Quality Assurance & Practice Development Lead (Adults)

Quality Assurance & Practice Development Lead (Adults)

Location: Aylesbury Vale

The successful candidate will be tasked with improving the effectiveness and quality of practice and service delivery.

We want you to act as a ‘challenge’ and ‘change agent’ to ensure we promote best practice, in the role of ‘critical friend’ providing quality assurance on case holding practice via a range of activities including direct observation, practice audits and a link to our locality social work teams.

This is an exciting time to join us, with this opportunity offering the successful candidate the chance to contribute significantly to positive changes in both practice and culture by influencing and supporting colleagues at all levels.

Initiated in 2019, our strength-based practice model, ‘Better Lives’, has been improving outcomes linked to independence, developing social connections, and improving areas that are important to the residents we support.

Hours: 18.5 hours a week. Please note the salary advertised will be pro-rata'd for part time hours.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. Not only will you be an integral part of the unique and exciting transition through the unitary process, you will also be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

The role will involve creating and articulating a vision for improving outcomes for adults that inspires others, improves practice and protective factors for adults. To drive and manage cultural and organisational change and achieve results through influence and negotiation.

To make practice and theoretical model meaningful to, and applicable in, everyday practice and leadership. Initiate, develop and implement a quality practice audit framework to support social care/occupational therapy practice in social care. Promote learning and best practice from audits to all staff working closely with the learning and development team to embed positive learning outcomes.

To work with the operational teams in promoting independence, wellbeing and a community assets-based approach to social care practice at all stages in the customer pathway. Being the link person to one of our locality teams, while supporting and implementing a locality learning hub to work together with the teams to consider areas for development while highlighting areas of good practice.

To ensure compliance with all statutory social care requirements including the Care Act, the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act through timely and proportionate assessment, support planning and review.

About you

Naturally, you’ll be a great people person, familiar with working to a strength-based approach. Thinking outside the box, you’ll support your clients and help prevent, reduce or delay the need for care. Bringing your in-depth knowledge of the latest legislation and statutory guidance, you’ll work independently and with colleagues to support adults and their families. Persistence and an adaptable approach are needed in an outcome-focused way with partners such as health services, community sector, housing, care providers and other stakeholders.

The successful candidate must have a social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

Please see the job summary attached for full details.

You will be required to apply for a DBS at an enhanced level. Further information about the DBS Scheme can be found at GOV.UK.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

The Quality, Standards and Performance Unit was established in March 2018 following a senior management review of the Business Unit. The provision of quality services to the people of Buckinghamshire is central to what we do. The introduction of a new service area within Adults, Health and Housing enables us to focus on the areas of practice that make a direct and positive impact to the quality of people’s lives.

The new service area demonstrates the Council’s commitment to ensuring that quality assurance and safeguarding is at the heart of social care practice and that an ongoing culture of improvement and development provides us with a foundation for delivering excellence in Buckinghamshire.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.