Multi-agency Child Safeguarding Reform Health Facilitator

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.
DHSC leads national policy on child health across the health and care system and across government. Government has an ambitious programme of multi-sector reform for children's health and social care, intended to improve support and outcomes for children and families.
This role is part of the Children and Families Division in the Early Years, Children and Families Directorate of the Prevention and Primary Care Group in DHSC., Following the introduction of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, a duty was placed on Health, Police and Local Authorities as the three statutory safeguarding partners to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in local areas. The Department of Health and Social Care works alongside the Department for Education and the Home Office to oversee the effective operation of these multi-agency child safeguarding arrangements. Work is now needed to drive forward improvements in the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, as outlined in Stable Homes, Built on Love.
The 2021 Wood Review into multi-agency safeguarding arrangements emphasised the essential role of national facilitators in creating a joined-up culture, providing information, advice, guidance and evidence of progress in implementing children’s safeguarding reforms. The national facilitators are change leaders, who provide challenge and support to local areas, and influence national level policymaking through insights from their extensive engagement with senior leaders and frontline staff across their sectors.
The National Child Safeguarding Health Facilitator will support the department to strengthen the health system’s contribution to multiagency child safeguarding arrangements. The successful candidate will play a high-profile role in delivering the current package of children's social care reforms as set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love.
Within the health system, the Health Facilitator will act as a change leader for child safeguarding reform and improvement. Operating autonomously, they will use the credibility gained from clinical and commissioning leadership roles to build influential relationships with senior ICB and LA public health leaders. Their work will be guided by strong, trusting working relationships with the DHSC policy and public health nursing teams, NHSE national and regional safeguarding teams and OHID regional teams.
The Health Facilitator will work closely with the police, local authority and education facilitators to facilitate discussions with safeguarding partners on how effectively their arrangements are working. Through working with local systems across England, the health facilitator will also gather intelligence and insights to inform and shape the development of national child safeguarding policy in health.
Role responsibilities
The Health Facilitator will:
+ Provide expert system leadership to facilitate, support and drive improvement in the implementation of child safeguarding reforms within the health sector, including NHS and local authority commissioned health services; engage relevant safeguarding leads in the health system to promote effective arrangements, to map and share best practice.
+ Work closely with the national facilitators from policing, education and children’s social care to facilitate, support and drive improvement in the co-operation of local health organisations with children’s social services, local police and education in order to deliver an improved multiagency child safeguarding system.
+ Provide appropriate peer review and challenge to support development of robust local arrangements.
+ Identify and assess emerging issues and threats within the health sector, and between health sector and the other multiagency child safeguarding partners, and develop plans to address them in partnership with other national facilitators.
+ Provide practical advice to government on how to support the health system and safeguarding partners to effectively implement the reforms set out in Stable Homes Built on Love.
+ Advise DHSC on child safeguarding issues and the development of national policy to improve safeguarding outcomes for children and young people.
+ Collaborate with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel to support practice sharing amongst safeguarding partners.
+ Represent health system views at relevant national meetings, forums and conferences including with other national stakeholders., Your contractual primary workplace will be either London or Leeds. However, due to the nature of this role, you will be expected to connect with health services all over England. You will be expected to attend your home office of London or Leeds 1-2 days per month, as agreed with your line manager, in order to connect with the rest of the team and meet business need.
You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.
Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need.
There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Leadership
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Working Together, Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.
An initial sift based on the lead behaviour of Leadership may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours.
To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here
Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.
Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.
Licences required for the role will be checked and verified by the vacancy holder as part of the onboarding process.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Terms and Conditions
Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.
New Entrants to the Civil Service
New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:
+ Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
+ Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
+ Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
+ Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
+ Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
+ Probation: 6 month probation period
Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion
All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion
If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Essential:
1. Registered healthcare professional;
2. Designated Professional for Safeguarding Children within an NHS organisation;
3. Expert level of knowledge and experience in relation to multi-agency safeguarding practice, delivery arrangements and the broader contexts in the sector;
4. Recent experience of commissioning community or public health services;
Desirable:
1. Recent clinical expertise in the local and national safeguarding system in health including the critical levers for change;
2. Ability to write high-quality reports with clear evidence-based conclusions and lessons for practice;
3. A good understanding of potential barriers, risks and issues involved in the implementation of the multi-agency reforms and the efficacy of proposals for overcoming these;
4. A range of internal and external consultancy/influencing skills for working 1:1 with Chief Nurses and Designated Professionals as well as networks and groups of peers across the evolving systems; and
5. Very strong communication skills, with the ability to turn complex messages into language and actions understood by all.
Flexible working location requirements

Alongside your salary of £66,832, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £18,044 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%