Quality Assurance Officer

The Methodist Church in Britain; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/Remote working

Pension scheme

Cycle to work

Employee assistance programme

Gym membership

Job summary

Cheshire East Council is seeking a quality assurance professional to oversee commissioning in children’s services, focusing on safeguarding, audits and provider performance. The role involves planned and responsive QA across contracted services, with emphasis on improving outcomes for children and young people.

The post requires experience in quality assurance, compliance or safeguarding within children’s services or related sectors, and the ability to identify risks and report clearly to

Qualifications

• Experience of quality assurance, compliance or safeguarding in children's services or a related sector.
• Strong safeguarding principles and understanding of quality standards and provider oversight.
• Ability to analyse information to identify trends, risks and areas for improvement.
• Working knowledge of information governance, confidentiality and relevant procedures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Undertake planned and responsive quality assurance activity across commissioned services.
• Conduct provider visits, audits, desktop reviews and compliance checks.
• Assess quality, safeguarding arrangements, contractual compliance and outcomes for children and young people.
• Identify risk, concern and good practice, escalating issues where required; produce clear reports and evidence-based findings for decision-making and provider improvement.
• Support inspection readiness and continuous improvement activity.
• Work with providers and internal stakeholders to raise service quality and standards.

Skills

Quality assurance

Compliance oversight

Safeguarding

Information governance

Data analysis

Communication

Analytical thinking

Report writing

Job description

Quality assurance post within Cheshire East Council's commissioning work, checking external providers of children's social care, SEND and alternative provision. The work centres on audits, provider visits, desktop reviews and compliance checks, with findings reported to support decisions and improvement. The focus is residential children's homes, independent fostering agencies, 16+ supported accommodation, independent SEND provision and alternative provision, with hybrid working possible. Applicants need experience of quality assurance, compliance or safeguarding in children's services or a related sector.

What the job involves

• Undertake planned and responsive quality assurance activity across commissioned services
• Conduct provider visits, audits, desktop reviews and compliance checks
• Assess quality, safeguarding arrangements, contractual compliance and outcomes for children and young people
• Identify risk, concern and good practice, escalating issues where requiredProduce clear reports and evidence-based findings for decision-making and provider improvement
• Support inspection readiness and continuous improvement activity
• Work with providers and internal stakeholders to raise service quality and standards

What’s required

Experience

• Experience of quality assurance, compliance, monitoring or safeguarding in children's services or a related sector

Skills & knowledge

• Strong understanding of safeguarding principles, quality standards and provider oversight
• Analysing information to identify trends, risks and areas for improvement
• Working knowledge of information governance, confidentiality and relevant procedures
• Strong analytical and organisational skills with excellent attention to detail
• Confidence to challenge professionally where standards are not met
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

What’s offered

• 34 days annual leave from day one, rising to 39 after five years, with the option to buy up to 10 extra days a year (pro-rata for part-time)
• Standard 37-hour full-time week with flexi-time and hybrid or remote working where possible
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme offering a three-year electric or hybrid lease
• Salary sacrifice white goods scheme
• Career average public pension, accruing at 1/49th of pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free, confidential employee assistance programme
• Discounted Everybody Leisure gym membership