Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children, Children in CareNHS

Job summary

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board is seeking an enthusiastic individual with a passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and care leavers to join our Safeguarding Team.

This strategic role provides safeguarding leadership, expert advice and assurance, supporting the ICB to discharge its statutory safeguarding duties and commissioning responsibilities. In line with NHS England's Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework (2026), the postholder will work across strategic and operational interfaces to strengthen governance, provider assurance, partnership working, workforce development and continuous quality improvement for babies, children, young people, children in care and care leavers. The role will promote learning from statutory reviews, audits, incidents and performance; identify risks and gaps in provision; and ensure the voices and lived experiences of children, young people and families inform commissioning and system improvement.

We are looking for an experienced safeguarding practitioner with strong leadership, analytical and influencing skills to provide advice and professional challenge.

The post will predominantly cover Tees however it is expected some hours will be allocated to Durham. Base will be North Ormsby Health Village.

Main duties of the job

Support the Chief Nurse and Director of Nursing providing strategic and professional safeguarding leadership across the North East and North Cumbria health and care system.

Fulfil the statutory functions of the Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Children in Care and Care Leavers in accordance with relevant legislation, statutory guidance and the NHS England Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework.

Act as a vital source of expert advice, guidance and constructive professional challenge to ICB colleagues, the Board, executive leaders, commissioned services and relevant agencies on complex, sensitive or contentious safeguarding matters.

Provide strategic commissioning advice on safeguarding, promoting the best start in life, reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Develop and maintain robust safeguarding governance, reporting and assurance arrangements across NHS-funded and commissioned services.

Ensure safeguarding requirements are embedded within commissioning, procurement, contracting, quality schedules and service specifications, and seek assurance that commissioned providers discharge their statutory responsibilities.

Job description

Build effective relationships across organisational boundaries and influence policy, service development, commissioning decisions and system-wide improvement.

Develop and monitor safeguarding standards, key performance indicators, quality measures, audit programmes and improvement plans.

Analyse complex qualitative and quantitative information to identify themes, inequalities, risks, gaps in provision and opportunities for improvement, escalating concerns through appropriate governance routes.

Support learning and improvement arising from child safeguarding practice reviews, child death reviews, domestic abuse-related reviews, safeguarding audits, incidents and other relevant assurance activity.

Participate in child death review arrangements and ensure learning informs commissioning, quality assurance and service improvement.

Promote effective information sharing, professional curiosity, trauma-informed practice and meaningful engagement with children, young people, families and care-experienced people.

About us

Our Integrated Care Board (ICB) is the largest in the country.

The ICB is responsible for ensuring that high quality and safe health services are accessible to all of our communities. It has a wide range of functions, including; promoting integration of health and care services, improving peoples health and well-being, reducing health inequalities.

With a £6.6 billion budget and a workforce of 170,000 people across the North East and North Cumbria. As well as strategic functions, ICB staff also work at place level with local health and wellbeing boards in each of our 14 local authority areas. These teams also work alongside our 67 primary care networks which are groups of local GP practices, social care teams and other community- based area providers.

The ICB works with our Provider Collaborative too, this includes the 11 NHS Foundation Trusts in the region, to deliver our shared priorities.