Vacancy -- CIW Inspector x 3 (Welsh Essential)

Working for the Civil Service

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Vacancy Details

Education and Public Services
Care Inspectorate Wales
HEO - £32,460 - £39,690
A starting salary of up to point 3 (£34,490) may be considered where the essential skills, knowledge and experience are demonstrated.
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Other location
Carmarthen, Merthyr, Llandudno Junction
TBC

Purpose of Post:

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 task of an Inspector is to ensure that regulated care services provide good quality, safe care and to encourage and drive improvement. Inspectors have the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of people using regulated services and to gather information about outcomes for people. This can be used by CIW in its evaluation of local councils and for informing policy development.

Inspectors will be responsible to a Team 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 Regulated Care Services.

 

Key tasks:

  • Maintaining oversight and management of a caseload of regulated services, ensuring the required inspections take place, monitoring levels of risk, assessing incoming concerns and ensuring all records are kept up to date.
  • Carrying out inspections in line with an agreed programme (including joint inspections with Estyn in childcare and play), observing and reporting on the well-being of people using the service, identifying and monitoring areas of non-compliance, raising and responding to safeguarding concerns.
  • Taking responsibility for following and progressing actions in relation to services of concern and liaising with other key stakeholders including commissioners, other regulatory bodies and safeguarding leads.
  • Preparing and undertaking enforcement activity including drafting statutory notices.
  • Collating, providing evidence to and attending Care Standard Tribunal hearings.
  • Working with managers to contribute to the setting and achieving of organisational performance objectives, including both quantitative and qualitative measures.
  • Ensuring effective communication across the team to ensure that good practice is shared and areas of concern reported.
  • Contributing to the development and improvement of practice to ensure robust, consistent regulatory standards where issues of diversity and equality are fully addressed and integrated.
  • Keep up to date with changes in legislation, guidance, and policies, procedures and best practice development.
  • Ensuring the development of and ongoing effective engagement with other stakeholders including people who use services and carers.
  • Preparing correspondence in relation to specific issues raised about services.
  • Maintaining accurate records management including the use of CRM database (CaSSI).
  • Take responsibility for own performance management and own professional development and seek appropriate development opportunities in accordance with the Welsh Government/CIW performance and development / management support process and in discussion with the team manager.

Additional tasks for CIW Registration and Enforcement Inspectors only

Registration:

  • Undertake assessments of incoming applications for registration in line with procedures, including site visits, fit person interviews, writing registration reports with recommendations and preparing notices of proposal and decision.
  • Ensure there are effective records and a clear audit trail of both the evidence used and the decisions made.
  • Providing advice to applicants seeking to register with CIW.
  • Liaising closely with regulatory inspection teams to share intelligence to inform decision making and performing regulatory inspections as required.

Enforcement:

  • Provide advice and practical support to inspectors in relation to civil enforcement activity including with the drafting of statutory notices and actions arising out of Securing Improvement and Enforcement Panels.
  • Responding to and investigating services which may be operating without registration.
  • Preparing and undertaking criminal enforcement action including initial reviews, gathering evidence under PACE, preparing evidence bundles and chronologies as part of criminal investigations and prosecutions

Development opportunities:

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

Closing Date:

15/03/2021, 16:00

Eligibility

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:

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.

Equality and Diversity

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.

Disability Confident

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

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

Welsh Language Requirements

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.

Essential
Full understanding of all work related material
Fluent
Can understand all work-related conversations
Can prepare written material for all work-related matters

Social Partnership

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.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

Competencies: 


Setting Direction – Seeing the Big Picture

Seek to understand how services, activities & strategies in the area work together to create value for the customer/end user


Setting Direction – Making Effective Decisions

Recognise patterns and trends in a wide range of evidence/data and draw key conclusions, outlining costs, benefits, risks and potential responses


Engaging People – Leading and Communicating

Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner with all stakeholders and stand ground when needed


Delivering Results – Delivering at Pace

Plan ahead but reassess workloads and priorities if situations change or people are facing conflicting demands


Job Specific Criteria: 

1. A recognised Social Care qualification such as ;

  • a Diploma in Social Work (or Social Care Wales equivalent),
  • a nursing or allied health care qualification,
  • a teaching qualification,
  • a degree in Early Years/Childhood Studies
  • a Level 5 Diploma in either Leadership for Health and Social Services or Children’s Care, Learning and Development, and;

    An ability to demonstrate the relevance of the above qualification to the role.  

2. Evidence of leading and driving improvement in the quality and safety of services to meet the diverse needs and requirements of service user/customer/end user.

3. Proven ability of both written and verbal communication skills when working with a range of stakeholders 

Assessment Process

CIW follow Welsh Government recruitment processes which are competency based application forms and interviews. Please ensure you read the Welsh Government Recruitment Guidance before applying and whilst preparing for interviews and use the STAR approach when providing evidence.

Before applying for our roles, please email the CIWHR@gov.wales for more detailed information on how to apply and information about our virtual recruitment fayres.

Applications will be sifted, successful candidates will then be invited to interview. All interviews will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

There will be a presentation at the beginning of the interview - the topic will be provided at the invite to interview stage.

Other Information

  • 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.

Posts Available;

There are 3 Inspector posts available across 3 teams:

  • 1 x CIW Childcare and Play Inspection Team (Merthyr based)
  • 1 x CIW Adults and Children’s Services Team (Llandudno Junction based)
  • 1 x CIW Childcare and Play Registration Inspector (Merthyr or Carmarthen based)

Successful candidates will be matched to a role in one of the above teams based on their skills, experience and geographical location. Candidates will be appointed by merit order unless their skills and geographical location do not match the vacancies available. In this instance, the next highest scoring candidate matching the vacancy requirements, will be appointed.

A reserve list will be held which will allow candidates on the reserve list to be appointed into an Inspector role within 12 months of the initial offer should a suitable post matching their skills and location, become available. Again, candidates on the reserve list will be offered positions based on merit order unless their skills and geographical location do not match the vacancy available.

Posts are open to candidates wishing to work part-time, but the pattern accepted will be a minimum of 28 hours across 4 working days, on days to be agreed.

Salary & Allowances:

A Recruitment and Retention Allowance of up to £4,535 per annum will be payable. The allowance is attached to the post of the Inspector and is in addition to the substantive salary.

An allowance of £1,000 per year is available if you use your own car and cover in excess of 2,000 statutory miles per year. A valid driving licence and motor insurance is required

Occasional work is required outside of normal office hours in order to complete inspections

CIWHR@gov.wales

How to apply

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have an impairment 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 an impairment 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)

Grievance and Complaints

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.

This vacancy is closed to applications.