Care Inspectorate Wales (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. Local Authority Inspection is a key function in the delivery of safe, high quality social care services to the citizens of Wales.  The role of Senior Manager – Local Authority Inspection is critical to providing assurance and driving improvement in the quality of social care services.

The post holder may have line management responsibility for Local Authority Inspection Managers and will support the Head of Local Authority Inspection in ensuring the delivery of consistent, effective, efficient and high quality services and core business functions.

The role of Senior Manager - Local Authority Inspection is part of the Senior Leadership Team and as such will contribute to the oversight and delivery of core business functions and delivery within CIW.

The post holder will be accountable to the Head of Local Authority Inspection.

Leadership:

• To lead, manage and contribute to the design and delivery of a programme of local authority inspection, scrutiny and reviews, surveys and audits across Wales ensuring the robust management of resources and in accordance with agreed priorities.
• To lead and be responsible for the quality and timeliness of all aspects of local authority performance scrutiny, review and inspection activity in accordance with relevant legislation and internal guidance.
• Lead on and contribute to the development and implementation of innovative approaches to integrated scrutiny, review and inspection.
• To be content working with competing priorities and changing environments sometimes at pace.
• Lead on ensuring the effective implementation of strong performance and quality assurance arrangements and contribute to the development and improvement of such arrangements.
• In circumstances where there is line management responsibility, ensure robust arrangements for accountability, compliance, management oversight and development of the team.
• As a strategic leader within CIW you will actively champion our values and behaviours role modelling these in all your work.
• Actively champion equality diversity and inclusion through all our work, taking opportunities to improve practice and knowledge across CIW.
• Lead on and contribute to the strategic planning of CIW, representing CIW as required. This may involve chairing Boards or other relevant groups in supporting CIW to achieve its aim and purpose.
• Represent the organisation at senior level as required.
• To deputise for the Head of Local Authority Inspection as and when required.
• Take responsibility for own performance management and own professional development and seek appropriate development opportunities in accordance with the Welsh Government’s performance management process and in discussion with the Head of Local Authority Inspection.

Partnership working and networks:

• Develop and maintain productive and effective working relationships with a range of appropriate external stakeholders and relevant key policy contacts within national bodies, Welsh Government, local authorities and health boards, together with relevant, designated audit, inspection and regulatory bodies and with other statutory agencies with responsibilities for service delivery and commissioning.
• Lead engagement with the Local Authority’s Director of Social Services, lead elected members and scrutiny committees. Attending scrutiny committee as required.
• Represent the Care Inspectorate as required on a wide range of internal and external groups and at external conferences and events.
• Be an active member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and work across divisions to lead and or contribute to the oversight and delivery of core business functions and delivery within CIW.
• Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with local authorities and health boards in relation to statutory and collaborative arrangements.
• Maintain effective relationships with policy colleagues, influencing policy development.

Delivery:

• Reach evidence based, balanced and sound judgement about the quality, effectiveness and impact of services provided within the range of services for children and adults as required.
• Produce evaluative public reports which are of a consistently high quality and work effectively with key stakeholders to support improvement and innovation and share good practice.
• Analysing data derived from key indicators including intelligence from regulation and inspection and other information to identify development and improvement priorities for CIW’s programme of Local Authority inspection, scrutiny and review activity.
• To lead on the provision of advice, support, information and reports to the Head of Local Authority Inspection as required. Prepare briefings for Ministers and the Senior Management Team in relation to specific issues as required.
• Work closely with Senior Managers in regulatory teams to share intelligence.
• Lead on national thematic reviews, this may involve working in collaboration with other inspectorates and or stakeholders to deliver on a national piece of work. This will include developing, analysing and producing national reports, analysis of information and ability to interpret data into meaningful judgements.
• Lead, oversee and consider representations in relation to regulatory activity in accordance with the agreed rota.
• Contribute to and ensure effective teamwork, collaboration and communication.

What the organisation will expect:

• You will have the ability to work under pressure, be flexible, proactive and self-motivated. You will have the ambition to lead and motivate a team to successfully deliver within a challenging, pressured and fast-paced environment.
• You will be able to take an innovative approach, looking for opportunities to do things differently and responsive enough to adapt and develop new options as things change. You will be adaptable, flexible, open to, and accepting of change affecting you and your area of work and deal with that change efficiently and professionally.
• As an effective Civil Servant, you will have an understanding of the political landscape and the role that Ministers play in setting the agenda for your business area; an understanding of how to get things done with regard to governance and financial management processes; an ability to manage risk, making informed decisions with little or no guidance; and be able to clearly communicate at all levels, including with senior stakeholders and Ministers.

What your team will expect:

• You will value diversity and inclusion, creating an environment where individuals feel safe to challenge, share ideas and express concerns
• You will be a role model, who is able to motivate and inspire others, establish a vision and bring others on board, providing clear direction and priorities for the team, ensuring that every member understands their contribution to achieving objectives, and feel capable of fulfilling their role.
• You will support the development of others, demonstrating an understanding of the importance of learning, planning for and providing opportunities and encouragement for individuals to develop, as well as investing time for your own development

What key stakeholders will expect:

• You will be able to use sound judgement, evidence and knowledge to provide credible advice and guidance to both internal and external stakeholders. 
• You will understand the importance of building and maintaining constructive relationships, both within and outside Welsh Government. You will have strong influencing skills and the ability to build collaborative relationships that both challenge with support, and build trust and mutual respect across organisational boundaries
• You will be able to use creative thoughts to develop recommendations, and take advantage of opportunities to work collaboratively across boundaries
• A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.
• A presentation ‘Leadership’ will be required at ‘interview stage’. More information will be provided in the invitations to that stage. Presentation to be delivered in the medium of Welsh.
• A recognised social care/education qualification alongside relevant experience is preferred however, applications will be accepted from candidates who are qualified to degree level or higher (in any subject) with substantial experience in safeguarding and/or improving outcomes for people in a health or social care context.

• Welsh Language Skills

  As Welsh language skills are essential for this role, candidates are required to present evidence for two questions one from the behaviour criteria and one from experience criteria in the alternate language. For example, if the application is being submitted in English, at least one behaviour and one evidence example should be written in Welsh. If the application is being submitted in Welsh, at least one behaviour and one evidence example should be written in English.

  Where evidence is only presented through the medium of one language and not both languages, the application will be sifted out of the process.

Examples of acceptable social care/education qualifications are (but not limited too):

• a Diploma in Social Work (or Social Care Wales equivalent),
• a nursing or allied health care qualification,
• a teaching or education 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.
• Pan Wales but will be based in one of CIW main offices which are Merthyr, Carmarthen or Llandudno Junction. Colleagues are expected to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required. The agreed office location will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to your designated place of work or contractual terms and conditions. The successful candidate will be expected to pay for their commute to their normal place of work. Travel to other locations that are not your chosen normal place of work will be paid for by CIW.
• As a secondee remains on their terms and conditions, they will transfer on their current salary and are not eligible for WG salaries or benefits. It is only in exceptional cases, e.g. where a secondment opportunity would equate to a temporary promotion in terms of pay, that there may be flexibility. In this situation Welsh Government may be prepared for the Secondee to be paid at the minimum of the Pay Band for the Grade being appointed to, however, the Secondee’s employer would need to approve and no further pay increases would be agreed for the duration of the secondment unless in line with the secondees employers contractual pay benefits and agreed by WG.
• This post involves undertaking scrutiny, review and inspection activity across Wales, and will therefore require travel with some periods of staying away from home and, at times, unsocial hours.
• If after interview stage, there are two successful candidates with the same score but there are not enough posts available, the panel will first revert to the overall score for their application.
• If this still results in the same total score, the panel will review the score for Experience 1, then Experience 2, Behaviour 1 (Leadership).