Executive Reviewer - Local Authority Assessments

Location: National Contracted hours: As and when required (ad hoc) Closing Date: Sunday 20th September at 11.59pm Are you committed to helping us assess how Local Authorities deliver their duties under the Care Act 2014? When thinking about what drives you every day in your job, what keeps you motivated and passionate about your work what comes to mind? For 3000+ people at the CQC we end each day knowing that we have made a difference to the lives of those most in need in our communities. We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve. We are looking for people who are caring, demonstrate integrity and work well as part of a team to join with us and share in this sense of achievement. If you would like to help us make a positive impact to health and social care within England, then read on. With the introduction of the Health and Care Act of 2022, CQC has new powers regarding assessment of how Local Authorities (LAs) deliver their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will work closely with colleagues in the LA assessment team and will support on-site and offsite assessment activity. This will help ensure our judgements are informed by up-to-date professional knowledge and experience. Why this could be a great role for you… This role is critical to supporting the Local Authority Assessment Team in incorporating contemporary operational and strategic leadership knowledge, by offering an expert peer perspective to inform the findings and judgements reached. Executive Reviewers will be substantively or recently employed in a very senior leadership position within a Local Authority (LA), Local Government Association (LGA) or Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) with a personal reputation of providing effective strategic leadership over time in a range of differing circumstances. The role requires proactive participation throughout the assessment process and a commitment to supporting fair, evidence-based judgements. As an Executive Reviewer, you will get involved with; - Proactively participating with CQC representatives on assessment activity. - Providing relevant advice and input to your specialist area to support and formulate appropriate judgements. - Identifying and reviewing key documents in support of your analysis of the local authorities. - Assessing individual capabilities by informing the areas for exploration in interviews which you will lead. - Participate in the quality assurance processes and give written feedback. To help you better understand the role, assessment process, expectations and time commitment, please review our Executive Reviewer and Specialist Advisor Guidance for Local Authority Assessments before applying. This role is ad-hoc and can be undertaken alongside your current role, Executive Reviewers are released by their substantive organisation to support on-site and off-site elements of the LA Assessment. Where an employer releases an individual for assessments, there is no reimbursement from the CQC, but individuals will be eligible for paid expenses. Substantive employers can reclaim costs up to our daily rate of £300 for time involved in the work. Many employers encourage this as it is a valuable tool for service improvement and supporting personal professional development, however we would encourage candidates to discuss and agree this with their employer, prior to submitting an application. Where an Executive Reviewer is doing this work in their own time, they claim both expenses and our daily rate. What you will bring... You will have up-to-date and credible professional knowledge of the Care Act and experience as a very senior leader in Adult Social Care which will help you evaluate and analyse evidence and information. You should be a skilled communicator, with the ability to engage with staff, users of services and stakeholders at every level. You should be able to demonstrate the ability to interpret complex information and be comfortable working transparently as part of a team. Role expectations… - Proactively participate with CQC representatives on assessment and investigation activity to identified Local Authorities and provide relevant advice and input to your specialist area to support appropriate judgements to be made. - Undertake any identified Local Authority Assessment specific preparation e.g. to identify and review key documents which will support your analysis of the local authority and contribution to briefing call. - Review the drafted interview schedule to optimise appropriate utilisation the expertise of the ER. - Assess leadership capability within the local authority by informing the areas for exploration in interviews. - Assess leadership capability within the local authority by leading interviews. - Assess the local authority against the 9 quality standards, particularly those relating to leadership and governance. - Assess organisational process and response for mitigating corporate risk and providing assurance of delivery standards. - Contribute their views and observations based on experience and good practice, to corroboration discussions and in writing during or shortly after the assessment. - Provide challenge to any perceived bias within the assessment team, to ensure fair identification and triangulation of information. - Provide a written record of your findings at the end of the site visit. - Endorse the key messages that require feedback to the Local Authority. - Participate in the quality assurance processes and give written feedback. - Maintain the confidentiality of information that is accessed in the course of work undertaken for CQC. - Ensure all work carried out is within the scope of that required and relevant CQC policies/guidance are adhered to. - Participate in a 1-2 hr remote induction, hosted virtually. Expected time commitment for formal assessments... - Must be able to commit to at least 2 full assessments within a 12-month period. - Preparation and briefing calls – 3-4 hours. - Where possible attend the pre site visit LA senior leadership meeting with CQC. - Fieldwork activity – on site for a minimum of 2 days per assessment. - Advice to team regarding documentation and interviews – 6 hours in total, but on an as and when needed basis. - Input into quality assurance – 6-8 hours, split into sessions. - Approximate 5 days total commitment, per assessment. - Must attend a local authority assessment induction. Please note this position will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. For an informal discussion or further information on the role, please contact Jeanette Blackburn, Deputy Director for Local Authority Assessments, [email protected] For further information on the role requirements, please review the job description here: Executive Reviewer Job Spec Equity for all We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they’re a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need. We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we’ll work with you to remove any barriers . Visit our accessibility page for more on this. If you’d like to chat, please contact [email protected] . Please note, if you have previously informed us of adjustments you need for interview or within your role these are not carried over and must be discussed for each individual application you make. We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority . Diverse teams make our work better, help us deliver our mission and make our culture stronger. See our ED&I page for more about this. We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks. This includes people of any: Age Sex Gender identity or expression Sexual orientation Religion or belief Ethnicity Disability Values and vision We are guided by our core values, which shape our work and our culture. Excellence – being a high-performing organisation. Caring – treating everyone with dignity and respect. Integrity – doing the right thing. Teamwork – learning from each other to be the best we can. We are a disability confident employer and a carer confident employer. A Note on AI AI tools can be great for research and refining ideas, but we want to learn about you. If you use AI or Chatbots to help you with your application, keep these points in mind: AI can support research, structuring and refining your writing, but your application must reflect your real skills and experience . Spell-checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively. Do not copy and paste AI generated answers. These will not help you stand out; remember we want to hear about your skills and experience. Providing false and insincere examples goes against our core values of honesty and integrity and may lead to your application being withdrawn or termination of your employment.