Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team
Job Title: Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team
Salary: £30,495 - £31,740
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Temporary to 17 March 2026
About us
We are the independent scrutiny and improvement support body for social care and social work services in Scotland. We provide assurance 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 for world-class social care and social work in Scotland, where everyone in every community experience high-quality care, support, and learning, tailored to their rights, needs, and wishes.
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, which enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards the expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
About the role
To backfill a secondment, we are looking for an Improvement Support Officer to join the Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST).
The QIST team provides specialist quality improvement knowledge and skills to the social care workforce, provider groups and Care Inspectorate colleagues. We support, educate, and enable others to improve how they help people who experience care in Scotland. Working collaboratively is key to how we work, whether that work is universal, targeted or specialist.
Our wide-ranging experience of quality improvement helps us to have meaningful conversations with all partners. Using the Model for Improvement, including PDSA cycles, we enable services to develop, implement and reflect on their change projects.
We work collaboratively with our Scrutiny and Assurance colleagues to ensure that improvements are made alongside existing inspection frameworks and services’ own self-evaluation processes.
This role requires a high level of engagement with the Health and Social Care Improvement team and other associated improvement projects, our inspectors, service providers, external partners as well as stakeholders from across the organisation.
The purpose of the role is to provide effective high-quality projects and business support to the QIST team. The role supports the implementation of improvement approaches to support the Care Inspectorate’s improvement strategy, which is aligned to the Corporate Plan. Also, to support the delivery and implementation of QIST improvement work, ensuring the needs of all customers are met in a consistent, efficient, and effective manner.
About you
The successful candidate will be educated to SCQF level 5 (for example, credit standard grade, national 5, skills for work national 5, national certificate, national progression award, modern apprenticeship or SVQ) or have relevant skills and experience in administration or business support. The ideal candidate will have a suitable qualification in administration and business studies at SCQF level 6 or greater.
You’ll be an excellent communicator, highly organised and able to plan and manage your time and work streams efficiently and effectively. In addition, you’ll understand that priorities and deadlines can change quickly, and you’ll respond flexibly and effectively. You’ll be confident in using your own initiative and keen to support the QIST team to continually improve. Your attention to detail is meticulous and you’ll have a clear commitment to maintaining high standards.
The preferred candidate will be a great team worker and nurture good working relationships. Excellent word processing and IT skills with experience of Microsoft applications are needed as well as diary management and minute taking.
This post will give the opportunity for the post holder to learn more about quality improvement methodology and support the wider quality improvement activities of the team, such as improvement workshops, webinars, and projects. There will also be the opportunity to undertake a quality improvement qualification appropriate to the role.
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: Louise Kelly Senior Improvement Adviser on 078 258 42156 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you believe that your skills, experience and motivation make you a suitable candidate for this post, please complete an application form and return it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08.00 on Monday 24 June 2024. Potential candidates must also fill in this equal opportunities monitoring survey.
The selection for this post will include an interview and a skills exercise. It will be held online using Teams on Thursday 11 July 2024.
Archived updates (2022)
Changes to Covid-19 guidance for adult and older people care homes (Added 31 March)
The Scottish Government has written to services with updates to guidance for Adult and Older People care homes following a review of remaining pandemic recommendations.
All guidance will continue to be kept under review. It is anticipated that the remaining protective measures such as self-isolation periods for residents (cases and contacts), and restrictions on care home visits by community groups will be reviewed again in April.
You can read the letter here.
We are aware that the information we released in a provider update yesterday (31 March) regarding asymptomatic testing for social care staff has caused some confusion.
We stated that all changes were to take place from Monday 18 April. The below text is a clarification to explain which changes should be undertaken as soon as it is possible and which changes will take place from 18 April.
Letter to all registered childcare providers and childminders (Added 29 March)
The Scottish Government has issued a letter to all registered childcare providers and childminders with information on:
- How to watch last Thursday’s event on the updated guidance and testing programme;
- How practitioners can provide input to a forthcoming event on vaccination;
- A point of clarification on the use of refillable cleaning products.
Updated Guidance for childcare settings regarding Covid-19 (Added 17 March)
The Scottish Government has issued a letter to all all registered childcare providers and childminders with an update on a unified approach across chldcare settings regarding routine protective measures and testing.
Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund (Added 11 February)
On 10 February 2022 the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy announced a further round of financial support for sectors of the economy impacted by the Omicron variant. This package of support includes a new £6.5 million Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund to provide one-off grants to the childcare sector this financial year.
The Scottish Government has issued a letter with more information.
Letter to all registered childcare providers and childminders (Added 4 February)
The Scottish Government has issued a letter to all all registered childcare providers and childminders with an update on the following:
- ELC Covid safety guidance suite
- Testing and Vaccination Communications Toolkit
- LFD Kits: Orders and Deliveries
- Fact-sheet on the self-isolation policy for contacts of positive Covid cases aged under 5 (Annex A)
- Publication of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill.
Changes to self-isolation and visiting for adult care homes (Added 20 January)
The Scottish Government has reviewed policy with Public Health Scotland and ARHAI Scotland and made updates outlined in a letter to the sector.
In summary, the updates are:
- Self-isolation periods for residents who are contacts of Covid-19 positive case or are themselves Covid-19 positive has now changed from 14 days to 10 days.
- Precautionary 14 days self-isolation of residents following discharge from hospital to a care homes has now been removed for residents on the non-respiratory pathway and has reduced from 14 to 10 days for residents on the respiratory pathway (the respiratory pathway is determined by the Respiratory Screening Tool as per the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual: Winter (21/22), Respiratory Infections in Health and Care Settings Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Addendum. To summarise, if you are on the respiratory pathway this means those that have answered ‘yes’ to the screening tool, that is they are Covid-19 positive or a close contact of someone who is Covid-19 positive within 10 days).
- Removal of guidance on limiting the number of households that can visit a care home resident at any one time to two. This follows the First Minister’s announcement on changes to guidance for the general public.
- Named visitors should be supported during outbreaks unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- Named visitors who visit a resident who is Covid-19 positive can visit the resident again during their isolation period.
Further details on these changes including any conditions that may be attached to them are detailed in the letter. The Scottish Government webpages will be updated by the end of the week to fully reflect these changes and Public Health Scotland will update its guidance to incorporate these changes.
Updated guidance on self-isolation exemption (Added 18 January 2022)
The Scottish Government has updated the self-isolation exemption guidance for health and social care staff. The updated guidance will be shown on this webpage in due course: Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates
The guidance means that staff who are identified as contacts and are fully vaccinated no longer need to undertake a PCR test before returning to work. They should take an LFD test instead. If the LFD test is negative and they don’t have a fever or other symptoms, they can continue to work following a risk assessment by their line manager. They should also continue to take an LFD test every day for a 10-day period.
The guidance clarifies that staff who test positive should pause their workplace LFD testing for 28 days (from day 1 of symptom onset or asymptomatic test date). If they are also required to PCR test weekly, they should also pause this for a period of 90 days. Please note that the guidance highlights that the likelihood of a positive LFD test in the absence of a high temperature after 10 days is low, so further testing is not advised unless they have renewed symptoms.
The Scottish Government will produce a flowchart and FAQ document in the coming days to support the guidance.
Adult to child ratios and new notification during Omicron (Added 11 January 2022)
Like all services, early learning and childcare settings are operating under unprecedented circumstances due to the pandemic. The Omicron variant will be extremely challenging, particularly in terms of staffing.
To support continued delivery of safe, high-quality childcare for children and families as we move through this stage of the pandemic, we have temporarily adjusted our policy position on adult to child ratios and introduced a new notification.
High-quality experiences for children should be paramount. Adjusting adult to child ratios must only be used when all other options for additional staffing have been exhausted and a risk assessment has been undertaken. Our guidance gives information on the approach to risk assessment and the required notification.
Updated policy on self-isolation for social care workers (Added 6 January 2022)
Scottish Government has issued an updated policy framework setting out self-isolation guidance for health and social care staff. This is as a result of changes to the Covid-19 self-isolation guidance for the general population, which applies from 6 January, following the First Minister’s announcement on 5 January.
The policy framework sets out the conditions that will enable health and social care staff who are Covid-19 index cases (confirmed as positive cases), or contacts of a positive Covid-19 case to exit isolation early, in line with updated guidance for the general population.
As health and social care workers provide care and support to people for whom a Covid-19 infection can present a higher level of risk, additional safeguards will continue for care staff. These include testing regimes, infection prevention and control measures and personal protective equipment. This updated framework replaces the previous version dated 24 December 2021.
We are recruiting a new chief executive
The Care Inspectorate is recruiting a new chief executive. You can find out more about the role below and make an application here.
The Care Inspectorate is the independent scrutiny, assurance and improvement support body for social care and social work in Scotland. We provide public confidence in the quality of care delivered to people by individual services and across local communities and collaborate and take action where experiences and outcomes are not meeting individual needs.
To achieve our vision of world-class social care and social work in Scotland, where everyone, in every community, experiences high-quality care, support and learning, tailored to their rights, needs and wishes, we require an exceptional Chief Executive to lead us through the next phase of our exciting change journey and to drive us forward.
Leading the Care Inspectorate and effectively navigating and responding to the ever-changing health and social care landscape to ensure a person centred, human-rights based and outcome-focussed social care provision across Scotland, the successful candidate will effectively promote the Care Inspectorate as a high-profile, risk-based, problem-solving organisation.
The Chief Executive must act as an outstanding ambassador for the Care Inspectorate, and in response to the intensified level of public and media scrutiny, ensure the organisation’s reputation is protected and enhanced, whilst also building and sustaining credibility with the public and service providers and working in strategic and operational partnership with other scrutiny bodies.
We are seeking a strategic thinker and an experienced values-based leader who has a strong understanding of both scrutiny and improvement. Able to work effectively in a highly politicised environment, our new Chief Executive will also be able to demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, creating alliances and establishing professional credibility.
Passionate about the quality of social care and social work services in Scotland, the successful candidate should also bring direct experience of effectively managing resources and budgets, delivering long term financial sustainability and value for money and a strong commitment to best practice coupled with a drive for continual improvement.
NB: The Care Inspectorate embraces agile working and whilst our headquarters are in Dundee, the successful candidate would not necessarily need to be based in Dundee full time.
For more information on this exciting opportunity please contact Douglas Adam at Livingston James, our retained recruitment partner.
The Care Inspectorate is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity.
Chief Inspector Support Assistant
Job title: Chief Inspector Support Assistant
Salary: £27,696 – £30,357
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office) – with expectation of travel to Dundee Head Office for team working requirements
Contract: Temporary until 31 March 2026
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.
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. 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.
About the role
We are recruiting for one Chief Inspector Support Assistant on a temporary contract to cover maternity leave up until 31 March 2026. This postholder will provide a PA role in supporting the Chief Inspector for Strategic Scrutiny and their Service Managers. Their work focuses on the scrutiny, assurance and improvement of services provided by local authority social work services and partnerships.
Their teams look at services for children and families, adults and older people and people involved with the justice system. They explore how adults’ and children’s rights are promoted and upheld, the extent to which they are enabled to exercise choice and control in how their support is provided, and the outcomes they experience.
Reporting to the Executive Support Officer, you will be part of a small team of Chief Inspector Support Assistants and part of the wider Executive and Committee Support team.
Duties will be varied and include prioritising correspondence, dealing with internal and external enquiries, composing responses to routine correspondence, managing diaries, making appointments, and arranging travel, accommodation, meetings, conference rooms, and hospitality for visitors as necessary.
Having excellent planning and organisational skills, you will be expected to co-ordinate the administrative process for Scottish Government briefings and adhering to strict deadline requirements.
The role will also include the preparation and circulation of agendas and paperwork for meetings, attendance at internal and external meetings, taking notes and action records, monitoring the shared mailbox and dealing with any tasks required, formatting documents for high level management meetings, maintaining staff list spreadsheets and assisting in the design and preparation of PowerPoint presentations as and when required.
About you
You will have experience of providing business 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, including a good working knowledge of Excel. You will also have experience of diary management and taking detailed notes or minutes.
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 recruitment team at 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 the online application form by no later than by 08:00 on Monday 19 May 2025.
It is anticipated that interviews will take place on from 29 May 2025 at our Dundee office.
Improvement Adviser (digital social care)
Job title: Improvement Adviser (digital social care)
Salary: £49,227 - £54,441
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Temporary until 31 August 2025 (possible extension pending funding)
About the role
The Improvement Adviser (digital social care) is an exciting new role, aimed at strengthening the use of technology to improve outcomes for people. Working alongside the senior improvement adviser (Digital social care), the post sits within the Care Inspectorate’s Quality Improvement Support team (QIST). The role is funded until the end of August 25 with the possibility of an extension. The role can also be taken as a secondment from your substantive post.
About you
You will be educated to SCQF Level 9, and ideally have the NES Scottish Improvement Leader (ScIL) programme (or working towards or willing to work towards) or an equivalent improvement science qualification. You will have excellent communication skills, adept at developing relationships with a wide range of people both internal and external to the Care Inspectorate. You will be passionate about improving outcomes for people, and able to demonstrate your experience of leading quality improvement projects and evaluating their impact. You will have a strong interest in digital technology, understanding its role in supporting people’s rights in a social care context.
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.
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 work with the expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person (in an office or other work locations such as at an inspection), for 40% of their working week.
Our Headquarters are located in Dundee and due to the nature of delivery, it may be required to travel to Dundee or other Care Inspectorate offices.
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 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 the application form and submit it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 9 September 2024.
To assist us to monitor the effectiveness of our equality and diversity practices, we would encourage you to complete our equal opportunities monitoring form as part of our application process.
The interviews will preferably take place in person on the 26 September in our Stirling office.
Chief Inspector (Adult Services)
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £82,920 – 40 hours per week
Location: Flexible – Any Care Inspectorate office across Scotland
About us
As a national regulator and scrutiny body, we inspect care across communities, report on the quality of care people experience, and ensure it is as good as it can be. We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
About the role
We are currently looking to recruit a Chief Inspector to lead on the planning, development, and delivery of strategic inspection activity in respect of adult services including joint inspections of health and social care integration, adult support and protection and justice services.
The successful candidate will ensure excellence in scrutiny, assurance and improvement work in collaboration with scrutiny partners, providers, Community planning partners and integrated joint boards.
You will support the Executive Director of Scrutiny and Assurance to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation, and where appropriate provide strategic contribution and leadership to inform national policy and strategy.
You will work with senior managers and colleagues to support significant cultural change, consolidate excellence in the Care Inspectorate’s activities and continue to invest in our competent, confident workforce in a way that puts collaboration at the core of our work.
Adept at challenging traditional thinking in a positive and constructive way, you will be an articulate and positive communicator, both verbally and in written form, with the ability to engage, influence and lead the development of a wide range of key stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally.
You will also be politically astute and demonstrate a broad knowledge of trends and relevant issues within social work and social care services.
The Care Inspectorate has its headquarters in Dundee, but with offices throughout Scotland, your work base is negotiable.
The Application process
To apply you must be:
- Educated to degree level or equivalent.
- Hold an appropriate post-graduate professional qualification in social work or other relevant professional qualification
We are looking for someone who has:
- Extensive experience of leading and managing staff in the area of adults, justice and/or protection services.
- Extensive experience of developing and/or applying quality assurance/improvement frameworks to support self-evaluation and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrable experience of strategic planning and delivery of services and supporting and embedding sustainable business and transformational change.
- Extensive experience of collaborative and values-based leadership including working with partners at both a strategic and operational level.
You’ll find more information in the job description and person specification
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the:
For an informal chat about the role please contact the HR team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will arrange a suitably convenient time for you to discuss any questions you may have with the Executive Director of Scrutiny and Assurance.
If you believe that your expertise, skills and motivation make you suitable for this post, please complete an application form (and an Equalities Monitoring Form where you are an external applicant) and return by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, 14 February 2022 at 8.00am.
It is anticipated that the selection and interview date for this post will be held on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.
Finance Officer
Job title: Finance Officer
Salary: £31,938 - £35,328
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Permanent
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.
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. 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.
About the role
We are looking to recruit to the role of Finance Officer within our Accounting and Budgeting Team.
Working in a busy team you will:
- help prepare the annual Care Inspectorate budget
- perform monthly reconciliations for suspense, control accounts, bank accounts and monthly fees
- support budget holders with the management of their budgets
- help train and develop finance and non-finance staff
- help produce our statutory annual accounts
- prepare information for financial or statistical returns
About you
You will have a thorough knowledge of integrated financial accounting systems and an understanding of financial controls and financial environment. You will have good judgement and decision-making skills. In addition, you must have excellent IT skills, be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and be able to work effectively as part of a team.
You should hold a finance related qualification (eg HNC, AAT), although candidates with significant relevant experience may be considered.
The successful candidate will be expected to travel to HQ Dundee and on occasion to other offices in Scotland as required.
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 Dawn Johnston at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you believe that your skills, experience and motivation make you a suitable candidate for this post, please complete an online application form by 08:00 on Monday 11 November 2024.
It is anticipated that interviews will be held week commencing 2 December 2024.
Modern Apprentice – Business and Administration SVQ qualification
Salary: £23,511 – £24,213 plus excellent benefits
Contract: Temporary for one year.
Location: Dundee – with an opportunity to work from home, in the office or to use a hybrid approach.
Hours: 35 hours per week
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 keen to learn, we’d love to hear from you. We are looking for talented Care Experienced people to join us in making a difference.
About us
As a Corporate Parent organisation, we understand the importance of supporting Care Experienced individuals as they transition into the workforce. We believe in providing opportunities for those who have been in care to empower them to reach their full potential.
Our commitment to employing Care Experienced people stems from our belief in creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that values the unique perspectives and contributions of every individual.
About you
We’re looking to attract two modern apprentices aged 16 - up to the age of 29 for completion of the qualification, who would like to pursue a career in business administration. These opportunities are ringfenced for Care Experienced people as we understand the unique barriers you face.
We are different because of our great benefits, our investment in learning and development, and giving you the opportunity to help shape care in Scotland. We will provide a tailored programme for the year including help to find your next steps and support your job search. There will also be plenty of support – you’ll have a mentor, a buddy, a training provider, and team members who are all keen to help you achieve.
What you will be doing as modern apprentice
You will undertake a range of administrative duties to support team delivery. Building your skillset, improving your knowledge, and understanding of the work of the Human Resources (HR) and Organisation Workforce Development (OWD) teams or the Participation and Equalities team.
The skills you’ll need
Whilst it is important to have the basics, we will support you in developing your skillset throughout your journey with us. You must be a keen learner, have a positive attitude, be well presented, and have a good knowledge of computers, particularly Microsoft Office suite packages.
You will have on the job training and support and gain invaluable paid work experience whilst working towards a recognised qualification. The Scottish vocational qualification will be from the business and administration framework.
All new entrants will start on the first point of the grade for the role. We have a generous benefits package which is highlighted below. For more information on our benefits please see our Total rewards package that can be found on our website.
This job may require some travel and may involve some overnight stays and costs for this will be covered.
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.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, which 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.
What next?
You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.
To find information about our Care Experienced guarantee interview scheme, follow this link to our recruitment webpages .
For an informal chat, please contact the recruitment team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The recruitment team can also provide support to help you decide to apply, how to complete our application form and how to prepare for an interview for either post.
If you’re ready to apply now, please send your completed application form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 08.00 on Monday 12 August 2024.
The Care Inspectorate is committed to recruiting, keeping, and developing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that we serve. It is vital that we check 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 aid us to monitor the effectiveness of our equality and diversity practices, we would encourage you to complete and send in the equalities monitoring form by email with your completed application form.
We expect to hold an in person selection process at our Dundee office no earlier than 26 August 2024. The selection process will include a group exercise followed by a short informal interview. There will also be information on how to gain the relevant SVQ qualification and the support that can be provided.
Subcategories
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
The early learning and childcare expansion…
Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow
Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits
Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period
Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)
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.
About us
As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.
About you
Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.
You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.
About the role
Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.
Why join us?
We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.
We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.
We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.
New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.
ELC expansion
The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.
Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.
Principles and aims
The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.
The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.
Use and provision
A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.
Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.
Criteria to apply
- We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
- You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
- You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.
Before you apply
- Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
- For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
- For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To apply
- If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
- Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
- We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.