What designated and named professionals are
Designated and named professionals are qualified professionals with additional experience and post graduate qualifications in child welfare and safeguarding. They hold specific roles across the ‘health economy’ (there is a one minute guide on the health economy) to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded in Leeds.
Designated professionals - as clinical experts and strategic leaders, take a lead on all aspects of the health service contribution to safeguarding children across an area, providing support to all providers, including providing leadership, advice, support and supervision to named safeguarding health professionals, social work, Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships (LSCP), Local Safeguarding Adult Boards, and NHS England. They also provide advice to subcontracting agencies, independent providers and privately funded establishments within the health economy.
Named professionals - each health provider must have a named nurse and named doctor and a named midwife (if the agency provides midwifery services) for safeguarding children with the skills, knowledge and competencies to support all activities necessary to ensure that the organisation meets its responsibilities to safeguard and protect children and young people. Named professionals have a key role in promoting good professional practice within their organisation, providing advice and expertise for fellow professionals, and ensuring safeguarding training is in place. They should work closely with their organisation's safeguarding lead, designated professionals and the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership.
What statutory guidance says about safeguarding health
How the Health Economy safeguards children is set out in statutory guidance:
Safeguarding Vulnerable People in the Reformed NHS Accountability and Assurance Framework (NHS EI 2019) states all health providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable children; Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018, updated 2020) sets down the responsibilities of NHS Agencies and Organisations, in partnership with key agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Health (through NHS Leeds CCG) Clinical Commissioning Groups are one of the three statutory safeguarding partners alongside the Local Authority (through Children and Families), and West Yorkshire Police.
Statutory Guidance on Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked after Children (2015) describes the joint working responsibilities between health service providers, health commissioners and local authorities to promote positive outcomes for Children who are Looked After.
All of these guidance documents point to the importance of early help, establishing and maintaining relationships and working across agency boundaries to formulate a team around the child in order to improve outcomes for children in need of services or safeguarding.
Where the designated and named professionals in Leeds are
The Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is required statutorily to have a Designated
Doctor and Nurse for Safeguarding Children and Looked after Children, a Named GP, a
Designated Doctor for Child Deaths, a Paediatrician for Sudden Unexpected Death in
Childhood (SUDIC) and leads for safeguarding adults and for the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).
The Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children, the Designated Doctor for Child Deaths, the Designated Doctor and Nurse for Looked after children and SUDIC Paediatrician are commissioned through service specifications with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
(LCH) and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust LTHT).
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust – Safeguarding Children - The Children Looked
After and Safeguarding Team consists of a Named Doctor and Named Nurses, Specialist
Nurse Advisors for Safeguarding Children, an MCA Lead, a Designated Doctor for Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Childhood, a Designated Doctor for Children Looked After, a Designated Nurse for Children looked After.
Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust - Safeguarding Children Team comprises a Head of Safeguarding, MCA Lead, Named Doctors, Named Nurses, Named Midwives and Specialist Nurse Advisors.
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Safeguarding Children Team comprises a
Head of Safeguarding, Named Doctor; Named Nurse, and Specialist Nurse Advisors.
Primary Care - Each GP practice has access to peer support from the GP Safeguarding Forum which is made up of safeguarding leads from GP practices across the city. GP practices should have a lead and deputy lead for safeguarding, who should work closely with Named GPs.
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