Vacancy -- Team Manager - Childcare & Play 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 and enforcement are key functions in the delivery of safe, high quality regulated services to the citizens of Wales.  

The primary tasks of the Team Manager – Childcare and Play Inspection is to manage a team of between 6 – 8 Regulation Inspectors to ensure that regulated care services for childcare and play provide good quality, safe care and to encourage and drive improvement. The Team Manager will assist and support the Senior Manager in the effective, timely and efficient management of service delivery. 

Team Managers will be responsible to a Senior Manager. They will have a critical function to perform to ensure the effective and timely delivery of CIW’s core responsibilities across the full spectrum of childcare and play in Wales.

• To provide effective day to day management of a team of Regulation Inspectors.
• To ensure the provision of regular reflective supervision and effective performance management of identified inspectors.
• To champion and contribute to embedding the use of digital and ICT systems in CIW.
• Supporting the development of staff in the team by providing induction training, briefings and acting as mentor or coach with identified regulatory inspectors and staff members. Observation and monitoring of inspection practice to identify and share good practice and areas for professional development
• To be responsible for allocating work to designated inspectors in a timely and efficient way and in accordance with organisational processes and requirements.
• To support the Senior Manager and Head of Childcare and Play Inspection in contributing to ensuring a timely and complete response to all comments, compliments and complaints, and Data Protection Act requests in accordance with organisational processes and requirements.
• Make case management and enforcement decisions in line with the delegated responsibilities set out in CIW's securing improvement and enforcement guidance.
• Work closely with senior managers in Local Authority Inspection team to share intelligence.
• To be responsible for managing regulatory activities and performance through effective contribution to staff selection, recruitment and induction.
• Provide day to day line management oversight of arrangements for accountability and compliance of the standard and quality of all Childcare and Play inspection and regulatory activity.
• Provide strong, visible line management to regulatory inspectors demonstrating a personal commitment to the organisation’s values and goals at all levels of activity.
• To be responsible for promoting a culture of continuous improvement, where issues of diversity and equality are fully addressed and integrated into regulatory practice and act as champion for change as required by the organisation.
• To take responsibility for ensuring compliance with Welsh Government Health and Safety policies and procedures within the area of responsibility.
• Assisting with the delivery of effective quality assurance audits and reviews as required.
• Supporting inspectors with complex and challenging inspection activity when required.
• Be responsible for liaising with the other regulators including Social Care Wales, the police and other inspectorates to support effective delivery of regulation.
• Be responsible for liaising with local authorities in relation to safeguarding and other relevant issues.
• Considering representations in accordance with the agreed rota.
• Collating, providing evidence to and attending Care Standard Tribunal hearings.
• Supporting the Senior Manager Childcare and Play to keep abreast of relevant policy developments and best practice in identified areas and share this with colleagues.
• Liaising closely with team managers in the registration and enforcement teams to share intelligence to inform decision making.
• Take responsibility for own performance management and own professional development, including keeping abreast of relevant policy and legislative developments and seek appropriate development opportunities in accordance with the Welsh Government’s performance management process and in discussion with the Senior Manager – Childcare and Play Inspection.

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

31/01/2020, 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.