Grade V - Regulatory Support Officer, Quality Assurance Directorate

Job Summary

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is responsible for a range of statutory functions including provision of child protection, alternative care, specified regulatory services and a range of family support services. The Agency has commenced a major improvement programme with significant focus on Practice, Culture and Structure.
The Agency currently has responsibility for a budget in excess of €800m and delivers its services through circa 5,000 people in 350 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:
•Child Protection and Welfare
•Family Support
•Alternative Care
•Adoption
•Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
•Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV)
•Children’s Service Regulation
•Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie

Post Specific Service: About Tusla’s Quality Assurance & Regulation Directorate
Tusla’s Quality Assurance Directorate is concerned with promoting continuous improvement and effective risk management in services for children and families. It delivers its functions though the following functions:

Children’s Services Regulation
Early Years’ Inspectorate: The Early Years’ Inspectorate is the independent statutory regulator of Early Years’ Services and is responsible for registering and inspecting pre-schools, playgroups, crèches, day care, school age care and similar services. Its role is to promote the quality, safety, and appropriate care of children by robust regulation of the sector.

Alternative Education Assessment: Children who are educated at home or who attend a non-recognised school (i.e. a school that is not funded by the Department of Educational and Skills) must be registered with Tusla by their parents/guardians. The registration process requires that an assessment or assessments be carried out to determine whether the child is receiving a certain minimum education and therefore can be placed on the statutory register of children educated outside of a recognised school. Children who are educated in an independent school setting can also be placed on the register where it is determined that the school is providing a minimum education to the pupils who are enrolled there.
Alternative Care Regulation: The team monitors and reports on alternative care settings for children who cannot live with their families The service is responsible currently for the registration and inspection of non-statutory residential care settings for young people, as well as the monitoring and audit of non-statutory foster care providers.

Child Safeguarding Statement Compliance Unit (CSSCU): The CSSCU has a national centralised function for the receipt and processing of referrals and notifications of failure to furnish Tusla with a copy of a relevant agency’s safeguarding statement made under Article 12(1) of the Children First Act 2015. The office is also responsible for appropriately supporting relevant agencies to achieve compliance under section 12 (1) – (5) of the legislation.

Regulatory Practice Development: The Regulatory Practice Development Team is responsible for a range of functions to provide support to Children’s Services Regulation. There are five distinct functions which are; management and analysis of data and business process design and re-design, implementation and maintenance of the Quality Management system across Children’s Services Regulation, co-ordination and delivery of Learning and Development, provision of expert advice and guidance on matters relating to children attending early years
services and management of Children’s Services Regulation communications which includes the website and the publication of inspection reports.

Other functions within Tusla’s Quality Assurance Directorate:

Service Experience, Governance and Risk Systems
Service Experience and Feedback:Part 9 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 governs complaints procedures and reviews, complainants’ rights, referral to the Ombudsman, and annual report requirements. “Tell Us” is Tusla’s policy governing feedback and complaints. The team is responsible for managing Tell Us, including training other Tusla staff nationwide, collecting metrics, channelling complaints and feedback, and dealing with individual complaints. The team is also involved in encouraging participation of children and listening to the voice of the child in Tusla and Tusla-funded

Risk and Incident Management: The team is responsible for the corporate risk register, and all aspects of risk and incident management systems within the Agency. The team aims to ensure Tusla is aware of the nature of its risks, their status and how they are being managed

Practice Assurance and Performance Systems
Performance Reporting and Information: the Performance Reporting and Information team collates analyses and reports on quality and risk data relevant to the child and services. It identifies trends and performance data to support accountability and transparency, inform policy development and legislative reform, to demonstrate where standards and targets are being met, and identify risk and support decision-making at all levels of the organisation.
Quality Assurance and Monitoring: The team monitors and reports on service delivery against standards, regulations and legislative requirements, and seeks to ensure that service improvement activity takes place in response to reviews. The post holder will have accountability and responsibility for the effective planning, design, implementation and delivery of Tusla regulatory inspections and assessments. Tusla is the statutory regulator of the early year’s sector, child safeguarding statement compliance and alternative care and education settings.

Job Objectives

Professional
•To assist in the administration of all processes in accordance with the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 and any regulations made there under.

•To maintain records and systems for information retention and analysis.
•To collate all documentation required for regulatory purposes.
•To carry out screening and assessment of the documentation received.
•To assist the office in the verification of all information received.
•To answer queries from internal and external stakeholders.
•To provide agreed information to the general public.
•To maintain and collate data where required.
•Support and administer any processes required in the delivery of our Regulatory Function
•Prepare service files, documents and reports as required.
•To carry out Quality Assurance checks on work completed by the unit.

Communications
•Ensuring that all communications are professional, accurate, informed and clear.
•Help to create a positive working environment, which contributes to maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships.
•Ensure that any identified administration errors or failings are brought to the immediate attention of management.

Teamwork
•To promote a culture that values diversity and respect in the workplace.
•To provide assist with implementation of processes conducive to good staff relations and work performance.
•Work as part of a team and to ensure that all members are treated with dignity and respect.

Education & Training
•Maintain standards of practice and levels of professional knowledge by participating in continuous professional development initiatives and attendance at courses as appropriate.
•Engage in career and professional development planning.
•Participate in the delivery of a framework for the promotion of staff development and training by making recommendations with regard to the ongoing education, mentoring, training and in-service needs of the regulatory support team.

Health & Safety
•Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
•Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
•To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Skills Requirement

Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:

•Be in current employment with Tusla – Child and Family Agency, the HSE or within other statutory health agencies, or a body which provides services on behalf of the HSE under Section 38/39 of the Health Act 2004 or within a body that provides services on behalf of Tusla under Section 56 or Section 59 of the Child and Family Act 2013.
•Have at least 2 years’ administrative experience in a designated office within the services mentioned above.
•Have at least one years’ experience in working in a quality assurance or similar role.
•Have experience of evaluating information and providing sound judgement in the assessment of received information.
•Possess sufficient administrative capacity to discharge the functions of the grade/post, including excellent ICT skills in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or similar software.

Health
A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character
Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Attachment(s):  

Grade V Regulatory Support Officer Candidate Information Pack May 2024.pdf