Personal Assistant

Role: Personal Assistant

Location: Flexible – Any Care Inspectorate office

Salary: £27,696 - £30,357

Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract: Temporary (to 31 March 2025)


About us

The Care Inspectorate is 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.

The Care Inspectorate offers a range of great benefits in addition to hybrid working and you can find out about them here on our website.

About the role

The Strategy and Improvement Directorate is focused on helping to improve outcomes for people who use care services in Scotland. We are looking to recruit a Personal Assistant, reporting to the Executive Support Officer, to provide high quality, confidential PA support to the Executive Director. The Executive Director leads teams in delivering complex projects. This role will form a key part of the Executive Director’s leadership team and will provide ad-hoc administrative support to that team.

This role will include checking and prioritising the Executive Director’s email correspondence and meeting invitations; developing and administering a system for dealing with enquiries and composing responses to routine correspondence and co-ordination of the Executive Director’s diary by arranging meetings, events, booking venues, and organising hospitality for visitors as necessary. The role will also cover the preparation of agendas and paperwork for meetings, minute-taking and monitoring of action records.

About you

You will have experience of providing PA support to senior management in a fast-paced change environment. You are highly organised and able to plan and manage your time and workstreams efficiently and effectively. You understand that priorities and deadlines can change quickly and you respond flexibly and effectively. You will have a proactive approach and be confident in using your own initiative. Your attention to detail is meticulous and you have a clear commitment to maintaining high standards. You are a great team worker and able to build and maintain good working relationships. You will have excellent word processing and IT skills with experience of Microsoft applications. You will also have experience of diary management and minute taking.

Next steps

You’ll 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 Claire Brown (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.

If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please complete our online application form by 08:00 on Monday 10 June 2024.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held at our Stirling office on 27 June 2024.


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Safe Staffing Adviser

Role: Safe Staffing Adviser – Safe Staffing Programme

Location: Any Care Inspectorate office (hybrid working is currently trialled)                       

Salary: £45,102 - £49,881 plus excellent benefits 

Hours: 140 hours over 4 weeks 

Contract: Temporary / Secondment until 31 March 2024


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

The Health & Care (Staffing) (Scotland) 2019 legislation will impact on social care services that support children and adults when it is enacted in April 2024.

We are commissioned by Scottish Government to promote safe, high-quality services and appropriate staffing across all social care settings. We are looking to recruit Safe Staffing Advisers to join our Safe Staffing Programme.

The programme team works with key partners to provide support to care services, and the Care Inspectorate, in preparation for changes to the statutory basis for the provision of appropriate staffing in all care settings.

We are looking for experienced, enthusiastic and highly motivated social care professionals to support this national programme. If you are passionate about supporting quality improvement for people experiencing or working in care services, we want to hear from you.

About you

You will bring an improvement perspective, be confident and have the ability to build relationships and influence others.

Educated to degree level, you will have experience of working within children or adult care services. The diversity of our work requires an adaptable approach that can be applied to any setting including early learning and childcare, children and young people and adult services.  

You will also have experience in successfully using improvement tools and methods and have excellent communication skills.

You will be experienced in developing, supporting and delivering learning to a variety of groups and individuals is preferable.

You understand the importance of involving people experiencing care in quality improvement initiatives.

To apply

You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.

If you would like any further information, or an informal chat, please contact Stephanie Thom, Programme Team Lead via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please download and complete an application form and an equalities monitoring form 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 5 June 2023.

 It is anticipated that interviews will take place on Wednesday 21 June 2023.


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Inspector (complaints)

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. We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference.  

About you

You’ll have considerable experience in health or social work/care as well as significant knowledge of current policy drivers and challenges within the sector. You will have a successful track record in working with people, assessing standards of care, managing conflict and promoting the rights of people who use care services.

We are particularly looking for candidates with rounded experience in the field of children and young people and early learning and children’s care.

We are a national team so would welcome applications from candidates across mainland Scotland. As an inspector you must be able to travel with occasional overnight stays as required.

About us

We are different because of our great benefits, our investment in learning and development, and above all, giving you the opportunity to help shape care in Scotland. 

What you will be doing as an inspector 

Making a difference through working in the complaints teams to ensure people receive good care and resolving complaints across adult services. You’ll work with people experiencing care, care service providers, managers and staff and be confident in supporting and advising on improvement.

The skills you need 

If you think this job is where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, there are a few things you need. Whilst it’s important to have the basics, we will support you in developing your skillset throughout your journey with us.

You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it across children and adult services with a focus on complaints. You’ll be resilient and adaptable, able to work on your own initiative or as part of a team, manage competing priorities, build effective networks with partners, and have strong communication skills. Equally, you’ll be good at analysing information and evidence, and you’ll have excellent writing skills to produce reports that are clear, concise, and focused on outcomes.

We need you to have a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9) and be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or General Teaching Council (GTC).

Please see further information at the bottom of this advert on recent updates to the registration process for the SSSC.

All new entrants will start on the grade minimum for the role however we have a generous benefits package which is highlighted below. 

Salary and benefits 

  • Salary: £46,569 - £54,975 plus excellent benefits.
  • Network of offices across Scotland.
  • Flexible Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period.
  • Up to 37 days annual leave (after 5 years’ service) + 6 fixed public holidays.
  • Contract: Permanent, two-year secondment or locum (where candidates have previously worked for us as inspectors).

We desire 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. Our hybrid working policy gives you the flexibility to mix working from home with attendance at your base office and other work locations, spending no more than 60% of your working time working from home, measured over a 4-week period. 

In addition to our excellent benefits package, we also pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness. We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer, and equality, diversity and inclusion are important to us.  

This is an exciting time to join the Care Inspectorate, with an opportunity to be at the heart of change as we consider the impact of the independent care review. We’ve recently changed our recruitment process and how we assess new people.  We’re looking to attract inspectors from a broader range of professional backgrounds and now is the perfect time to come and join us. 

What next?

Click here to find out more on our careers site. You can also contact the recruitment team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information. 

If you’re ready to apply now, please click here to access our gateway questions and application form. Your application should be received no later than Monday 3 March 2025 at 08:00.

The Care Inspectorate is committed to recruiting, retaining and developing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that we serve. It is vital that we monitor and analyse diversity information so that we can identify how we can improve the way we meet the needs of our applicants and staff. To assist us to monitor the effectiveness of our equality and diversity practices, we would encourage you to complete the equalities monitoring form at the end of the application form.

We anticipate holding Stage 1 of our assessment process between Friday 14 - Monday 17 March, and Stage 2 no earlier than Monday 7 April 2025 over a 2 week period at one of our main offices.

If you successfully complete our selection process, we’ll either confirm you’re the preferred candidate for a suitable vacancy (based on your specialism and location) or you’ll be invited to join our talent pool for future vacancies that would be suitable for you.

Registration information and process

As an Inspector you will support the Assurance and Improvement Directorate to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

The successful applicant must be registered with a professional body (this can be NMC, GTCS, NMC, HCPC, SSSC), within three months of appointment.

For SSSC registration, there is a specific registration category for Care Inspectorate Authorised Officers (AO). Regulated Care Inspectors who register with SSSC will do so as a Primary Authorised Officer under both types of work (Social Care and Children & Young People). Primary Authorised Officers will require to complete a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement Practice within 5 years of initial registration.

Employees will be expected to maintain registration with the same professional body throughout their employment in the Care Inspectorate. This includes employees working in authorised officer roles who are recruited to the Care Inspectorate based on their registration with the NMC, GTCS, HCPC or other recognised professional body. It is a contractual requirement to maintain registration with the same professional body and employees should not transfer their registration to the SSSC from another recognised professional body, including the NMC, GTCS or HCPC.

Job profile

Person specification


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Inspector (children and young people)

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 the field, we’d love to hear from you. We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - who understand how to put the needs and rights of children and young people in Scotland at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too.  

About you

You’ll have recent experience of supporting the delivery of high-quality care for children and young people (CYP) and will have significant knowledge of current developments and challenges within the sector. Joining us will allow you to play an important and exciting role in helping deliver on Scotland’s Promise to children and young people. You’ll have experience as a registered care service manager, deputy manager, social worker, senior social worker or social work manager. You’ll have experience of leadership in your role of supporting looked after children and young people, either in a formal management, senior practitioner position or as a specific project/strategy lead. You should have experience in assessment and critical analysis and be able to communicate well with a wide range of people, verbally and in writing. You will have a strong value base that is rooted in listening to children and young people.

We’re currently recruiting for vacancies in our CYP inspection teams. We would welcome applications from candidates across mainland Scotland. As an inspector you must be able to travel with occasional overnight stays as required.

We are different because of our great benefits, our investment in learning and development, and above all, giving you the opportunity to help shape care in Scotland. We want children and young people to feel loved and secure in whatever setting they are in and to have meaningful connections. We know that there is still much to do for children and young people in Scotland and we are committed to keep The Promise.

What you will be doing as an inspector

Making a difference through working with services delivering care for children and young people. You’ll work with children and young people experiencing services, service providers, managers and staff and be confident in supporting and advising on improving outcomes for children.

We are a proud Corporate Parent with an ambitious plan to take forward our work. We try hard to actively listen to the views of children and young people to support improvement. We have a group of young inspection volunteers, young people with lived experience of care, who support us with this and enhance and influence our work. Inspectors work alongside our young inspection volunteers in lots of ways. There are exciting and innovative plans to develop this partnership approach further.

Click here to watch a short video on what one of our inspectors has said about their role.

The skills you need

You’ll be resilient and adaptable, have the ability to work on your own initiative or as part of a team, manage competing priorities, build effective networks with partners and have strong verbal communication skills. You will be good at analysing information and evidence to reach balanced judgements and you’ll have excellent writing skills to produce reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes.

You will listen carefully to children, young people and their families to understand what is important to them, how they are experiencing care and support and the difference services are making to their lives. You’ll work with care service providers, managers and staff and be confident in supporting and advising on improvement. You’re likely to have experience of delivering improvement in a service, experience of partnership working, experience of applying good practice guidance and the ability to respond to and manage change. You will have a sound and insightful understanding of the messages from care experienced children and young people about what is important to them.

We need you to have a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9) and be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or General Teaching Council (GTC).

All new entrants will start on the grade minimum for the role however we have a generous benefits package which is highlighted below.

Salary and benefits

  • Salary: £46,569 - £54,975 plus excellent benefits.
  • Network of offices across Scotland.
  • Flexible Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period.
  • Up to 37 days annual leave (after 5 years’ service) + 6 fixed public holidays.
  • Contract: Permanent, two-year secondment or locum (where candidates have previously worked for us as inspectors).

We desire 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. Our hybrid working policy gives you the flexibility to mix working from home with attendance at your base office and other work locations, spending no more than 60% of your working time working from home, measured over a 4-week period. 

In addition to our excellent benefits package, we also pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness. We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer, and equality, diversity and inclusion are important to us.

This is an exciting time to join the Care Inspectorate, with an opportunity to be at the heart of change as we play our part in delivering on the Promise to Scotland’s children and young people. We’ve recently changed our recruitment process and how we assess new people and now is the perfect time to come and join us.

What next?

Click here to find out more on our careers site. You can also contact the recruitment team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information.

If you’re ready to apply now, please click on the gateway questions link to access the application form. Your application should be received no later than Monday 3 March 2025 at 08:00.

The Care Inspectorate is committed to recruiting, retaining and developing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that we serve. It is vital that we monitor and analyse diversity information so that we can identify how we can improve the way we meet the needs of our applicants and staff. To assist us to monitor the effectiveness of our equality and diversity practices, we would encourage you to complete the equalities monitoring form at the end of the application form.

Click here to apply now

We anticipate holding Stage 1 of our assessment process between Friday 14 - Monday 17 March, and Stage 2 no earlier than Monday 7 April 2025 over a 2 week period at one of our main offices.

If you successfully complete our selection process, we’ll either confirm you’re the preferred candidate for a suitable vacancy (based on your specialism and location) or you’ll be invited to join our talent pool for future vacancies that would be suitable for you.

Registration information and process

As an inspector you will support the Assurance and Improvement Directorate to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

The successful applicant must be registered with a professional body (this can be NMC, GTCS, NMC, HCPC, SSSC), within three months of appointment.

For SSSC registration, there is a specific registration category for Care Inspectorate Authorised Officers (AO). Regulated Care Inspectors who register with SSSC will do so as a Primary Authorised Officer under both types of work (Social Care and Children & Young People). Primary Authorised Officers will require to complete a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement Practice within 5 years of initial registration.

Employees will be expected to maintain registration with the same professional body throughout their employment in the Care Inspectorate. This includes employees working in authorised officer roles who are recruited to the Care Inspectorate based on their registration with the NMC, GTCS, HCPC or other recognised professional body. It is a contractual requirement to maintain registration with the same professional body and employees should not transfer their registration to the SSSC from another recognised professional body, including the NMC, GTCS or HCPC.

Job profile

Person specification


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Registrations

Time limited conditions expiration (Added 25 September 2020)

We are aware that many of you will have time limited conditions that were applied to your existing registration, to allow you to provide care services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of these time limited conditions will be due to expire soon. We would like to remind you that if you wish to extend or amend the previous agreement (as detailed in the time limited condition), you are required to submit a variation for assessment.

This can be done through eForms.

If you no longer require the time limited condition, and wish for this to be removed from your registration certificate, please submit a variation for its removal.

Deferment of continuation of Registration Fees (added 8 April 2020)

The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Government recognise the financial and other pressures that providers of care services are currently under.  To support service providers and assist with alleviating cash flow problems service providers are encountering at this difficult time the Care Inspectorate will delay the collection of continuation of registration fees due by care services until July 2020. We will review this position again in June 2020 before any fee collections are made.

This will mean care service providers need not pay any balance of the fees due for the 2019/20 financial year until July 2020.

Service providers normally due to receive fee invoices in April 2020 will not receive an invoice for the 2020/21 financial year until July 2020 (position subject to review in June 2020).

We are happy to make arrangements with service providers that would prefer not to defer the balance of 2019/20 fees.  We are issuing more detailed guidance directly to care service providers.   

Staffing in services during coronavirus outbreak (updated 20 March 2020)

Child to adult ratios feature in our registration and inspection of early learning and childcare (ELC). However, for other service types, including care homes, the Care Inspectorate stopped issuing staffing schedules at the point of registering a service in 2018. Instead, we expect the staffing numbers, and skills and experience of staff to reflect the needs of people who use services. 

At this extremely challenging time, we will support all services in their need to apply flexibility and judgement around staffing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people using the service. We recognise that services will need to be creative and make use of a wider range of resources. This could potentially include staff from other public services and volunteers. We recognise that this will mean services may not be able to undertake all normal recruitment checks as quickly and easily as they did before. 

However, during this period it is important that providers put in place structures to support and oversee staff in their role, including any volunteers and unregistered staff. The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is responsible for registering the social care workforce. People can work in registrable roles for a period of 12 months without being registered, which enables services to adopt a flexible approach.

This highlights the six-month period after starting work to obtain registration. This applies to:

  • new staff you might recruit
  • workers covering other roles due to staff shortages
  • students who seek work to help with shortages.

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