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Cambridgeshire County Council; Huntingdon; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing package

Extra annual leave

Flexible holidays

Development opportunities

Volunteer hours each year

IDEAL network and peer support

Job summary

Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking a Senior Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Officer to drive continuous improvement in Adult Social Care. You will lead QA activities, analyse performance data, and promote high standards of practice across the county.

You will collaborate with operational teams and partners, develop learning resources and deliver presentations to embed best practice and foster reflective learning. Experience in social work and safeguarding is essential.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Social Work.
• Significant knowledge of Adult Social Care legislation, policy, guidance and safeguarding practice.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to analyse, write and present complex information.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality assurance and practice monitoring using insight and performance data to evaluate quality and identify improvements.
• Analyse complex information and produce reports that inform decision-making and service development.
• Share learning through presentations, workshops and learning events to embed best practice.
• Provide advice and constructive challenge on quality assurance and practice standards.
• Develop practice resources, learning materials and guidance to strengthen workforce development.
• Collaborate with colleagues, partners, adults with care and support needs and unpaid carers to shape high-quality, inclusive services.
• Contribute to strategic change and improvement programmes to meet evolving community needs.

Skills

Quality assurance

Data analysis

Report writing

Presentations

Stakeholder engagement

MS Office

Education

Social Work qualification

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Teams

Job description

Senior Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Officer

Are you passionate about driving excellence in Adult Social Care and making a real difference to the lives of adults with care and support needs, and their carers?

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Social Worker to join our Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Team as a Senior Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Officer.

Our team plays a vital role in supporting and strengthening Adult Social Care practice across Cambridgeshire. Working closely with operational services, senior leaders and partner organisations, we provide assurance, promote learning and development, and help drive improvements that make a meaningful difference to the lives of adults with care and support needs and their carers.

We are a supportive, collaborative and ambitious team that values curiosity, innovation and continuous learning. This is an exciting opportunity to join us at a time of ongoing development and transformation within Adult Social Care.

As a Senior Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Officer, you will be at the forefront of promoting high standards of practice across Adult Social Care. Through your work, you will help shape organisational learning, influence practice standards and support the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred services across the county. Working closely with operational teams, managers and senior leaders, you will provide assurance, identify opportunities for improvement and help develop a learning-focused organisation that is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for the people we support.

Using quality assurance systems, performance information and practice monitoring activity, you will help ensure that services are delivering positive outcomes for adults with care and support needs and unpaid carers. You will also contribute to service transformation, helping shape future policy, practice and quality improvement initiatives across the organisation.

For more information or to chat about this opportunity please contact Rebecca Richards,

Quality Assurance and Practice Standards Manager, on 07483 129585.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview which will be held on 2 November 2026 at New Shire Hall. As part of the interview process, candidates will also be required to deliver a short presentation to the interview panel. Further details of the presentation topic will be provided in advance.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage…

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth, paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
• An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes

Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.

What will you be doing?

In this varied and rewarding role, you will play a key role in driving continuous improvement and promoting high standards of practice across Adult Social Care. You will lead and undertake quality assurance and practice monitoring activities, using insight, evidence and performance data to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of practice and identify opportunities for improvement.

Working closely with operational teams, managers and senior leaders, you will analyse complex information, identify emerging themes and trends, and produce reports that inform decision-making and service development. You will share learning through presentations, workshops and learning events, helping to embed best practice and promote a culture of reflective learning and continuous improvement.

You will provide advice, guidance and constructive challenge on quality assurance and practice standards, supporting colleagues to achieve positive outcomes for adults with care and support needs and their carers. You will also develop practice resources, learning materials and guidance that strengthen workforce development and support practice excellence across the organisation.

Collaboration will be central to your role as you work alongside colleagues, partners, adults with care and support needs, and unpaid carers to help shape high-quality, inclusive and accessible services. You will also contribute to strategic change and improvement programmes, influencing policy, practice and service development to meet the evolving needs of our communities.

For more information please also see the attached Job Description/Person Specification.

About you

We are looking for a confident and credible Social Work professional who is passionate about improving practice, driving service improvement and delivering high-quality outcomes for adults with care and support needs and their carers. You will be curious, analytical and motivated by learning, with the confidence to provide constructive challenge and influence positive change across Adult Social Care.

You will hold a professional qualification in Social Work and have significant knowledge of Adult Social Care legislation, policy, guidance and safeguarding practice. A strong commitment to equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice is essential, alongside excellent communication skills and the ability to analyse, write and present complex information to a range of audiences.

You will bring experience of working with adults who have care and support needs and their carers within an Adult Social Care setting, together with the ability to build positive relationships and work collaboratively across teams, services and partner organisations. You will be confident influencing practice and driving improvement through effective engagement with practitioners, managers and senior leaders, helping to shape high-quality, person-centred services and positive outcomes for the people we support. Strong organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, as is the ability to make balanced, evidence-based judgements and provide constructive challenge when required.

You will be comfortable presenting to a range of audiences and facilitating learning opportunities that translate quality assurance findings into meaningful improvements in practice. You will also be confident using Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint, Excel and Teams.

Experience of quality assurance, auditing, service improvement, workforce development or practice standards work would be advantageous. However, we would also welcome applications from experienced practitioners who can demonstrate a passion for improving practice, supporting organisational learning and driving continuous improvement.

If you are excited by the opportunity to influence practice, shape service improvement and contribute to a culture of learning and excellence, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and play a key role in driving positive change across Adult Social Care in Cambridgeshire.

For more information please also see the attached Job Description/Person Specification.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.

Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.

We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Through a Guaranteed Interview Scheme, we will offer an interview to all applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential criteria for a job vacancy. On your application form you can indicate you are disabled. Some examples of reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.

Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.