Business Support Assistant - Complaints
Location: Flexible
Salary: £20,448 - £21,789
Hours: 35 hours per week
Contract: Temporary until 31 March 2022
About us
We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
About the role
Working as part of a team, you will provide comprehensive administrative and clerical support within a scrutiny and assurance business support role in line with the Care Inspectorate’s policies and procedures. Whilst this particular post will predominantly be working to support the complaints function and its inspectors the post holder will also require to undertake the wider general administrative duties and tasks required as part of the office business support team. These duties will be varied and will include the provision of e.g. customer service; telephony, reception, filing, word processing, data input and general clerical duties.
Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, it is expected that you will be undertaking duties predominantly from home but with an expectation that, where deemed necessary, you will be available to work from the office on an ad-hoc or longer-term basis in due course. We will consider applications on a reduced hours basis.
About you
We are looking for an organised individual who has good attention to detail, is customer-focused and enjoys working in a busy and supportive team. You will have a positive attitude and be keen to develop your skills and take on new challenges.
The successful individual will have:
- A good working knowledge of O365/Microsoft Office suite to include Word, Excel and Outlook.
- Excellent telephone and customer service skills.
- Good interpersonal skills.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Ability to work on own initiative and prioritisation of workload.
- Ability to meet deadlines.
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the:
If you require any further information or for an informal chat, please contact:
Fiona Naris, Business Support Officer, by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tel 01786 432944
If you believe that your expertise, skills and motivation make you suitable for this post, please complete an application form (and an Equalities Monitoring Form where you are an external applicant) and return by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 8am on Monday 29 November 2021.
Job profile
Job title: Communications Coordinator
Responsible to: Communications Manager
Principal working contacts:
- Communications Manager
- Communications colleagues
- Executive director of strategy and improvement
- Managers and employees of the Care Inspectorate
- External suppliers and agencies
Job purpose
To contribute to the development, delivery and success of the Care Inspectorate’s external communications function.
Key responsibilities
- Help implement the external communications strategy.
- Deliver a broad mix of high-quality, creative and strategic communications solutions to tight and demanding schedules.
- Support production and promotion of the organisation’s information and promotional collateral.
- Represent external communications on a range of project groups, taking responsibility to provide dedicated advice and support.
- Write copy in clear conversational style, following the Care Inspectorate corporate style, for a wide range of content and material.
- Edit and proof copy written by others to ensure clarity and consistency.
Relationship management
- Develop supportive and productive working relationships with colleagues.
- Ensure effective working in accordance with Care Inspectorate protocols.
- Liaise and work collaboratively with professionals and external bodies to promote the work of the Care Inspectorate and share good practice.
- Represent the Care Inspectorate as required at meetings and events.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates.
- Commit to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values to put people at the heart of our overall
Other duties
This job may require some travel, 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 and jobs can change and evolve over time. 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: 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: Senior Improvement Advisor (Registered Nurse) (focus on mental health and learning disabilities)
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- Registered nurse with substantial clinical, managerial and leadership experience
- Mental health and learning disability experience
- Be a senior practitioner/manager with a proven track record of delivery with the ability to lead and operate at a national level
- Have current credibility in their field, be this as a practicing clinician or a nationally recognised role
- Significant experience of designing and delivering health/wellbeing improvement programmes applying improvement methodology
- Experience of working creatively with partners to develop ideas and solutions to deliver change and improvement in a range of areas
- Experience of developing and delivering educational programmes in a variety of formats.
Desirable:
- Registered mental health nurse and/or learning disability nurse
- Experience of successfully managing multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams across health and social care
- Research experience
- Experience of evidence based policy development
- Experience of working closely with a variety of national bodies.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Registered with a relevant professional body
- Hold a formal qualification in an aspect of improvement science such as Scottish Improvement Leader (ScIL) programme or working towards this or an equivalent improvement qualification
- Commitment to own CPD.
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Enhanced clinical skills in a relevant discipline with the ability to apply this into the social care context.
- Understanding of the importance of the involvement of people experiencing care in the co-design and co-production of improvement initiatives
- Ability to work autonomously in partnership and collaborate with key stakeholders including Scottish Government, LAs, Health Boards and service providers in the statutory, independent and voluntary sector
- Excellent negotiating, facilitating, influencing and coaching skills
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of improvement theory and its practical application in health and social care settings
- Ability to set up systems to monitor improvement, analyse data and develop improvement solutions
- Understanding of, and ability to demonstrate, the management of a complex improvement project/programme
- Ability to use continuous improvement methodologies to support implementation, spread and sustainability of specific improvements
- Ability to develop and maintain extensive internal and external communication systems
- Ability to respectfully challenge and influence at all levels
- Excellent communicator with the ability to translate plans into actions
- Politically astute.
Desirable:
- Expert knowledge of the social care sector and the interface with health.
Leading others
Essential:
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction to a professional team and meet the outcomes/improvements of the programme of work.
Management of resources
Essential:
- Ability to bring together the overall work of a team of staff, including staff and budget responsibilities
- Ability to manage resources and budgets in achievement of the Care Inspectorate
- Ability to drive continuous improvement and manage planning and performance processes.
Effective communication
Essential:
- Articulate and positive communicator both in verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to engage, influence and lead the development of a wide range of key stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally
- The ability to build and guide key stakeholder strategies and manage relationships to secure delivery of the programme and sustain improvements.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels
- Ability to promote, lead and implement strategies and change programmes to improve the development and quality of services and reduce health inequalities
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally and at all levels
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Desirable:
- Ability to take account of wider political and organisational sensitivities to deliver strategic objectives.
Objective decision making
Essential:
- The ability to assist senior/executive management to set, in consultation with others, the overall strategic agenda objectives and performance standards for the programme
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information
- The ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions and to remain resilient against possible criticism.
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: Information Governance Lead
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrate a successful track record within a similar role.
- Experience of developing, implementing and maintaining information governance tools and standards, for example, business and security classifications, metadata schemes, life-cycle retention schedules and information asset registers
- Experience of writing policies, procedures and guidance
- Experience of working with and influencing stakeholders and partners
- Experience of undertaking information and process surveys, current state assessments and compliance audits
- Developing and/or delivering training programmes
- Experience of designing, developing and maintaining information management systems
- Line management experience
- Experience of working with the ICO and other regulatory bodies
Desirable
- Experience of working within the social care sector
- Experience of working with IT and business colleagues to integrate IG into technology platforms and business systems
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
Educated to degree level unless has proven experience in senior information governance role in a similar public body
Desirable
- Graduate or post graduate degree, or other qualification in IG-related discipline e.g. Records Management, Data Protection, Freedom of
- Information, Information Security and Assurance
- Legal qualification
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation in the context within which the Care Inspectorate works e.g. UK GDPR, DPA 2018
- The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Public services reform (Scotland) Act 2010, Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 and associated legislation.
- Knowledge and understanding of the importance of confidentiality and information governance and security principles
- Ability to interpret and present information governance concepts and terminology legal information in lay terms
- Excellent all-round IT skills, including familiarity with the Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Explorer) and Adobe Writer.
- Proven analytical and problem solving skills
Desirable
Good working knowledge of project planning and process tools such as MS Project, Visio, and data analysis and productivity tools such as DROID and TreeSize
Key performance outcomes
Effective commmunication
Essential
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain specialist/complex issues to non-specialist staff at a variety of levels and to draft clear and concise written reports.
- The ability to foster good working relationships with a range of colleagues, providing expert or professional advice, both internally and externally.
- Portrays a positive image of the Care Inspectorate when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
- Selects appropriate communication, style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Listens actively to people, questions and checks understanding.
- Possesses and displays self-confidence, enthusiasm, motivation, tact and diplomacy when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
- Focus on representing the work area or function with the main emphasis on advising, guiding, and persuasion; to be instrumental in resolving tensions and difficulties.
- Senior representative in their area of expertise with external contacts.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Uses a systematic approach to make efficient use of time and manage workload.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Prioritises work effectively to meet deadlines and objectives.
- Ability to multi-task, deal with work within tight/conflicting deadlines and prioritise work appropriately.
- Excellent planning and project management skills and ability to deliver work to specified timescales.
- Responsible for a discrete area of the Care Inspectorate’s work, policy, functional or operational area of activity and for managing projects and associated resources.
- People management responsibilities in terms of planning, leading, organising and controlling the work of others.
- Plan, having an impact across the organisation or affecting the sector, externally.
Flexibility
Essential
- Demonstrates a flexible, positive approach to work and in all duties performed.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from people and will take appropriate and considered action.
- Adapts well to change, adjusting priorities as required.
- Understands where a flexible approach is required.
- Adopting creative approaches and flexibility in the use of judgement which will be influenced by a number of variables requiring significant levels of discretion.
Team working
Essential
- Remains tolerant and fair towards others, values diversity and is nondiscriminatory in their actions.
- Values and makes use of the skills, knowledge and experience of others.
- Works co-operatively and supportively with others.
- Will develop ideas and contribute directly to parts of the Corporate Plan, having an impact across the organisation or affecting the sector, externally.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Ability to work on own initiative and exercise own judgment with discretion.
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions taken keeping line management informed of developments or issues as they arise.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively seeks out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise with limited line management experience.
- Takes responsibility for identifying and addressing areas of personal and professional development.
- To work independently on particular aspects of projects, reporting progress and liaising as necessary.
- Provide information which typically influence decision makers and will take the lead on organisation wide projects reporting directly to a member of the ET.
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: 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.
Job profile
Job title: Improvement Adviser (digital social care)
Reporting to: Senior Improvement adviser (digital social care)
Principal working contacts
Internal:
- Senior Improvement adviser (Digital social care)
- Quality Improvement Manager
- Quality Improvement Support Team
- Health and Social Care Improvement Team
- Involvement and Equalities Team
- Scrutiny and Assurance Directorate
- External / Internal Communication Teams
- OWD team
External:
- Portfolio director, Scottish Government digital health and care directorate
- Care providers, care service staff and those experiencing care and their carers
- Other regulatory, scrutiny and improvement bodies
- NHS boards, staff and agencies, local authorities, Health and Social Care partnerships, and integrated joint boards
- Other sector organisations including Scottish Care, CCPS, SSSC, SHFA, SWA, COSLA, Digital Office and others
- Members of the public and other stakeholders
Job purpose
The post holder will work alongside the Senior Improvement Adviser (Digital social care), as part of the Scottish Government’s digital social care programme. The role also forms part of the Care Inspectorate’s Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST).
The post holder will use quality improvement (QI) methodology and develop the improvement support role in line with the Care Inspectorates Improvement Strategy and the national Digital Health and Care Strategy and Delivery Plan.
Key responsibilities
- To work alongside the senior improvement adviser (Digital) on a range of activities as agreed with the Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government’s digital health and care directorate.
- To contribute to the generation of knowledge and shared learning on technology and digital in social care through publications, networks, and engagement activities.
- To collaborate with other sector-based digital leads on projects that support the delivery of the social care portfolio within the digital heath and care directorate.
- Leadership and representation of the Care Inspectorate externally in the area of technology and digital in social care.
- Working internally with the Care Inspectorate to support embedding of technology and digital solutions for social care.
- Improve the use of digital in social care through a programme which supports the Care Inspectorate’s scrutiny and inspection processes.
- Input and support to the deliverables of the social care programme within the Scottish Government’s digital health and care directorate.
- Leadership and support on key areas related to technology in social care through publication, organisation and attendance at key relevant events.
- Identification of key priorities for technology and digital for the social care sector through engagement and network activities with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Partnerships and collaborative opportunities to further embed and enhance the contribution of the technology and digital in social care at local and national level.
Quality improvement
- Support the implementation of the Care Inspectorate’s improvement Strategy, the and the Scottish Governments Digital Health and Care Strategy and Delivery Plan.
- Lead and advise on quality improvement methodology and tools, design, and delivery of quality improvement projects / programmes.
- Supporting internal/external stakeholders with data collection, analysis, and interpretation to ensure a measurement framework is in place to support successful implementation and demonstrate reliable, sustainable improvements.
- Sharing good and effective practice in the use of technology across health and social care and establish mechanisms to spread and sustain improvement.
- Provide advice and guidance to internal and external stakeholders on quality improvement including leading or participating in groups related to the work of the Care Inspectorate and the digital social care programme.
- Provide leadership and direction to develop quality improvement support resources for use by sector colleagues and care services.
- Provide leadership, direction and support on developing quality improvement pathways in relation to the use of digital technologies to support personalised care.
- Further expand opportunities ongoing training and development on quality improvement methodology and continue to build the capacity and capability of the Care sector workforce through a strategic approach with partners.
Relationship management
- Working in partnership with the Senior Improvement Adviser (Digital Social Care) and the Scottish Government’s digital social care portfolio team on a range of projects aimed at improving outcomes for people through the use of technology.
- Cross collaboration with a range of key sector organisations.
- Advise, support and work alongside the Senior Improvement Adviser (Digital social care) and the Scottish Government digital social care portfolio lead to identify and commission specialist support for quality improvement in care services.
- Work with Care inspectorate colleagues, social care staff and technology professionals to test, measure and report on the impact of technology solutions in social care.
- Engage with key partners to identify themes and trends which will direct future improvement support in digital social care.
- Advise and support the Improvement Support section, digital social care team and colleagues to improve practice directly with providers and partnerships, through sharing evidence from research, quality improvement methods and expert advice to update practice and improve care.
- Monitor, evaluate and report on all key areas and tasks advising on progress and challenges regularly.
- Work with the Senior Improvement Adviser (Digital social care), Quality Improvement Support Team and Scottish Government’s digital social care team to facilitate a comprehensive approach to relationship management between the Care Inspectorate and various parts of the health and social care sector.
Other duties
This job profile 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.
Software Developer
Job title: Software Developer
Salary: £44,322 - £47,982
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Permanent
About us
We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
Starting salary
Please bear in mind that new entrants start on the grade minimum for the role. However, we have a generous benefits package which you will find on our website.
About the role
We are recruiting a Software Developer to work within our Digital team to support the IT, transformation and business change projects, with the design, build, test and release of Digital Applications to meet the Care Inspectorate business requirements, using the Microsoft Azure platform and other Microsoft technologies.
Reporting to the Applications Manager, you will develop and maintain our business applications and deliver an applications support service. Working in an Agile environment, in alignment with ITIL best practice, you will support incident, problem, configuration, change and release management processes, as part of our IT service delivery.
You will assist the internal customer with the analysis of business requirements to produce agreed functional and non-functional design requirements and work with the development team, research and develop modular code solutions, refining and re-writing as required, to derive code that contributes to the production of effective and efficient software solutions.
About you
You will ideally hold a degree or similar equivalent qualification to a minimum of Level 9 of the SCQF Framework and have relevant experience in Computer Science and Software Development
You will have direct work experience which can evidence:
- Experience in software development, working across the entire software development cycle, using a variety of software design patterns.
- Ability to plan, execute, track and report on delivery progress against requirements.
- Knowledge of the Microsoft .NET framework and web development, including HTML, JavaScript and MVC.
- Experienced in designing and implementing relational databases in MS SQL Server.
- Competent in cloud architecture and technologies.
- Experience in continuous improvement of development, integration, and delivery processes.
- Experience in Agile methodologies
- Experience of working as part of an agile software delivery team.
- Experience of providing customer support for in-house developed software solutions.
Next steps
You will find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - please include a contact telephone number and times that would be best to reach you in your email.
To apply
If you believe that your skills, experience and motivation make you a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and an equal opportunities form, please submit by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 7 October 2024.
It is anticipated that interviews will be held during the week commencing 21 October 2024 at a suitable Care Inspectorate office location.
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no 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.