All our inspectors register with a professional body, like for example the Nursing Midwifery Council or the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). If you are not already registered, you can check if you have a qualification suitable to register:

Scottish Social Services Council:

  • BA Childhood Practice
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Childhood Practice
  • BA Social Pedagogy (University of Aberdeen)
  • BA (Hons) Social Work (or equivalent)
  • PDA Childhood Practice at SCQF Level 9
  • SVQ Social Services and Healthcare at SCQF Level 9
  • SVQ Social Services (Children and Young People) at SCQF Level 9.

You must also have or gain the following regulators awards:

  • PDA Scrutiny and Improvement Practice (Social Services)

Practice Qualifications we also accept:

  • SVQ 4 Children's Care Learning and Development at SCQF Level 9
  • SVQ 4 Health and Social Care at SCQF Level 9.

Qualifications meeting requirements of other regulatory bodies

  • A qualification meeting the registration requirements of the General Teaching Council (Scotland), Nursing and Midwifery Council or the General Medical Council.
  • A qualification meeting the registration requirements for the following professional groups regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council:
    • Occupational Therapists
    • Physiotherapists
    • Speech and Language Therapists
    • Practitioner Psychologists.
  • Degree/Diploma in Community Education or equivalent as recognised by the Standards Council for Community Learning and Development for Scotland Approvals Committee.

You must also have or gain the following regulators awards:

  • Regulation of Care Award (ROCA).

The following qualifications are accepted if they were gained before 31 March 2010:

  • A qualification meeting the registration requirements of the British Medical Council, British Dental Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, British Society of Psychologists or the following professional groups regulated by the Health Professions Council:
    • Arts, Music and Drama Therapists
    • Chiropodists/Podiatrists
    • Clinical Scientists
    • Dieticians
    • Medical Laboratory Technicians
    • Orthoptists
    • Prosthetists and Orthotists
    • Paramedics
    • Radiographers.
  • Diploma in Social Work or equivalent
  • SVQ 4 Care.

The following qualifications relevant to residential childcare are accepted if you already hold one of them:

  • Degree/Diploma in Curative Education
  • Certificate in Residential Care of Children and Young People
  • Senior Certificate in Residential Care of Children and Young People
  • Certificate of Higher Education in Curative Education
  • Degree/Diploma in Community Education or equivalent as recognised by Community Education Validation and Endorsement Unit, Communities Scotland
  • Diploma in Teaching Mentally Handicapped Adults
  • Group of 21 credits from the SCOTVEC modules in childcare listed in Appendix 1 (currently recognised for the purpose of registration with the Scottish Child Care and Education Board)
  • SVQ 3 Caring for Children and Young People, Promoting Independence, or Care plus an award of certificated knowledge with 96 credits at or above SCQF Level 7.

The following qualifications relevant to home care are accepted if you already hold one of them:

  • Diploma in Domiciliary Care Management
  • Advanced Certificate in Supervising and Managing Personal Social Services
  • PDA Certificate in the Supervision of the Delivery of Care Services

The following qualifications relevant to the early years, education and childcare sector are accepted if you already hold one of them:

  • National Nursery Examination Board Certificate (NNEB)
  • Scottish Nursery Nurse Examination Board Certificate (SNNEB)
  • BA Childhood Studies
  • BA Early Childhood Studies
  • HNC Child Care and Education
  • HNC Working with Children
  • PDA Child Care and Education
  • SVQ 3 in Early Years Care and Education
  • SVQ 3 Playwork.

The following qualifications relevant to housing support are accepted if you already hold one of them:

  • BA (Hons) Housing
  • BA (Hons) Housing Studies
  • BA (Hons) Housing and Development
  • BSc (Hons) Housing
  • BSc (Hons) Housing Studies
  • BSc (Hons) Housing Policy and Management
  • Chartered Institute of Housing Graduate Conversion Course
  • Chartered Institute of Housing Professional Diploma in Housing Studies
  • Diploma in Housing and Development
  • BA (Hons)/Diploma of Higher Education in Housing Studies
  • BA (Hons)/Diploma Housing Management and Development
  • BA (Hons)/Diploma Housing Studies (Management)
  • MA/Diploma Housing
  • Foundation Degree in Housing
  • HNC Housing Studies - undergraduate which has been replaced by the Chartered Institute of Housing's (CIH) Level 4 Diploma in Housing
  • HNC Housing Studies (Management)
  • SVQ/NVQ Level 3 in Housing
  • SVQ/NVQ Level 4 in Housing
  • SVQ/NVQ Level 5 in Management
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Housing Studies
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MSc Housing Studies
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Housing Policy and Practice
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Professional Housing Studies
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Housing Management
  • Professional Diploma in Housing
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Housing Policy and Management
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Housing
  • Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Housing.

You must also have or gain the following regulators awards:

  • Regulation of Care Award (ROCA).

All these qualifications are a minimum of level 9 or equivalent on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. The level 9 descriptor is shown below and is available at http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/4595.html. We don’t consider applicants who do not have a qualification suitable to register with the SSSC or other regulatory bodies.

If you are successful in applying and join the Care Inspectorate as an inspector, we will require you to undertake further training to gain a qualification in regulation/scrutiny. If you register with the SSSC (as an Authorised Person for the Care Inspectorate) your condition of registration will include the necessity to undertake this qualification. Before you complete this qualification, you will have worked for a minimum of one year as an inspector. In the past this qualification was the Regulation of Care Award, but we are currently working on developing a new qualification. Until this is ready the interim training that you will complete is the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) or the Public Services Improvement Framework (PSIF).

We will also support your learning and development identified through our performance development and review system. This system includes supervision with your manager, identification of objectives and an annual formal review process.

We will support you by providing a comprehensive induction programme which is provided by the Organisational Development Team and includes:

  • Corporate Induction
  • An Introduction to the Care Inspectorate – a welcome to the organisation which provides an opportunity to share our vision, values and purpose.
  • Specialist training for inspectors – offers learning about regulation, scrutiny and improvement and an understanding of the different functions of our work: registration complaints, inspection and enforcement.
  • Public Protection Training – provides an understanding and awareness of both child and adult protection and the role of the Care Inspectorate.
  • ICT Training – provides an understanding and awareness of our Regulatory Management System, Practice Management System and the general software programmes the Care Inspectorate have in place.
  • Local Induction

A programme of learning covering all aspects of your new role will be provided by your team manager. You will be given the opportunity to shadow experienced inspectors until you are ready to take on your own programme of work.

PVG Membership

As the role of an Inspector is to regulate care services and through the course of their role they will have unsupervised contact with vulnerable people, therefore all Inspectors must be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership scheme, managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland.