Designated Professionals are experts and strategic leaders for safeguarding. As such they are a vital source of safeguarding advice and expertise for all relevant agencies and other organisations, but particularly to health commissioners in Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), the Local Authority (LA) and NHS England and NHS Improvement, other health professionals in provider organisations, Quality Surveillance Groups (QSGs), regulators, the Safeguarding Children Partnership Arrangements, Corporate Parenting Boards, Safeguarding Adult Boards (SABs) and the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Where Designated Professionals (most commonly, Designated Doctors) continue to undertake clinical duties in addition to their designated safeguarding responsibilities, it is important that there is clarity about the two roles, particularly with regards to time and capacity to undertake designated duties. The CCG will require input into the job planning, appraisal and revalidation processes. Designated Doctors may liaise with the Regional Medical Director on those occasions that need solely medical professional consideration.
Clear accountability and performance management arrangements are essential for Designated Professionals to prevent professional isolation and promote continuous improvement.
Designated Professionals are required to:
to attend reflective/restorative supervision meetings regularly. These supervision meetings must be formally documented and should be professionally facilitated if possible
have direct access to the CCG Executive (Board level) lead, to ensure that there is the right level of influence of safeguarding on the commissioning process. The CCG Accountable Officer (or other executive level nominee) should meet regularly with the Designated Professionals to review child, children in care and adult safeguarding in the local area
to coordinate practice reviews / learning reviews and management reviews on behalf of health commissioners. They are also responsible for quality assuring the health content and disseminating the lessons learnt
to provide expert advice to Health Education England (HEE) and Local Education and Training Boards