Job Description

This postholder will hold the statutory role of Named Doctor for Children in Care (Looked After Children) on behalf of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust.



Named Doctors have a key role in promoting good professional practice within their organisation, providing advice and expertise for fellow professionals, and ensuring robust arrangements are in place.



The role of Named Doctor for Children in Care moves beyond generic care to a higher level of operational expertise achievable through extensive experience and a higher level of education.



The Named Doctor works in partnership with the Named Nurse for Safeguarding and Associate Director Safeguarding & Statutory Services to:



Develop strong internal Children in Care policies, guidelines, and protocols.

Ensure that Children in Care are reflected and considered across the organisation.

Support the management and quality assurance of statutory health assessments.

Improve the health outcomes for Children in Care and Care Leavers by working with the individual, their carers, the corporate family, and the wider community to affect change via innovative practice and collaborative working.

Stimulate the awareness of the health needs of this client group, influencing policies that affect health and the facilitation of health enhancing activities.

Effectively communicate Children in Care knowledge, research and findings from audits, challenge poor practice and address areas where there is an identified training/development opportunity.

Facilitate and contribute to internal and multi-agency audits, and statutory inspections.

Conduct Children in Care training needs analysis, and to commission, plan, design, deliver and evaluate single and inter-agency training and teaching for staff within the Trust.

Support the delivery of Initial Health Assessment (IHA) clinics and work with the Named Nurse to ensure continuous quality improvement. Provide specialist advice and supervision to staff who have direct contact with Children in Care and Care Leavers.



As one of Europe's biggest and busiest children's hospitals, at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, we treat everything from common illnesses to highly complex and specialist conditions. In addition to our main hospital site, we offer paediatric services at a number of community sites and hold local clinics across Merseyside, Cumbria, Shropshire, Wales and the Isle of Man. We also provide specialist inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs in our recently relocated and newly opened state of the art facility.



Alder Hey has a thriving research portfolio and leads research into children's medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology. We are becoming recognised as one of the world's leaders in children's healthcare and research. We contribute to public health, lead cutting-edge research and teach the next generation of children's specialists. Alongside this is our Innovation Hub, a dedicated space where clinicians and industries can come together to create new products and technologies.



We know that a children's hospital is different and that our job is more than just treating an illness. To us, every child is an individual. As well as giving them the very best care, we set out to make them feel happy, safe and confident as they play, learn and grow. At Alder Hey we are here to look after a child and their family and that includes mums, dads, brothers and sisters.



Duties



Support all activities necessary to ensure that the organisation meets its responsibilities for Children in Care and Care Leavers.

Be responsible to and accountable within the managerial framework of the employing organisation.

At all times and in relation to the roles and responsibilities listed, work as a member of the Statutory Services Team.



Leadership and Advisory Role



Advise local police, children's social care and other statutory and voluntary agencies on health matters with regard to Children in Care.

Liaise closely with other specialist services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), sexual health, and services for disabled children.

Support the Associate Director for Safeguarding and Statutory Services to advise the Trust Board on matters pertaining to Children in Care.

Contribute to the planning and strategic organisation of Safeguarding and Statutory Services in respect of Children in Care.

Work with other Named, Specialist and Designated Professionals to plan and develop the healthcare organisations strategy for services for Children in Care.

Ensure advice is available to other professionals and services across the organisation on day to-day issues about Children in Care and their families, including involvement in Fostering and Adoption Panels where required.



Clinical Role



When required undertake health assessments for Children in Care and provide written reports on the health of prospective carers as appropriate.

Support and advise colleagues in the clinical assessment and care of children and young people, whilst being clear about others personal clinical professional accountability.

Provide advice and signposting to other professionals about legal processes, key research, and policy documents.

Lead and support the development of clinical pathways such as Blood Borne Virus and provide management and oversight where appropriate.

In line with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 15189 all employees who work within a forensic setting are required to provide a DNA sample as part of the Staff Elimination Database (SED) for the purpose of eliminating their DNA from any forensic samples taken at the SARC. The Named Doctor for Children in Care would be required to provide a DNA sample.



Co-ordination and Communication



Work closely with other Named and Designated Professionals for Children in Care locally, regionally, and national; attending Clinical Support Networks on behalf of the Trust.

Work in partnership with the Named Nurse for Children in Care.

Work closely with the Associate Director for Safeguarding and Statutory Services and Named Professionals for Safeguarding.

Liaise with professional leads from other agencies, such as education and Children's Social Care.



Named Doctor Specific Competencies



Engage in effective strategic planning of services for Children in Care with commissioners and the Designated Professionals for Children in Care.

Identify and take responsibility for developing, implementing, and reviewing policies, procedures and quality standards that reflect statutory requirements and recommendations of national guidance for Children in Care.

Monitor trends, quality and appropriateness of referrals and identify gaps, duplications, and blockages to systems and take appropriate action.

Attend appropriate strategy meetings and planning meetings to provide an expert assessment of health risk for Children in Care and ensure effective multi-agency working.

Work effectively on an inter-professional and interagency basis.

Identify unmet health needs/gaps in service provision and promote innovative service solutions.

Ensure legal processes and requirements for Children in Care including after care are appropriately taken.

Advise other agencies about the health management of Children in Care.

Lead on investigations and significant incidents, including After Action Reviews, and support with statutory reviews e.g., Rapid Reviews, Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews, and Domestic Homicide Reviews.

Apply lessons learnt from incidents, reviews and audits to improve practice.

Participate in and chair multi-disciplinary meetings as required See attached for a full