Children and Young People (CYP) Inspector

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 welcome applications from candidates across mainland Scotland and in particular in Central East.

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.

You can find out more in the video below:

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 & benefits

• Salary: £40,239 - £47,505 plus excellent benefits.
• Network of offices across Scotland, and opportunities to work from home through our hybrid working pilot.
• 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.

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 about how we recruit inspectors. You can also contact the HR team at recruitment@careinspectorate.gov.scot for further information.

You'll also find more information in the job advert and the job profile & person specification

If you’re ready to apply now, please click below to access the application form.

Apply now

Your application should be submitted no later than Monday 5 September 2022 at 08:00.

At the end of the application form, please ensure you complete our equalities monitoring form to assist in the effectiveness of our recruitment practice and ensure reasonable adjustments are made where required. On completion, please send it to recruitment@careinspectorate.gov.scot

This form together with your online application form comprise the application method for this role.

If you are currently employed by the Care Inspectorate and wish to transfer, please complete the employee transfer form, and review the guidance where necessary, by following the links.

We anticipate holding stage 1 of our assessment process in week commencing Monday 3 October 2022 and stage 2 no earlier than Wednesday 19 October over a 2 week period.

We accept applications for inspectors throughout the year and recruit three times a year. 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.