Vacancy -- CIW - Head of Local Authority Inspection

CIW is the independent regulator of social care and childcare. CIW registers, inspects and takes action to improve the quality and safety of services for the well-being of the people of Wales. Inspection, review, constructive challenge and requiring remedial action of Local Authorities are key functions in ensuring delivery of safe, high quality care and support services which promote the well being of the citizens of Wales. Undertaking high standard local authority and thematic inspections is critical to driving improvement and ensuring that reliable and safe services are provided. 

This postholder will provide leadership and management to ensure the resources of CIW are used efficiently and effectively to meet these challenges and will use their influence with key stakeholders and Welsh Government (WG) policy colleagues to support the development and implementation of legislation, policies and other programmes to secure improvement in the provision of care and support in Wales. 

CIW is undergoing a significant change programme involving a change in structures and a move to digital services. The Postholder will contribute to and support key aspects of the change agenda. 

The post holder will be accountable to the Deputy Chief Inspector (Deputy Director).

• Contribute to the strategic leadership and direction of CIW as a member of the Senior Management Team. Provide authoritative, professional advice and support to the Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspectors and WG policy colleagues. 
• Provide national leadership and management of the Local Authority inspection team, ensuring work is delivered to a high standard, consistently, in a timely way and that decisions are communicated effectively.
• Take the lead on ensuring full engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, users of services and their carers.
• Provide direction, strong leadership and line management to the Local Authority Inspection team to achieve high levels of engagement and performance including line management of Senior Managers (EB1). This will involve collaborating and working in partnership, innovating and developing practice to achieve continuous improvement, responding to the changing environment for care and social services in Wales - the implementation of legislation and digital services.
• Provide strong, visible professional leadership to the team’s Local Authority inspection and support staff, demonstrating a personal commitment to the organisation’s values and goals at all levels of activity. 
• Lead on ensuring robust arranagements for accountability, legal compliance and management oversight of the standard and quality of all Local Authority inspection and regulatory activity.
• Lead on ensuring the effective delivery of quality assurance arrangements to promote continuous improvement in Local Authority inspection and regulatory services.
• Take lead responsibility for contributing to and implementing programmes and initiatives to improve the skills, competence, capability, engagement and well being of all staff within the Local Authority Inspection Team.
• Take the lead in ensuring the availability and provision of robust support and advice to staff involved with complex situations or dispute.
• Lead on the delivery of the Local Authority inspection, review and evaluation programme pan Wales. Ensure effective reporting on and monitoring of Local Authority performance and provision of advice about performance to the Chief Inspector.
• Establish and maintain effective and productive relationships between CIW and Local Authority politicians, Chief Executives, Directors of Social Services, Heads of Service and WLGA.
• Lead a team of professional staff to provide information on care and social services across Wales in order to meet statutory requirements, inform Ministers and policy development, and provide a basis for evaluation, decision making and performance management.
• Lead on contributing to the corporate delivery of CIW’s work through leadership and programmed management of national projects.
• Ensure that information from the team contributes via the Senior Management Team to the development of Welsh Government policy.
• Provide senior leadership in developing close collaborative working across Welsh Government and Inspection Wales and with other inspectorates including Social Care Wales,the Welsh Audit office, HIW and other inspectorates, including at a UK level and a wide range of public and private organisations in the care sector.
• Managing own professional development and seeking appropriate opportunities in discussion with the Deputy Chief Inspector.

This posts offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic organisation which champions improvements in social care through a citizen focussed approach.

03/05/2019, 16:00

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

• UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

• Nationality rules – GOV.UK

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

• Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
• For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.