HEO Inspectors for Childcare & Play

Pay Band: Higher Executive Officer (HEO) £37,111 to £45, 378
Group: OEG
Division: Care Inspectorate Wales
Branch: Childcare & Play Inspection Team
Allowances (if applicable): CIW RRA
Allowance confirm details: CIW RRA £4,535
Location: Llandudno
Pattern of Working: Full Time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Closing date: 28th August 2026

Purpose of Post
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is the independent regulator of social care and childcare. CIW registers, inspects, and takes action to improve the quality and safety of services for the well-being of the people of Wales. Inspection and enforcement are key functions in the delivery of safe, high quality regulated services to the citizens of Wales.  

The primary task of an Inspector is to ensure that regulated care services provide good quality, safe care and to encourage and drive improvement. Inspectors can use their knowledge and skills to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of people using regulated services and to gather information about outcomes for people. This can be used by CIW in its evaluation of local councils and for informing policy development.

Inspectors will be responsible to a Team Manager. They will have a critical function to perform to ensure the effective and timely delivery of CIW’s core responsibilities across the full spectrum of Regulated Care Services.

Key Tasks
•    Maintaining oversight and management of a caseload of regulated services, ensuring the required inspections take place, monitoring levels of risk, assessing incoming concerns, and ensuring all records are kept up to date.

•    Carrying out inspections in line with an agreed programme (including joint inspections with Estyn in childcare and play), observing and reporting on the well-being of people using the service, identifying, and monitoring areas of non-compliance, raising and responding to safeguarding concerns.

•    Taking responsibility for following and progressing actions in relation to services of concern and liaising with other key stakeholders including commissioners, other regulatory bodies and safeguarding leads.

•    Preparing and undertaking enforcement activity including drafting statutory notices.

•    Collating, providing evidence to and attending Care Standard Tribunal hearings.  

•    Working with managers to contribute to the setting and achieving of organisational performance objectives, including both quantitative and qualitative measures.

•    Ensuring effective communication across the team to ensure that good practice is shared, and areas of concern reported.

•    Contributing to the development and improvement of practice to ensure robust, consistent regulatory standards where issues of diversity and equality are fully addressed and integrated.

•    Keep up to date with changes in legislation, guidance, and policies, procedures and best practice development.

•    Ensuring the development of, and ongoing effective engagement with other stakeholders including people who use services and carers. 

•    Preparing correspondence in relation to specific issues raised about services.

•    Maintaining accurate records management including the use of CRM database (CaSSI).

•    Take responsibility for own performance management and own professional development and seek appropriate development opportunities in accordance with the Welsh Government/CIW performance and development / management support process and in discussion with the team manager.