowledge of current issues and legislation relating to child death reviews and safeguarding children
8. To be able to know how to give independent challenge and appropriate advice to specialist safeguarding/child protection/child death review professionals working within organisations delivering health services and to other agencies
9. At least 5 years' experience in safeguarding
10. To be able to know how to influence improvements in child death review services across the health community.