Job Description
The Child and Family Agency has established a vision to provide high-quality services for vulnerable children and families.
As an Inspection Officer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of these children by conducting inspections and providing support to service providers.
You will be responsible for co-ordinating and quality assuring the statutory inspections of non-statutory children's residential care services in your operational area.
In addition, you will manage and quality assure the monitoring of statutory and non-statutory children's foster care services in your operational area.
You will also provide effective leadership and professional supervision to a team of monitoring and inspection officers in accordance with the service leadership strategy.
Furthermore, you will oversee and quality assure inspection and monitoring practices, including the preparation of reports for publication where relevant.
Under the direction of the National Manager, you will monitor performance and attainment of key performance indicators in your operational area against benchmarks set by the Children's Services Regulation Senior Management Team.
Additionally, you will prepare and collate data analysis and other reports as required.
As part of the National Senior Management Team for alternative care regulation, you will liaise with stakeholders and contribute to the development of policies and procedures.
Other responsibilities include convening regional interagency meetings to identify impediments at local and regional levels to the effective and efficient progress of inspection and regulation service.
Ensure and maintain all data collection as a basis for driving high-quality statistics and databases.
Monitor and evaluate service provision.
Be responsible for the overall management and performance of work activity within the designated alternative care service area in keeping with good professional practice and subject to agreed policy directives and priorities.
Provide professional leadership in the delivery of a high-quality service.
Ensure the implementation of current and evolving legislation, policies, and procedures, guidelines, protocols, and standardised operating procedures.
Ensure anti-discriminatory practice and cultural competence, at individual and service levels.
Ensure the provision of appropriate professional development of inspection officers.
Contribute to and promote an implement the CSR culture statement and maintain a positive working relationship at all times.
Education & Training: Maintain standards of practice and levels of professional knowledge by participating in continuous professional development initiatives and attendance at courses as appropriate.
Engage in career and professional development planning.
Oversee the provision of a framework for the promotion of staff development and training by making recommendations with regard to the ongoing education, mentoring, training, and in-service needs of the inspection and monitoring team.
Health & Safety: Contribute to the development and implementation of policies, procedures, guidelines, and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations, and standards.
Report and advise on staffing needs.
Participate in the Alternative Care Regulation senior management team.
Supervise and support administrative support officers as applicable.
Ensure the inspection and monitoring service complies with relevant HR and CSR policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Contribute to the development of policies, procedures, and guidelines in relation to the inspection and monitoring service, engaging staff as appropriate.
Participate in and contribute to service planning and service improvement initiatives.
Provide service delivery reports updates as required.
Ensure compliance standards of documentation collation and management, including service user files in accordance with local guidelines and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
Oversee service user and data confidentiality.
Collaborate with the National Manager Alternative Care Inspection & Monitoring Service in developing the quality assurance role of through planning, audit, production of standards, continuing education, quality improvement initiatives, and research.
Any other duties that may be assigned to him/her by National Manager Alternative Care Inspection & Monitoring Service or designated Manager.
Health & Safety: Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines, and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations, and standards.
Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
Support, promote, and actively participate in sustainable energy, water, and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon, and efficient health service.