Chief Executive

Social Work England

Information Pack for Applicants

All applications must be received by 12pm on Thursday 18 January.

Table of Contents

Foreword...... 3

Introduction...... 5

Role Profile...... 7

Person Specification...... 9

Terms of Appointment...... 10

The Appointment Process

Foreword

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chief Executive of Social Work England.

We know that high quality social work can transform lives and that social workers play an absolutely critical role in our society, delivering a range of vital services to vulnerable children, families and adults. Government is establishing a new specialist regulator for social workers in England that has an absolute focus on protecting the health and wellbeing of those individuals who need social work support. The credibility of the regulator will depend on its ability to deliver its core regulatory functions effectively and efficiently, supporting and protecting the public from the outset.

The development of this unique and bespoke regulator brings with it an exciting opportunity to lead the design and shape of this new organisation. We are seeking to appoint an ambitious Chief Executive with the ability, vision and drive to shape, develop and implement a dynamic, responsive, efficient and outcomes focused social work regulator.

Working with Social Work England’s new Chair, the Chief Executive will be the driving force in the development of this new organisation, bringing leadership and direction to the social work and regulatory workforce. They will require substantial experience of senior leadership within a complex organisation, leading and managing corporate change alongside building credibility with a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels, including service users. Importantly, they will have regulatory experience together with an understanding of social work. Forging an effective working relationship with the Chair will be key. We do not expect Social Work England to begin regulating the profession before Spring 2019.

This will be a challenging and demanding, yet exceptionally rewarding, role. It will offer the successful candidate a unique and exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of the creation of a bespoke and specialist regulator. The Chief Executive’s input will make a real and tangible contribution to raising standards in social work, to protecting the public and in turn enhance the status and standing of the social work profession and improve social mobility.

If you think you have the qualities we need, we look forward to hearing from you.

Robert Goodwill MP

Minister of State for Children and Families

Jackie Doyle-Price

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care and Mental Health

Introduction

About Social Work England

The creation of Social Work England is a central tenet of the Government’s social work reform programme. Social Work England will have the necessary powers to regulate allchild and family; and adult social workers in England, taking over existing regulatory functions from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Social Work England’s legal framework is set out in the Children and Social Work Act 2017[1].

Social Work England will be a dedicated specialist regulator for social workers in England. In exercising its functions, the overall objective of the regulator will be to protect the public. Social Work England’s headquarters will be based in Sheffield.

Social Work England will establish a regulatory regime for social workers that puts the interests of service users at the heart of the system, focusing on supporting professionalism and holding individuals to account if they fail to maintain professional standards.

The person specification sets out the key skills required for the Chief Executive role, which a member of the leadership team of a regulatory body should encompass. In addition to these skills, it is important that we achieve social work experience within the leadership team (Chair, Chief Executive and Board members).We welcome applications from diverse candidates with different experiences and backgrounds. We are willing to consider candidates who have not operated at this level previously if they are able to demonstrate sufficient evidence of ability.

Governance

The Chief Executive will be responsible for leading Social Work England and will additionally carry out the responsibilities of Social Work England’s Accounting Officer.

Social Work England’s executive Board (expected to comprise no more than 10 members, the majority to be non-executives) will be the governing body and will hold the Executive team (led by the Chief Executive) to account. In line with research by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), it is our expectation that the Board will demonstrate the knowledge, understanding and awareness to take account of social workers’ interests, but not represent them[2].

The Board will provide leadership, direction and the overall strategy for the organisation. It will be responsible for overseeing the full range of Social Work England’s regulatory functions. This will include setting professional standards and standards for education and training for all social workers; establishing and running a fitness to practise system; and holding a register of social workers in England. The Board will ensure effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control.

Social Work England will be established as a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Education. It will be jointly funded and overseen by both the Department for Education, responsible for child and family social workers, and the Department of Health, responsible for adult social workers. The Secretary of State for Education will be ultimately accountable to Parliament for Social Work England’s expenditure and performance. Social Work England’s Chair, Board members and the first Chief Executivewill be ministerial appointments. Social Work England staff (such as the Directors of functions) will be recruited by the leadership of the regulator and be employees of Social Work England.

Social Work England will be overseen by the PSA. The PSA’s overarching objective in the performance of its functions is to protect the public. Itprovides Parliament with annualreportson the performance of the regulators it oversees, and challenges decisions about the fitness to practise of health and care professionals if they are insufficient to protect the public. In accordance with the Children and Social Work Act 2017, it will perform both these functions for Social Work England.

Objectives and Duties of Social Work England

The overarching objective of Social Work England will be to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and well-being of the public.

In consultation, Social Work England will develop a regulatory regime that puts public protection at its heart, drives the professionalism of all registrants, has strong links to employers and training providersand undertakes the following functions:

  • set standards for, and approve, courses of initial education and training that enable registration as a social worker;
  • set professional standards including proficiency, conduct and ethics, and Continuing Professional Development which promotes continuing fitness to practise;
  • maintain a register of social workers;
  • operate a fitness to practise system; and
  • maximise the benefit of workforce data to support practise improvement whilst maintaining a focus on the effective delivery of core regulatory functions.

Role Profile

The Chief Executive is a full time executive role. They will both lead the creation of Social Work England in the run up to regulating the profession, and lead the operational work ofSocial Work England in its first years of existence. The Chief Executive will have a strong operational background and experience in statutory regulation together with an understanding of the social work sector. Their role will be integral to the success of Social Work England.

An inspiring and proven leader, the Chief Executive will have the ability to lead an organisation with high levels of complexity, risk and public visibility. Theywill drive a culture of collaboration, high performance and quality, where a valued workforce is motivated to deliver exceptional services. The Chief Executive willquickly establish credibility with partners at all levels. They will have the ability to get to grips with key policy drivers, to set and lead a demanding strategic course and ensure effective operational delivery. They will be politically astute, have excellent communication skills and be a collaborative team builder.

The Chief Executive will be responsible for the design, culture and set-up of Social Work England. A team of civil servants and regulatory and social work experts will support the Chief Executive in the initial stages. TheChief Executivewill work closely with leaders across social work, employers, training providers, professional bodies, service users and others to ensure the effective establishment of Social Work England. Once Social Work England is established, the Chief Executive will lead the organisation to successfully deliver its functions and objectives as a bespoke regulator of the social work profession. The Chief Executive will advise Social Work England’s Board on the discharge of the organisation’s responsibilities and advise on Social Work England’s performance. In line with Managing Public Money[3], the Chief Executive will ensure that financial considerations are taken fully into account by the Board at all stages in reaching and executing its decisions, and that financial appraisal techniques are followed.

Responsibilities

Social Work England will be a new regulator responsible for registering over 95,000[4]social workers, with up to 120 staff. Government is investing £22-26m to establish Social Work England.Steady state costs will be met through a combination of registrant fees and Government funding. Social Work England’s annual operating budget in steady state will be in the region of £12m.The successful candidate will have a proven record of successful leadership and a commitment to delivering excellence in regulation. Theymust be highly credible with a reputation for integrity.

The Chief Executive will work closely with the Chair to:

  1. Take a leading role in organisational issues including the recruitment of Social Work England staff, work on the overall shape of the future organisation, the development of processes, strategies and policies and the creation of abusiness plan.
  2. Take a leading role in the formation of Social Work England, ensuring that the leadership of the organisation incorporates a range of appropriate experiences and reflectsSocial Work England’s priorities.
  3. Take responsibility for developing the organisational design and culture for Social Work England and manage the transition of regulatory functions from HCPC to Social Work England.
  4. Build effective relationships with partners and engage with Government Departments as appropriate to establish Social Work England as a credible and effective regulator.
  5. Develop a strategic plan for the new organisation, create a clear vision for the future and communicate these persuasively to internal and external audiences.
  6. Lead Social Work England in the successful pursuit of its objectives, providing the strategic leadership, direction and vision necessary to achieve its aims as an independent regulator supporting professionalism of the sector.
  7. Deliver successful change management to align operational activities with strategic objectives.
  8. Work to ensure robust financial management to deliver efficiencies across the organisation and be accountable to Parliament for all funding.
  9. Promote Social Work England’s activities across the sectorand ensure effective relationships with stakeholders including employer partners and Government ministers and officials.
  10. Develop lasting and strategic opportunities with regulators and other public bodies to share data and work together on areas of common interest.

Person Specification

It is essential that you provide in your application, to the best of your ability, evidence and proven examples in each of the following selection criteria listed in Part One below. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview, together with the criteria listed in Part Two.

Part One – Experience

Essentialcriteria

  • Demonstrableexperience of senior leadership in a complex organisation, including a proven track record of implementing and driving forward a clear strategic vision for an organisation.
  • Clear track record of managing, developing and motivating staff through change; and successfully articulating a vision, building, developing and communicating a strong corporate and cultural identity.
  • Proven track record of leading and managing corporate change, and setting strategic direction in the context of change, ideally in organisations undergoing set-up and/or newly formed organisations.
  • Evidence of excellent communication, relationship building and influencing skills; and evidence of strategic thinking and sound judgement.
  • Demonstrable track record of building credibility and strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels and in a complex sector.
  • Experience of working in a regulated environment.

Desirable criteria

  • Demonstrable understanding of social work, particularly in health and social care and current Government ambitions and/or reforms underway in this sector.
  • A track record of building credibility and strong relationships with ministers and Members of Parliament.
  • Proven commitment to public protection and the public interest.

Part Two – Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Excellent people leadership skills and proven ability to motivate, develop and hold to account diverse teams, together with a proven commitment to equality and diversity.
  • Sound judgement with the ability to think strategically, act decisively and resolve complex problems.
  • Capable of delivering at pace to challenging timescales.
  • Politically astute with the ability to get to grips with key policy drivers quickly.
  • Resilient and confident under pressure and able to operate in an environment of uncertainty/change.
  • Project planning and delivery expertise.

Terms of Appointment

Remuneration

  • A highly attractive total reward package, including pension and a basic salary of up to£142,500 per annum, commensurate with the skills and experience the successful candidate will bring to the role.
  • Remuneration is taxable and subject to Class 1 National Insurance contributions.

Appointment and Tenure of Office

This is a full time executive position. The Chief Executive will be employed by Social Work England.

Code of Practice

This recruitment is not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments; however the principles of the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments have been applied. Decisions at all stages are based on merit, and are taken openly, fairly and transparently. More information can be obtained at:

Location

Social Work England’s headquarters will be based in Sheffield. The successful Chief Executivecandidate will be expected to maintain a regular presence there.Regular travel to Londonwill be necessary.

Training

An induction will be provided by the Department for Education and the Department of Healthon appointment.

Standards in Public Life

You will be expected to demonstrate high standards of corporate and personal conduct.

Applicants must confirm that they understand the standards of probity required by public appointees outlined in the “Seven Principles of Public Life” set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (see Appendix 1).

Eligibility

This is an appointment by the Secretaries of State for Education and Health. The successful candidate will be subject to routine security clearance.

Disqualification for Appointment to the Role

There are circumstances in which an individual will not be considered for appointment. They include:

  • People who have received a prison sentence or suspended sentence of three months or more in the last fiveyears;
  • People who are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order;
  • In certain circumstances, those who have had an earlier term of appointment to another public bodyterminated;
  • Anyone who is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act1986;
  • Anyone who has been removed from trusteeshipof acharity.

Conflicts of Interest

You should note particularly the requirement to declare any conflict of interest that arises in the course of Social Work England business and the need to declare any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organisations relevant to the business of Social Work England. If the selection panel is concerned that such interests may impact on the independence or perceived independence required for this role, they will discuss their concerns with you if you are invited for interview.

Political Activity

In accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee), candidates must declare any significant political activity in the past five years. This information will be used for monitoring purposes. However, if your application is successful the information may be released into the public domain.

The Appointment Process

The Department for Education and the Department of Health have appointed Veredus, an executive search firm, to manage the recruitment campaign.

If you have any queries about the role or the appointment process, please contactJames Greengrass on 0207 932 4286 for a confidential conversation.

To apply for this post, please submit an up-to-date CV and a separate personal statement (each approximately two sides of A4 in length) that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification, using examples to demonstrate how you meet the requirements for the role.

Please also:

  • provide your home, work, mobile and email contact details
  • complete and return the:
  • Declaration of Interests form at Appendix 2
  • Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form at Appendix 3
  • (if relevant) Guaranteed Interview Scheme form at Appendix 4.

Your application and all accompanying documentation and information must be sent to arrive by 12pm on Thursday 18 January 2018. Please quote reference 930232in the subject line on all applications.