Person specification
Job title: Health and Safety Officer
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Considerable experience in a similar role.
- Experience of maintaining statutory H&S information, preparing performance information and case management.
- Delivery of a high standard of customer support.
- Communication with all stakeholders including Executive Team, Partnership Forum representatives and staff.
- Completion of DSE Assessments, risk assessments and initial incident investigation.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health or be willing to undertake this.
- Full UK driving license with less than six penalty points.
Desirable
- IOSH membership.
- Fire Door Visual Inspector.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Excellent working knowledge of all MS Office 365 applications.
- You will have good communication skills with an excellent attitude towards delivering a high standard of customer support to our internal and external customers.
- A general knowledge of health, safety and fire regulations and requirements, as well as data protection.
- Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work to tight deadlines.
- Aptitude for developing effective solutions to health and safety issues.
Desirable
- Working knowledge of MS Teams, Sharepoint
- Experience of MS Forms, Power Automate, Power BI, providing H&S training to others.
Key Performance Outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Ability to select appropriate communication, style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Demonstrate clear and concise verbal and written communication skills.
- Listens actively and questions to check understanding.
Partnership working
Essential
- Respect others, recognise and value difference and diversity and be aware of the impact of your views on others.
- Ability to quickly build rapport and collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Objective decision-making
Essential
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Understands the limits of their knowledge and experience and when decisions need to be referred to others.
- Ability to act consistently with Care Inspectorate values to achieve the desired outcomes.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Ability to plan workload effectively in the short, medium and long term in conjunction with others.
- Ability to forward think and be innovative in developing solutions.
- Ability to prioritise effectively and achieve deadlines in a changing environment.
- Demonstrates initiative, drive, and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
Team working
Essential
- Works collaboratively with a wide range of teams across the Care Inspectorate and SSSC.
- Demonstrates personal commitment when working with colleagues.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Maintains a high standard of work, ensuring attention to detail, actively seeking out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise.
- Takes responsibility for own actions and decisions.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Person specification
Job title: Personal Assistant
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Extensive secretarial/office experience.
- Experience of interpreting the business conducted at meetings and producing accurate minutes to reflect discussion and decision.
- Experience of providing administrative support at senior level.
- Experience of preparing basic reports for submission to senior members of staff.
Desirable
- Ability to develop and produce correspondence and emails on behalf of the Director.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to SCQF level 5 (i.e. standard grade or equivalent).
Desirable
- Hold a relevant qualification in administration, and/or secretarial studies at SCQF Level 7 or above (e.g. HNC/D or equivalent.)
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills
- Excellent organisational, planning and decision making skills.
- Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work to tight deadlines/plan and prioritise workloads.
- Experience of developing processes and procedures
- Good working knowledge of IT packages including Microsoft Applications and database input.
- Ability to translate plans into action
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Ability to prepare written communication to a high standard.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
- Ability to form constructive working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation.
- Regularly communicates with and ensures they are accessible to colleagues and key contacts.
- Ability to communicate decisions to colleaguesand key contacts.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Demonstrates ananalytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Encourages and supports decisions of colleagues and key contacts.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions.
- Considers the wider contextin which the Care Inspectorate operates.
Desirable
- Ability to express and present complex information.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Ability to react to changing priorities and manage conflicting demands.
- Ability to forward plan and prevent any operational difficulties.
- Uses a systematic approach to make efficientuse of time and manage workload.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Follows directions and procedures.
Flexibility
Essential
- Demonstrates a flexible, positive approach to work.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from people and will take appropriate and considered action.
- Adapts well to change, adjusting priorities as required.
- Ability to apply skills flexibly as required.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems.
- Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
- Improve the development and quality of services.
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions taken.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively seeks out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise.
- Takes responsibility for identifying and addressing areas of personal and professional development.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Person specification
Job title: Inspection Planning Manager – Workforce Planning and Data
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- General experience of workforce planning activities.
- Significant experience of office management
- Staff supervision, systems and processes
- Workload planning, prioritisation and allocation
Desireable:
- Experience of collaborative/ partnership working.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Qualified to SCQF level 5
- Commitment to own CPD.
Desireable:
- Qualification at SCQF Level 6/7 in relevant subject area (i.e. Highers / HNC)
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Sound knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Power BI
- The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in written form.
- The ability to undertake performance and information analysis in order to formulate and implement strategies and actions effectively.
- Capable of challenging current thinking in a positive and constructive way to develop new and innovative approaches to planning and improvement.
- Ability to translate plans into action.
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills
- Demonstrate a broad level of knowledge of working within inspection/regulation of care and associated IT systems.
- Demonstrate understanding of equality and diversity.
- IT literate, demonstrating experience of IT systems and processes, using the most effective methods to communicate and manage information.
Desireable:
- Understanding of project management
Key performane outcomes
Leading others
Essential:
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction to staff.
- To effectively deploy staff and other resources to achieve corporate aims, objectives and targets.
- Ability to ensure that the planning function conducts itself in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, probity and openness through the implementation of robust corporate governance.
Desireable:
- Demonstrates experience of delivering change and improvement at an operational level.
Management of resoures
Essential:
- Ability to bring together the overall work of a team of staff and involve team members in decision-making.
- Manage resources and budgets effectively and in accordance with Care Inspectorate’s corporate aims and objectives.
- Delegates effectively to others.
- Identifying skills and experience of individual staff and making the best use of resources.
- The ability to adopt a flexible approach to competing priorities and changing circumstances and encourages and supports others to so.
- Ability to drive continuous improvement
- Applies rules and procedures sensibly.
Effective communication
Essential:
- Articulate and positive communicator both in verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and adapt communication to suit different situations.
- Ability to form constructive relationships with managers and staff at all levels of the organisation.
- Ability to communicate effectively with external stakeholders and manage partnership arrangements effectively to secure positive outcomes/key deliverables.
Desireable:
- Good public speaking skills with ability to represent the Care Inspectorate at conferences, events.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Demonstrable ability of promoting, leading and implementing strategies and change programmes.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Desireable:
- Ability to take account of wider political and organisational sensitivities to deliver strategic objectives.
Objective decision making
Essential:
- The ability to assist key stakeholders to develop strategies and action plans with others, in line with corporate aims and objectives.
- Demonstrates an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information
- Ensures that team members have appropriate support, resources and authority levels to make decisions quickly and effectively.
- Encourages and supports devolved decisions-making.
- Considers the Care Inspectorate’s strategic vision, corporate aims and objectives and values in leading and managing others
- Ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions and to remain resilient against possible criticism.
Job profile
Job title: Service Manager Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Responsible to: Chief Inspector Early Learning and Childcare Services
Responsible for: Team Managers
Principal working contacts
- Executive Directors of Assurance and Improvement
- Chief Inspectors
- Executive Team
- Senior Management Team
- Team Managers
- Strategic Inspectors
- Regulated Care Inspectors
- Care Inspectorate colleagues
- Scottish Government Officials
- Integrated Joint Boards, Local Authorities, Agencies and Other Scrutiny Bodies
- Community Planning Partnerships
- External Stakeholders
- Sponsor Department
- Chief Social Work Officers
- Police
- NHS
Job purpose
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC to manage the day to day delivery of inspection activity for regulated care services for children to ensure that the Care Inspectorate performs effectively and efficiently as an independent scrutiny body.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC in ensuring that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and other relevant legislation, to inspect and improve the quality of care and social work services in Scotland in a collaborative way.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC in developing, implementing and monitoring approaches to quality assurance, performance management, recruitment, training, development and support of staff .
- Work with the Chief Executive, Executive Directors and Senior Management Team to support significant cultural change; consolidate excellence in the Care Inspectorate’s activities and; continue to invest in our competent, confident workforce in a way that puts collaboration at the core of our work.
Key responsibilities
Strategic management:
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC to develop, deliver, monitor and review the regulatory practices, processes and procedures in early learning and childcare services to deliver robust, outcome focussed assurance and improvement and other activities which support continuous improvement in care and social work services.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC with developing, implementing and monitoring an integrated approach to quality assurance, self-evaluation, best value and consolidating excellence.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC with developing implementing and monitoring an integrated approach to performance management.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC with the recruitment, training, development and support of staff in inspection to support their continuous professional development and increase staff confidence and competence.
- Coordinate the work of contact managers, expert groups and quality circles.
- Coordinate formal and informal consultations.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC , working with the Chief Inspector Registration and Complaints to ensure that the scrutiny and registration/complaints functions work efficiently and effectively.
- In conjunction with the Chief Inspector ELC support the implementation of the day to day delivery of regulated care service assurance and improvement activity for the Care Inspectorate and contribute to its direction, ensuring that all legislative requirements are met.
- In conjunction with the Chief Inspector ELC support the planning of regulated care service assurance and improvement for early learning and childcare services.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC to formulate objectives, strategies, action plans and targets for all regulated inspection activity in respect of early learning and childcare services, and ensure that these are achieved.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC to help build the diverse strands of strategic and regulated care service assurance and improvement activity into a cohesive, integrated and productive approach, aligned to the achievement of the Care Inspectorate’s corporate aims and objectives, focusing on consolidating excellence in all aspects of the Care Inspectorate’s work.
Operational management:
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC with day to day responsibility for the efficient and effective operational delivery of regulated care inspection activity for early learning and childcare services.
- Support the Chief Inspector ELC to develop innovative approaches to support the continuous improvement of the Care Inspectorate’s assurance and improvement work, including the development of quality systems, designed around creative problem-solving and bringing new thinking, delivery mechanisms and solutions to the Care Inspectorate.
- Help ensure operational activities are delivered efficiently and adhere to the principles of best value.
- Prepare and present reports to the Executive Team, Senior Management Team Board and Committees of the Care Inspectorate that are both timely, and informed.
- Deputise for the Chief Inspector ELC and undertake such other duties as may be required by the Chief Executive, Senior Management Team or Executive Directors.
People management:
- Guide, support and direct staff for Assurance and Improvement and ensure that their work is carried out in an effective, efficient and consistent manner and meets the standards, targets and requirements of the Care Inspectorate.
- Support, develop and mentor staff through regular supervision, performance development reviews and personal development plans to help build a competent and confident workforce where individuals are developed and supported to reach their potential.
- Promote consistent, high quality practice amongst staff encouraging them to give of their best and continually strive to improve performance and consolidate excellence. Manage the performance and monitor standards and consistency of practice of all staff of regulated care services.
- Support the recruitment and development of all employees, and the implementation of HR policies, within the function, ensuring that Care Inspectorate objectives are translated into meaningful and realistic personal objectives for staff and team plans.
- Promote the health, safety and welfare of employees, with responsibility for ensuring that Care Inspectorate health and safety policies, procedures and practice, and legislative requirements, are followed across all areas of service delivery.
- Promote diversity and equality of opportunity, ensuring that these principles are upheld across all areas of service delivery.
- Carry out your duties in accordance with our Health and Safety policies, procedures, guidance, practices and legislative requirements, taking reasonable care for your safety and that of others who may be affected by what you do or fail to do while at work.
Relationship management:
- Ensure productive and smooth working arrangements and protocols between staff delivering all regulated care service assurance and improvement in respect of early learning and childcare services and all other Care Inspectorate employees.
- In conjunction with the Chief Inspector ELC help to facilitate and deliver business and cultural change with the Care Inspectorate.
- In conjunction with the Chief Inspector ELC help promote customer focus internally and externally, supporting staff to work collaboratively with colleagues across the Care Inspectorate, as well as with people who use services and their carers, the Partnership Forum, scrutiny partners, service providers, government, health and other bodies.
- Develop effective working relationships with the Senior Management Team to ensure effective collaborative working and strong customer focus.
- Promote the principles of partnership working throughout the organisation and in all working practices in accordance with the Care Inspectorate’s Partnership Agreement.
- Develop and maintain productive and effective working relationships with a range of appropriate external stakeholders and relevant key policy contacts within national bodies, Scottish Government, local authorities, integrated joint boards and health boards, together with relevant, designated regulatory and quality assurance bodies and other statutory agencies with responsibilities for service delivery and commissioning. Use these relationships to continually improve service delivery, strengthen collaborative working, and promote the work of the Care Inspectorate.
- Provide leadership, contribute to and promote, the continuous development of the Care Inspectorate, managing change effectively and creatively.
- Support the deployment of appropriate mechanisms to consult with all relevant stakeholders concerned in the delivery of inspection of care, ensuring we fulfill our duty of user focus and that this informs continuous improvement in our work.
- Support, promote and encourage public, care user and carer participation in, and consultation about, the work of the Care Inspectorate.
Other duties
This job requires some travel and may involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Download the job profile in PDF format here.
Person specification
Job title: Communications Manager
Attributes |
Essential |
Desireable |
| Experience |
|
Working with different contacts, external and internal. Experience of working within the public sector. |
|
Education, qualifications and training |
|
Communications based subject or equivalent. |
|
Skills and knowledge |
|
Knowledge of the social care sector. |
Competencies/Key performance outcomes |
Description |
|
Effective communication |
|
|
Impact and influence |
|
|
Improvement focus |
|
|
Objective decision making |
|
|
Planning and organising |
|
|
Team working |
|
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role. Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Job profile
Job title: Applications Manager
Responsible to: Head of IT Service Delivery
Principal working contacts
Director of IT & Digital Transformation Head of IT Service Delivery
IT Service Operations Manager
IT Customer Service & Transition Manager
IT Service Operations Team
Other key IT Teams and contacts (Security & Compliance Team, Development Team, and Project Managers)
Job purpose
The Applications Manager will lead and manage a development team, responsible for the delivery of technical solutions, in support of IT services and Digital Transformation at the Care Inspectorate.
The Applications Manager is an operational management role leading a team to deliver the planning, software development, integrations, implementation, release and on-going support of business applications, with a support model that ensures the delivery of service standards to agreed service levels and leading the development of digital standards through continual service improvement.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the team responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining all business applications at the Care Inspectorate, overseeing analysis, planning, testing, and documentation.
- Lead a team ensuring the continuity, integrity and availability of all business apps.
- Manage the ongoing monitoring and maintenance of digital apps usage.
- Coordinate knowledge management processes to support the sharing of relevant app service information effectively.
- Assist the Enterprise Architect in developing system architectures aligned with design principles.
- Collaborate with the IT Customer Service and Operations Managers to ensure smooth release, transition, and management of digital apps.
- Partner with the IT Service Operations Manager to efficiently manage infrastructure and utility costs related to digital apps delivery.
- Work with Customer Service Manager to integrate app support service with the wider Service Desk team.
- Support procurement activities necessary for maintaining continuity and development of business applications.
- Support project delivery, resource management, and environment management processes as part of the IT management team, while ensuring regular reporting on achievements and plans.
- Deputise for the Head of IT Service Delivery as necessary.
Relationship management
- Support the Head of IT Service Delivery to maintain healthy and effective relationships with senior stakeholders, business service owners and staff at all levels, to ensure a positive, collaborative working environment.
- Maintain an effective app support and development team ensuring that performance management, professional development and employee engagement are key areas of focus.
- Maintain and develop a healthy team dynamic, encouraging skills and knowledge sharing, ensuring a consistency of standards and service
- Promote the principles of partnership working throughout the organisation and in all working practices in accordance with the Care Inspectorate's Partnership Agreement.
- Be proactive in raising public awareness in the work of the Care Inspectorate.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
People management
- Lead and manage a team, ensuring that they work effectively to meet the aims, objectives and targets of Care Inspectorate.
- Provide advice, guidance and support to team members through regular one-to-one supervision, performance development reviews and personal development plans to ensure continuous improvement in their work, supporting their personal and professional development.
- Coordinate and monitor administrative support to the team
- Promote consistent, high-quality practice amongst team members, manage their performance and monitor their standards and behaviour.
- Promote the health, safety and welfare of staff in accordance with Care Inspectorate policies, procedures and guidance.
- Promote diversity and equality of opportunity, ensuring that these principles are upheld across all areas of work.
Other duties
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Job profile
Job Title: Modern Apprenticeship
Responsible to: Line manager
Principal working contacts
Line manager
Mentor
Buddy
Training provider
Other modern apprentices
Managers and employees
Members of the public
Job purpose
To create a structured pathway for Care Experienced young people (aged 16 – up to the age of 29 for completion of the qualification), to gain practical work experience while pursuing a qualification, we aim to bridge the gap between education and employment. Our programmes offer apprentices the opportunity to earn a salary while acquiring job-specific skills and theoretical knowledge essential for success. This apprenticeship serves as a foundation for mastering office administration, including document handling, communication techniques, and organisational procedures. It combines on the job training with learning, providing a comprehensive understanding of the administrative functions that enhance team efficiency.
Key Accountabilities
- Operational Management
- Obtain a recognised qualification and maintain connections with those who encourage learning.
- Acquire knowledge and gain insight into the organisation and the tasks performed by each team.
- Handle both incoming and outgoing communication, which includes emails, phone calls and postal mail.
- Manage routine inquiries and either prioritise or escalate difficult requests.
- Schedule and book meeting rooms.
- Keep records up to date and generate data as needed.
- Assist in maintaining filing systems according to file management policies and procedures.
- Provide administrative assistance to the team as needed.
- Maintain standards while collaborating with both staff and members of the public.
- Make suggestions to improve administrative processes.
- Carry out your duties in accordance with our Health and Safety policies, procedures, guidance, practices, and legislative requirements, taking reasonable care for your safety and that of others who may be affected by what you do or fail to do while at work.
Relationship Management
- Provide excellent customer service.
- Present a professional manner when interacting with staff and members of the public.
- Adhere to the policies of the organisation and follow team working practices.
- Engage in team meetings and participate in training activities to improve skills and knowledge.
- Show dedication to the organisations goals, vision, and values, with the overarching aim of improving social care in Scotland.
Other Duties
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Person specification
Job title: Information Analyst
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Providing a professional service with a significant level of autonomy.
- Using a range of analytical methods to gain insight from complex data.
- Apply coding skills to access and manipulate large volumes of data from a variety of sources as well as identifying data inconsistencies and ensuring data quality.
- Experience in some of the following:
- statistical analysis and reporting
- intelligence analysis
- data management. - Experience in working with internal and external partners at all levels.
- Experience in presenting complex information and analysis to a range of different audiences.
Desirable
- Developing data standards and definitions.
- Official statistics production.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to Degree level (SCQF Level 9) with a significant numeric component.
- Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.
Desirable
Intelligence Analysis qualification.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Advanced data, statistical and analytical skills.
- Competent and experienced user of MS packages.
- Experienced user of statistical, query and data management software for ETL and reporting purposes (e.g. SAS, SQL, DAX, R, Python).
- Previous use of business Intelligence tools (e.g. PowerBI, Tableaux).
- Excellent data management and manipulation skills.
- Understanding of data quality issues and validation techniques.
Desirable
- Research experience.
- Knowledge of relevant national data sources including open data.
- Public Sector / social care experience.
- Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
- Qualitative data analysis.
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Articulate and positive communicator on a 1-1 basis and in larger groups.
- Ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
Impact and influence
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Ability to give realistic advice, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
Improvement focus
Essential
- Identifies gaps in information and makes appropriate suggestions for improvements.
- Aware of trends and changes and maintains professional knowledge and skills.
- Listens to feedback and ideas and takes considered and appropriate action.
- Uses knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information in order to make appropriate changes and improvements.
- Ability and willingness to learn new skills quickly.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on professional expertise, relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- Ability to analyse complex information.
Planning and organisation
Essential
- Involves others where appropriate and optimises resources to achieve desired results.
- Regularly reviews joint goals and targets and reprioritises where necessary.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Ability to manage workloads under pressure to tight deadlines.
Team working
Essential
- Contributes to and supports the work and decisions of the team.
- Contributes to the shared vision and purpose and shares this effectively.
- Works collaboratively with a wide range of teams across the Care Inspectorate and external colleagues.
- Willingness to share expertise and knowledge with colleagues.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Subcategories
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
The early learning and childcare expansion…
Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow
Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits
Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period
Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)
Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone
It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you.
About us
As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.
About you
Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.
You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.
About the role
Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.
Why join us?
We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.
We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.
We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.
New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.
ELC expansion
The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.
Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.
Principles and aims
The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.
The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.
Use and provision
A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.
Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.
Criteria to apply
- We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
- You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
- You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.
Before you apply
- Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
- For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
- For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at recruitment@careinspectorate.gov.scot
To apply
- If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
- Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to recruitment@careinspectorate.gov.scotno later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
- We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.
