The closing date is 27 July 2026
Salary: £40,559 to £48,841 a year pro rata
Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity within the PTHB Safeguarding team, for a Specialist Nurse for Looked after Children. The successful applicant will manage a defined caseload that provides a health service for our most vulnerable Looked after Children and provides health related advice and support to those who care for them, including foster carers, family members, residential placements and professionals.
Main duties of the job
Management of a defined, complex caseload.
Professional responsibility for assessing the health needs of LAC, assessing, implementing and evaluating health care offered to children with a high degree of autonomy and professional accountability.
Act as a health advocate for children and care leavers, providing support during placement changes and advocating for their needs.
Work as part of a Multi-Disciplinary/Multi-Agency team to promote and support the protection, health and wellbeing of LAC.
Have/develop a clear understanding of statutory guidance, legislation and Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) policies and protocols.
Ensure health services are delivered in a sensitive, age-appropriate way that recognises the importance of choice, culture and diversity
Offering advice, training, and support to foster carers, residential staff, and other professionals.
Job responsibilities
Improvement and Monitoring
Responsible for implementing the principles of clinical governance and comply with audit requirements.
Ensure effective risk management and facilitate a safe working environment.
Collect and interpret health data via the PTHB LAC App to assist in the development of the service and reporting to senior representatives of PTHB via the Safeguarding Operational Group and to our wider partners via Corporate Parenting Group.
Participate in any relevant research projects and focus groups and share outcomes of research and learning at staff meetings.
Responsible for ensuring that the child and their carer are provided with the appropriate feedback methods to ensure their thoughts around the service provided by health are captured, recorded and service delivery amended where possible.
Communications
Responsible for effective working relationships and communications with colleagues, professionals and statutory agencies to provide a seamless service for the children, families and communities.
Responsible for effective communication in all aspects of care with children and their carers, with careful explanation of highly complex and sensitive information using a variety of communication methods and translators where required.
Responsible for ensuring that the voice of the child is captured, recorded and shared as part of the Health Assessment.
Negotiate and use skills of diplomacy to defuse potentially threatening and violent situations within the community.
Provide information as required; attend CLA review meetings and a variety of other relevant strategy discussions/meetings for LAC.
Participate and contribute specialist knowledge to relevant groups. Liaise with childrens services, education, voluntary agencies and other health professionals to ensure that health care is provided and that the transfer of information meets the needs of the child or young person.
Comply with information governance legislation and use professional judgement in disclosing information to other agencies as necessary.
Clinical
Organise, undertake or co-ordinate initial and review holistic statutory health assessments with the assistance and support of the LAC Administrator. The assessment should encompass the physical and emotional health needs of the child/young person.
Use own skill, knowledge, and clinical judgement to assess the health needs of the child/young person during the health assessment.
Prioritise the specific health needs identified during the health assessment process and take responsibility for liaison and referral as appropriate.
Develop individual health care plans from initial and review health assessments in line with statutory timescales and ensure that information is child centred and that a clear health care plan of action is highlighted in each case.
Provide a comprehensive and flexible service for the children and young persons, to improve access for health assessments.
Ensure the continued monitoring and co-ordination of the health care plan for the child, and to provide ongoing monitoring and liaison following each new health assessment and action plan.
Work to empower the child/young person to contribute to their own health care plan.
Provide age-appropriate health promotion advice and education to children/young people.
Communicate with children/young people where there may be barriers to understanding and will communicate with tact and empathy providing reassurance in highly sensitive situations.
Ensure compliance with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures and PTHB Safeguarding policy. Liaise with the PTHB Safeguarding team to ensure that the safety and welfare of LAC remains paramount.
Access safeguarding supervision as required and attend regular group supervision with extended LAC Team.
May also be required to undertake specific intervention work with specific children.
Assist in providing support and advice for staff working with LAC.
Actively promote good health and wellbeing in areas such as sexual health, smoking, drugs and alcohol and with the young persons consent and signpost them to other agencies/services as appropriate.
Ensure that the agreed system of monitoring and coordinating the health care needs of children entering, moving and leaving care is adhered to.
Ensure timely referral pathways and fast tracking into specialist health services where possible.
Initiate safeguarding procedures (Wales Safeguarding Procedures 2019) and work in partnership with families and carers to implement child protection plans where required.
Participate in statutory safeguarding functions, for example, Court and MARAC/MAPPA processes when required.
Apply risk management processes e.g. lone working and risk assessments.
Perform duties in a manner which will ensure the health and safety of all persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work and co-operate with PTHB to ensure that statutory and departmental regulations are adhered to.
Contribute towards the planning for meeting the needs of care leavers.
Completing health assessments and care plans for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and attendance at any related meetings.
Management, Leadership and Training
Responsible for providing a LAC service for a defined caseload and to provide cover for other LAC nurses during periods of leave.
Responsibility for promoting new opportunities for integrated working and contribute to local partnership plans.
Contribute to the development of local policies and guidelines.
Assist in the development of services for LAC.
Work across PTHB and designated Local Authority boundaries to ensure continuity of care.
Provide training where appropriate to care providers to enhance the health of children in these provisions.
Ensure professional leadership within the multi-agency arena by contributing to the development and support of multiagency plans.
Attend specific training courses to maintain professional practice and to learn and develop new skills that will assist in their working with LAC.
Promote a greater awareness of the health needs of LAC to carers, PTHB staff and partner agencies according to identified need.
Facilitate appropriate health related training for foster carers as required.
Understand the complex clinical, social, environmental, emotional and economic determinants of poor health that may impact the LAC and share that understanding with other PTHB and multi-agency staff as required.
Provide appropriate support to others to improve their knowledge and understanding and share own knowledge, skills and experience with others during induction and training sessions for staff.
Responsible for providing appropriate education, training and development opportunities to students on a one-to-one basis acting as a mentor.
Finance
Cognisant with the principles of prudent health care. Ensure cost efficiency and effectiveness of all resources.
Compliant with financial procedures.
Observe personal duty of care in relation to equipment and resources provided by PTHB for use in the course of own duties.
Planning and Design
Attend and participate in PTHB LAC planning meetings to assist in the development and design of the service.
Digital and Information
Competent in the use of informatics to support caseload management and communication.
Contribute to the gathering of statistical information for the future planning and provision of services.
Contribute to the collation of data for statutory purposes for example Health and Care Standards.
Person Specification
English
Essential
- Professional registration with NMC
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information
- Sufficient community experience working with children and young people
- Knowledge of current issues and legislation relating to Looked After Children.
Desirable
- Working with foster carers and Looked After Children/young persons
- Relevant, related additional training. E.g attachment disorder/emotional health wellbeing/reproductive health
English
Essential
- Ability to work as a lone worker and with autonomy
Desirable
- oThe post holder will have and maintain an up-to-date knowledge of relevant issues, guidelines and legislation relating to looked after children
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).