Safeguarding Midwife

Job Description

NHS Scotland

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Who We Are

NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website –

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your applicationbut your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand younot an AI tool.

Position

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Safeguarding Midwife to join our integrated maternity service, delivering specialist midwifery and safeguarding expertise for women with socially complex needs across Ayrshire. You will work as a key contributor within the wider multiagency safeguarding network, providing highquality assessment, care planning and coordinated intervention to promote the safety and wellbeing of mothers, unborn babies and infants. This role operates within a robust governance framework and contributes directly to the public protection responsibilities of NHS Ayrshire & Arran, including accountability to the three locality Child Protection Committees in North, South and East Ayrshire.

Hours

28.8 hours per week over 4 days working Mon-Fri

UK Driving Licence

A UK driving licence is essential for this role.

What You Will Do

• Provide autonomous midwifery care and comprehensive safeguarding assessment for women with socially complex needs from early pregnancy to the postnatal period.
• Lead on risk analysis, information synthesis and contribution to multiagency care plans, including participation in Child Protection Planning Meetings and prebirth GIRFEC groups.
• Respond to police concern reports, late referrals and emerging wellbeing concerns, ensuring timely and proportionate safeguarding actions.
• Manage and contribute to cases involving vulnerable adults and highrisk domestic abuse at MARAC level, offering expert professional judgement and coordinated safety planning.
• Provide specialist advice to midwives, social work colleagues and wider multiagency partners, supporting highquality decisionmaking across complex and emotionally demanding scenarios.
• Deliver continuity of carer in alignment with the Best Start initiative, ensuring traumainformed, personcentred, safe and effective care pathways.
• Contribute to service development, learning reviews, audit and quality improvement, strengthening the safeguarding culture and clinical governance standards.
• Provide learning, supervision and support to colleagues and students, helping embed contemporary safeguarding and midwifery practice.

Knowledge, Training And/or Experience Required For This Post

• NMC Registered Midwife.
• Educated to degree level.
• Post graduate qualification in Child Protection or demonstrable evidence of equivalent work-based experience demonstrating expert knowledge of child protection policies and guidelines within Scotland.
• Demonstrates effective team working.
• Proficient in Microsoft software packages e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams
• Exceptional time management skills.

RIGHT TO WORK / CERTIFICATES OF SPONSORSHIP

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran may be able to offer visa sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. When considering if a post meets the salary threshold for sponsorship, please note the salary advertised is based on a full-time contract and must be pro-rated for part-time positions. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks.

Please visit for further information.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for Band 2 posts or bank contracts.

Please note that we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once enough applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at your earliest opportunity.

Siobhan Reid SCM for Safeguarding