Appointment details

Social Work England - Non-Executive Director

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, Commercial, Communication, Technology / Digital, Legal, Regulation, Transformation, Cyber Security, Social Care, Education
• Number of vacancies: 3
• Time commitment: 25 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £350 per day
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: 1pm on 3 January 2025

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   25 October 2024

2. Application deadline

   1pm on 3 January 2025

3. Sifting date

   14 February 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   14 March 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Chair

Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of Social Work England, the specialist regulator for all social workers and for social work education.

As Chair and a Board member for the last six years, my vision is that Social Work England will be at the forefront of developing social work practice that puts the protection, health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable individuals and families in our society first. To do that Social Work England must set the highest professional standards and deliver its core regulatory functions effectively and efficiently.

Our aim is for excellent social work practice and social work education to be the norm across all sectors, all ages and communities and all institutions and agencies. As someone who has worked in health and social care for 45 years, I know how important it is for those who receive services, for their families and loved ones, and for communities and wider society. Social workers can and do help to transform lives for the better, and a skilled, committed, and confident workforce requires a strong and effective regulator. Social work is important, and so the effective regulation of social work is important too.

Social Work England has a strong, cohesive Board, but as some non-executive Directors come to the end of their terms, we are seeking new, high-quality members to join us and support our strategy and further development, and to assure Government and the public that public protection and the efficient use of public resources is at the heart of our governance.

As a non-executive Board member, your abilities will be essential to our success. Strategic and constructive challenge and ideas, fiduciary oversight, and your contribution to decision making are vital in this role, alongside the ability to relate positively to Social Work England’s diverse stakeholders.

These are challenging but ultimately rewarding roles. The successful candidates will make a genuine contribution to raising standards in social work, protecting vulnerable people, and supporting the implementation of key government reform in both children’s and adult social care. If you believe you have the values, skills, experience, and commitment to undertake this role I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chair, Social Work England

Appointment description

We are looking to appoint three non-executive directors across a range of skills, including finance and commercial; data management and analytics and digital strategy; professional education experience (including continuing education) as well as those with national and non-executive director experience.

Among these three, we are looking to appoint a non-executive director with specific responsibility as Chair of the Board’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC).

Up to 25 days per year (+5 additional days for ARAC Chair)

There is a degree of flexibility around start dates, but we expect successful candidates to take up their positions in either April or May 2025.

Organisation description

The work social workers deliver for adults, children, and families is essential and deserves to be recognised and supported. Social Work England works closely with both the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care. It is central to many of government’s wider social work reform plans and its ambitions to secure a highly capable and highly skilled workforce.

Social Work England was established under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 to be a new single-profession regulator for all child, family and adult social workers in England. It took over regulatory responsibilities from the Health and Care Professions Council and began regulating social workers on 2 December 2019.

Based in Sheffield, Social Work England employs around 230 staff and has an operating budget in the region of £20 million, with costs met through a combination of income from registrant fees and funding from government.

Social Work England is a separate legal entity in the form of a non-departmental public body, operating at arm’s length from government. The Department for Education is its sponsor department.

It is responsible for delivering key regulatory functions in respect of social workers, including:

• setting professional standards for all social workers in England
• maintaining a register of all social workers in England
• running a fitness to practise system
• setting standards for education and training
• inspecting providers of initial social work education and training

As with other health and care regulators, Social Work England’s overarching objective is to protect the public. Its values are to be fearless, independent, transparent, ambitious, collaborative, and to act with integrity.

Social Work England is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Its equality, diversity and inclusion action plan reflects its approach to equality, diversity and inclusion as part of its core business and demonstrates principles synonymous with being a social worker.

Social Work England is overseen by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). The PSA publishes an annual report on the performance on each of the regulators it oversees and challenges decisions about the fitness to practise of health and care professionals if they believe that they are insufficient to protect the public.

Further information on Social Work England is available at www.socialworkengland.org.uk

Board composition

Dr Andrew McCulloch is the Chair of Social Work England. Andrew’s vision for Social Work England places the regulator at the forefront of developing social work practice that puts the protection, health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable individuals and families in our society first.

The Board consists of:

• the Chair, Andrew McCulloch
• chief Executive Officer, Colum Conway
• six non-executive directors

Each member of the Board brings a distinct set of skills and expertise. Social Work England’s Board is responsible for overseeing the full range of the organisation’s regulatory responsibilities. The Board holds the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Leadership Team to account and provides the overall strategic steer for the organisation. In addition, the Board oversees performance, the use of resources and ensures a sound system of internal control and risk management. Its responsibilities include:

• Establishing and taking forward the organisation’s strategic aims and objectives
• Ensuring compliance with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds
• Demonstrating high standards of corporate governance at all times.

Non-executive directors provide an input to a range of organisational and operational issues and oversee the delivery of Social Work England’s functions and objectives as a specialist regulator. Equally important to contributing to Board meetings, they provide input to a variety of different Social Work England groups, meetings, and stakeholder events.

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

Successful candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The role of a non-executive director, together with an ability to set direction and engage in constructive debate and challenge at all levels
• Analysis of complex issues including the ability to identify and understand risks and develop mitigations

Successful candidates are required to demonstrate their commitment toward:

• Fiduciary responsibility, acting in the best interests of the profession and of people with lived experience
• Engaging and working collaboratively with people with lived experience of social work and the most marginalised in our society

Desirable criteria

It is desirable that successful candidates demonstrate expertise and ability in either:

• Digital strategy, including data management and data analytics to derive insights and trends, or 
• Commercial experience, or 
• Education experience - specifically strategic experience of developing professional educational models (including professions other than in health and social care)

or expertise and ability in:

• Senior financial management and accounting, including audit and procurement expertise
• Chairing an Audit and Risk Assurance Committee
• The development and review of internal controls and risk management systems including governance at a senior level
• An accountancy, internal or external auditing and/or legal qualification and associated professional membership e.g. CIPFA, ACCA, CIMA

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• A covering letter not exceeding two sides of A4. (Arial size 12).
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diversity Data
• Information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

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.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. 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.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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)

Catherine Pearson & Madeleine Percival (Jobshare) - Deputy Directors, Social Work Practice, Evidence and Evidence - Representative of Organisation and panel chair

Andrew McCulloch - Chair, Social Work England Board - Representative of the Board

Charlotte Moar  - Independent Panel Member

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 Sponsorship Team 

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. 

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 essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, 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

We 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 additional 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:

1. 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;
2. 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;
3. 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;
4. 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;
5. 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;
6. 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;
7. 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 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

As this is an office holder 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. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, 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. 

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. 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 the end of your term of appointment 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 Social Work England Sponsor Team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at swe.sponsorteam@education.gov.uk 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 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 https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

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

Personal data collected as part of this exercise will be processed in accordance with the Department for Education Privacy Notice. You can access the privacy notice here. 

Contact details

Social Work England Sponsor Team -

SWE Sponsorship Team

Attachments

• Applicant pack