JOB PURPOSE
The post holder should have an enthusiasm for developing the future workforce and will be responsible for ensuring the provision of high-quality multiprofessional learning environments within the Trust.
The role will support delivery of education and workforce plans. Incorporating projects to develop new and innovative workforce solutions, creating and implementing development programmes and training materials, as well as planning and running community recruitment events.
The Specialist Community Public Health Nurse is an integral member of the Children’s team who utilises management skills to work in partnership with Children, Young Persons and Families, Education, Primary Care, and Children’s services in order to identify and address health needs in line with both local and government initiatives. To ensure that all health needs of vulnerable young people who are assessed as being at actual/ potential risk of harm.
Be responsible for the development of clear health care pathways with universal and specialist health service provision, across health provider boundaries to ensure that children and young people can access all services to meet their health needs. Key services will be Mental Health, Sexual Health, LAC, Maternity, Gynaecology, Sexual Abuse Referral Centre, Health Visiting, School Health and GP services.
Working within broad MCFT policies to deliver on the HCP (0–5) while maintaining the flexibility to prioritise individual needs, respond to emerging issues, and manage crises within the caseload.
Act as the accountable practitioner for the defined caseload, ensuring planned interventions are prioritised, delegated, and coordinated appropriately according to the skills and abilities of the support team.
Take responsibility for monitoring and evaluating all delegated work to maintain safe and effective practice.
Provide day‑to‑day supervision and coordination of the support team, assuming management responsibilities in the absence of the team leader.
Contribute to ongoing staff management, including appraisals, supporting junior staff with development plans, and assisting with recruitment and retention. Monitor, prioritise, and allocate client contact across the service, escalating resource concerns when demand exceeds capacity. Build and maintain strong working relationships with primary care, community services, education, and other partners to ensure a comprehensive, collaborative service for children and young people.
Support the setting and achievement of team objectives and complete required MCFT statistical returns, ensuring timely and accurate data entry.
Contribute to the development of clear health pathways and policies across universal and specialist services, ensuring children and young people can access the full range of support needed .
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
The post‑holder manages a defined caseload from antenatal to age five, delivering the Healthy Child Programme while prioritising families with additional or urgent needs. As the accountable practitioner, they delegate and oversee planned interventions, ensuring tasks match staff competence and service priorities. They supervise and coordinate the support team daily, acting as team lead when required, and contribute to staff appraisal, development, recruitment and retention.
They monitor service demand, allocate client contacts, and escalate capacity issues to managers. Strong working relationships are maintained with GPs, education, social care and other partners to ensure coordinated support for children and families. The role contributes to team objectives, service planning and performance monitoring, including timely completion of data and statistical returns.
The post‑holder ensures the identification and assessment of health needs for vulnerable children, young people and families, contributing to individual plans and multi‑agency pathways. They help develop clear health pathways across universal and specialist services to ensure equitable access.
They promote awareness of Mersey Care CYP services and uphold equality, diversity and human rights. Clinical practice is autonomous and evidence‑based, requiring advanced decision‑making to manage complex cases. Holistic assessments are completed in line with the Healthy Child Programme, with direct referral to primary care, secondary care and social care as needed. Individualised care plans are developed collaboratively with families and partner agencies.
Safeguarding is a core responsibility. The post‑holder works closely with the Safeguarding Children Team, prepares high‑quality reports for multi‑agency meetings and legal processes, and attends case conferences, core groups, looked‑after‑child reviews and court when required. They attend safeguarding supervision and respond appropriately to urgent risk situations in line with organisational policies.
The post‑holder acts as a mentor, practice assessor and educator, supporting students, junior staff and colleagues. They identify concerns in student performance and implement action plans with practice supervisors and assessors. They assess SCPHN students and maintain up‑to‑date professional knowledge through reflective practice and ongoing development.
They lead the planning and delivery of specialist training programmes for professionals, parents, carers and young people, often in partnership with the SEND team. They provide clinical supervision, mentorship and preceptorship to a range of staff groups and support others to meet mandatory training requirements while maintaining their own.
The post‑holder acts as a role model and clinical leader, offering professional expertise to colleagues and partner agencies. They contribute to developing protocols, policies and guidelines and analyse complex workforce information to support training procurement and service planning. They identify gaps in services for vulnerable children and advise senior leaders to influence strategy and policy. They may support internal reviews, critical incident investigations and serious case reviews, and act as a clinical supervisor within the department.
The role requires communicating highly sensitive and complex information to families, colleagues and professionals, often in challenging circumstances. They use interpreters and communication aids when needed and maintain strong communication channels across agencies. They interpret information from multiple sources to support accurate assessment and care planning and work respectfully with diverse cultures and lifestyles. They may encounter distressing situations, including safeguarding concerns and family crises.
The post‑holder promotes research‑based practice, supports audits and manages complaints in line with policy. As a delegated budget holder, they ensure appropriate use of resources .
