Role details

Social Work England - Chair

Application deadline 4 September 2023

Page contents:

Summary
About the role
Person specification
Application and selection process
Additional information for candidates
Attachments

Summary

Organisation: Social Work England
Sponsor department: Department for Education
Location: Various
Sectors: Health and Social Care
Skills: Accountancy, Audit and Risk, Business, Change Management, Communication, Human Resources, Legal, Regulation, Transformation
Number of vacancies: 1
Time commitment: 80 day(s) per annum
Remuneration: £450 per day
Length of term: Up to three years
Application deadline: 5pm on 4 September 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

Opening date

13 July 2023
Application deadline

5pm on 4 September 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction

Social Work England is the specialist regulator of all social workers in England. Established by the Children and Social Work Act 2017, its key purpose is to protect the public and to raise standards across the social work profession, so that people receive the best possible support whenever they might need it in life.

You will have a proven track record and excellent strategic thinking capability, as well as exceptional ability in leadership and driving positive change. Forging an effective working relationship with the Chief Executive and board members will be key. The role will engage in constructive and collaborative relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, partners, and service users across the sector to support the work of the organisation.

Introduction from the Secretary of State

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

We are seeking to appoint a Chair who will play a vital role in ensuring the quality of social work and social work standards. The chair will make a strong contribution to delivery of government key reforms for social work as set out in Stable Homes Built on Love, and Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care. For children’s social care, these will bring changes to the standards which will underpin the Early Career Framework and the professional registration of a new workforce sector - Children’s home staff. For adult social care, this will include ensuring social workers who play a crucial role in assessing and supporting people with multiple complex needs, including homelessness and mental ill health, are equipped to support those who will most benefit from social work support.

This will be a challenging and demanding, yet exceptionally rewarding role. It will offer the successful candidate a unique and exciting opportunity to deliver future government policy for the social work profession and continue to develop Social Work England over the next 3 years. Your input will make a real and tangible contribution to raising standards in social work practice, to protecting the public and in turn enhance the status and standing of the social work profession.

Thank you once again for your interest in this role. If you have the skills and experience we are seeking, we look forward to hearing from you.

The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP

Secretary of State for Education

Role description

About the role

The Chair of Social Work England is appointed by the Prime Minister for a term of up to 3 years. The Chair is a part time non-executive role and integral to the success of Social Work England. The chair will work closely with the Chief Executive in delivering Social Work England's Corporate Strategy 2023-2026 and support the development of future regulatory policy and strategy. The chair will establish credibility with partners and stakeholders at all levels.

You will:

• Work closely with Ministers and government officials to drive forward a clear strategic direction for Social Work England, taking it into the next phase of its critical work, providing advice to the Secretaries of State for Education and Health and Social Care on areas within Social Work England’s remit, as and when requested.

• Support and challenge the Chief Executive on the effectiveness and performance of Social Work England, ensuring good governance, monitoring progress against objectives, ensuring the regulator is discharging its statutory duties in line with government policy, and continues to drive quality in social worker standards through a range of activities, in a way which minimises bureaucracy wherever possible.

• Provide outstanding leadership to Social Work England, to manage change effectively, ensuring the regulator maintains a committed and high performing workforce.

• Lead and manage the Social Work England board. Make recommendations to Ministers on the appointment of board members, ensuring that board membership reflects the diversity of the UK, and the social work profession, ensuring high standards of propriety and robust financial management across Social Work England.

• Build highly effective working relationships with the Secretaries of State for Education and for Health and Social Care, and with other government departments, senior officials from the Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care, the Professional Standards Authority and other regulators. Working together on common areas of interest to promote Social Work England’s role and its activities.

• Represent Social Work England in public debate and maintain its reputation as a trusted, knowledgeable and independent regulator, able to report independently on standards and regulation.

• Respond proactively to the current and future direction of Government policy and strategy, including the Government’s plans to reform children’s and adult’s social care set out in Stable Homes Built on Love and Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care.

The Chair will provide strategic direction and a clear focus to ensure compliance with Social Work England’s core regulatory functions and statutory responsibilities, which include:

• maintaining an efficient fitness to practise system;

• improving standards for courses of initial education and training;

• promoting professional standards for social workers, including standards of proficiency, conduct and ethics, and Continuing Professional Development which promotes continuing fitness to practise;

• maintaining a register of social workers;

• maximising the benefit of workforce data to support practice improvement whilst maintaining a focus on the effective delivery of core regulatory functions, and

• working closely with other regulators, for example to address operational challenges

Organisation description

A professional regulator focused on public protection.

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website

Person specification

Essential criteria

We are looking for a chair with experience at a senior organisational level who is able to command respect across all sectors within Social Work England’s remit and lead Social Work England through their next phase of delivery.

An understanding of current policy direction and strategy including the Government’s plans to reform social care set out in Stable Homes Built on Love and Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care.
Substantial experience of leading a high performing Board that sets strategic direction and provides robust challenge to the organisation.
Experience of / an understanding of regulation or regulated environments.
Ability to promote and oversee the highest standards of corporate governance.
A track record of risk management; and managing and improving organisational performance at a strategic and board level.
An excellent communicator, with strong influencing skills, the ability to challenge constructively and show diplomacy with key stakeholders at all levels, including with ministers.

Desirable criteria

Sound judgement with the ability to think strategically, act decisively and resolve complex problems, whilst being sensitive to the wider context in which they are working.
Understanding of the financial, structural, and people dimensions of leading an organisation.
Experience or a good understanding of health, social work, social care or other relevant public services.
Understanding of the direction of government policy.
Ability to lead a multi-disciplinary team.
Ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Application and selection process

How to apply

The closing date for applications is 1700hrs Monday 4th September 2023.

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in on the ‘Apply for a public appointment’ website.

Once you are logged into your account click on ‘apply for this role’ and follow the on screen instructions. You can download the candidate information pack; this provides further details on the role and how to apply. To apply all candidates are required to provide.

A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A completed Application Form, demonstrating clearly how you meet each of the essential requirements of the post with a maximum of 300 words per criteria (if this is exceeded, only the first 300 words will be considered).
A Diversity Monitoring Form
Information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues.

Guidance on what to include in your CV/ application and tips for applying can be found in the corresponding sections in the candidate information pack and on the public appointments website. Public appointments – Gov.UK

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

You will also be required to make a declaration related to standards in public life and ensuring public confidence in your application.

If you are unable to create an account and apply online please contact: SWE.SPONSORTEAM@EDUCATION.GOV.UK

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist.
Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.
The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The names of all appointable candidates are provided to Ministers. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
The Panel’s recommendations will be provided to Ministers in a report which details the assessment method used and the outcome of each interview. They will then be asked to agree on the candidate(s) who should be appointed.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Shazia Hussain - Departmental Official - Director, Department for Education - No political activity declared

Tom Surrey - Departmental Official - Director, Department of Health and Social Care - No political activity declared

The Lord Farmer - Senior Independent Panel Member - Member of the House of Lords

Lord Farmer has declared the following political interests - Member of the House of Lords - Conservative

Rachael Wardell - Senior Sector Panel Member - Chair ADCS workforce committee - No political activity declared

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards.

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this.

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points.

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact SWE.SPONSORTEAM@EDUCATION.GOV.UK

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people.

As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

Government departments are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
making adaptations to interview locations;
allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
giving detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2. These are:

SELFLESSNESS - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends;
INTEGRITY - Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties;
OBJECTIVITY - In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit;
ACCOUNTABILITY - Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office;
OPENNESS - Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands;
HONESTY - Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest;
LEADERSHIP - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully:

any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government;
any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or or public statements that you have made;
and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported;

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies.

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

You will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. If re-appointed, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed by Social Work England in line with its expenses policy.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on official business however these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon termination because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the SWE sponsor team SWE.SPONSORTEAM@EDUCATION.GOV.UK in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response, [and this appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments], you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk,Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website www.publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/complaints

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

The Department for Education follows GDPR guidelines on the handling and retention of your private data; the Department's privacy notice is attached.

Contact details

The Chair is a part time non-executive role and integral to the success of Social Work England. The chair will work closely with the Chief Executive in delivering Social Work England's Corporate Strategy 2023-2026 and support the development of future regulatory policy and strategy. The chair will establish credibility with partners and stakeholders at all levels.

Social Work England’s headquarters are based in Sheffield. It is anticipated that the Chair will be required to spend time both in London and Sheffield

If you have any queries about the role, pleas contact the Social Work England sponsor team at: SWE.SPONSORTEAM@EDUCATION.GOV.UK

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