Job title: Participation Adviser

Job location: flexible (any Care Inspectorate office)

Responsible to: Participation and Equalities, Team Manager

Job purpose

To support the Care Inspectorate in meeting its statutory responsibilities for participation by ensuring that people who experience care, and those important to them, are meaningfully heard and involved. The Participation adviser leads the Volunteer Development Programme, drives participation development across the organisation, and provides line management to Participation coordinators. A key focus is to ensure volunteers are well supported, confident in their contribution, and effectively and purposefully deployed to strengthen and enhance our organisational work.

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 we recognise that jobs change and evolve over time.

Principal working contacts

  • Participation and Equalities Team Manager
  • Equalities Professional Adviser
  • Participation Co-ordinators
  • People experiencing care - people who use services and their carers
  • Managers and colleagues across the Care Inspectorate
  • Service providers
  • External participation networks for people experiencing care, carers and care experienced children and young people

Key accountabilities

Support Participation

  • Develop, drive and maintain the plan for involving people who experience care including proposals for the recruitment, training and support within the volunteer development programme.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of the Care Inspectorate’s plan for involving all people who use care services and their carers in inspection and scrutiny activities.
  • In conjunction with Participation & Equalities team colleagues, develop and implement proposals for the participation of people in the Care Inspectorate’s work including, organisational workforce development, staff recruitment, and the delivery of scrutiny and assurance activities.
  • Build relationships and networks with external support agencies for people experiencing care to strengthen participation activities.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to support the participation of people experiencing care within the Care Inspectorate.
  • Lead with the recruitment, selection and development of inspection volunteers as appropriate.
  • Give advice and information to members of the public, service providers and other agencies relating the participation activities within the Care Inspectorate.
  • Prepare reports and written guidance on matters related to the development of the participation of people who use social care and social work services and their carers/ families for internal and external use.
  • Arrange and contribute to/facilitate events – seminars, workshops, information/development sessions, input to conferences as required, both internally and externally.

Relationship management

  • This post has line management responsibility for some staff in the equalities and participation team (participation co-ordinators).
  • Develop effective working relationships with colleagues
  • Effectively contract manage any outsourced contracts related to participation
  • Portray a positive image of the Care Inspectorate when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
  • Work with external agencies.

Other duties

This is not a contractual document. We will expect the post holder 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.

Attributes

We will use these attributes to recruit the role.

Experience

Essential:

  • Experience of managing or coordinating volunteers
  • Proven experience of line managing staff, including supervision, performance management and personal development.
  • Experience of inclusive recruitment, selection and onboarding processes for volunteers.
  • Experience in handling sensitive or confidential situations using a trauma informed approach.
  • Experience of working with groups and facilitating inclusive participation activity.
  • Experience in chairing and facilitating meetings, and creating safe, supportive spaces for people with lived care experience to contribute

Desirable:

  • Understanding of inspection, improvement and the work of the Care Inspectorate.
  • Experience in managing projects and contracts with external partners.
  • Experience in leading codesign or coproduction to develop / redesign services.
  • Experience of working with external involvement or lived care experience networks.
  • Experience of managing or coordinating volunteers with lived experience of care.

Education, qualifications and training

Essential:

  • Demonstrable experience of engaging communities and/or individuals in matters that directly affect them, ensuring their voices influence decision making and service delivery.
  • Educated to SCQF Level 9 (or equivalent) in community learning and development, social work, education, health, social care, or a related discipline.
  • A strong commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) and maintaining up to date knowledge relevant to the role.

Desirable:

  • Demonstrable experience of using the Scottish Approach to Service Design.

Skills and knowledge

Essential:

  • Strong understanding of the issues and experiences of people who use social work and social care services, including the barriers they face and the factors that support positive outcomes.
  • Knowledge of trauma informed and asset based practice, and the ability to apply these approaches when engaging with individuals and communities.
  • Awareness of the current policy landscape for people experiencing care and care experienced people in Scotland, such as The Promise, UNCRC incorporation and national Dementia Strategy.
  • Proficient IT skills, including confident use of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.

Desirable:

  • Experience in chairing and facilitating meetings.

Key performance outcomes

We will use these key performance outcomes to recruit for the role.

Effective communication

Essential:

  • Effective communicator, both orally and in writing, with the ability to apply different approaches to communication as required.
  • Ability to build and maintain constructive working relationships with others internally and outside the organisation.

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of different models and approaches to involving people.

Improvement focus

Essential:

  • Aware of trends and changes and maintains professional knowledge.
  • Encourages and promotes ideas and expects others to do likewise.
  • Generates creative ideas and provides SMART solutions for improvement.

Desirable:

  • Experience of project working, presenting to groups and participatory appraisal methods.

Working in partnership

Essential:

  • Works with partners to develop shared goals, objectives and support processes.
  • Identifies and created opportunities to work in partnership with stakeholder groups.

Desirable:

  • Experience of working with external involvement networks.

Team working

Essential:

  • Remains tolerant and fair towards others always.
  • Contributes to shared vision and purpose.
  • Contributes to and supports the work and decisions of the team.

Objective decision making

Essential:

  • Makes effective decisions based on critical evaluation of all the relevant facts.
  • Understands the limits of their own knowledge & experience and when decisions need to be referred.
  • Is prepared not to make a decision if insufficient evidence is available.
  • Learns from experience focusing on preventing recurrence when things go wrong.