Suffolk County Council
Inspection Lead
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Inspection Lead
Youth Justice Inspection and Improvement Lead --- Hybrid, Ipswich, IP1 2BX
About Suffolk County Council
We champion high standards in Children and Young People Services (CYP) across Suffolk by:
- Listening to practitioners and learners
- Embedding lived experience and best practice
- Fostering mutual respect, collaboration and joint accountability
- Ensuring evidence-informed, Child First practice
We are seeking a proactive and experienced professional to join our Quality Assurance Service as the Youth Justice Inspection and Improvement Lead—a crucial role ahead of an upcoming HMIP inspection of the Suffolk Youth Justice Service.
Help reform youth justice systems for better child outcomes, quality assurance and intra-agency collaboration.
Key Responsibilities
As the central point of coordination, you will:
-
Lead inspection readiness
- Drive evidence collation (data, audits, service docs, partnership intelligence) to evidence compliance with HMIP frameworks, Youth Justice Board (YJB) standards and statutory duties.
- Maintain an inspection-aware evidence library showcasing areas including:
- Child First practice, assessment/plan quality
- Strategic oversight on safeguarding, risk and victim engagement
- Education, education-health-social work partnerships, and holistic outcomes.
-
Expertise & Advice
- Serve as the go-to SME on national youth justice expectations and improvement methodologies.
- Advise on Children Act protocols, Victims’ engagement, and restorative practice.
- Share findings and monitoring strategies from local, regional and national sources.
-
Cross-functional Leadership
- Partner with Directors/Senior Managers to pinpoint strengths/development opportunities.
- Support teams across partnerships (police, probation, health/education/social care/social workers) to demonstrate shared accountability.
- Present a one-team message to wider networks (corporate leadership, elected members, external stakeholders).
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
-
Evidence & Analysis
- Coordinate performance analytics (data models, audits, casework reviews) to generate:
- Thematic briefings and actions alerts
- Business intelligence driving cultural improvement post-inspection.
- Coordinate performance analytics (data models, audits, casework reviews) to generate:
-
Improvement Implementation
- Track progress on audits, peer reviews and policy changes, reporting transparent outcomes.
- Oversee corrective action plans informed by inspection findings.
- Align improvements with wider CYP priorities within Quality Assurance.
Skills & Experience Required
Mandatory:
-
Postgraduate qualification or extensive industry experience in:
- Youth justice inspection readiness/audit
- Children’s services, promulgating ethical assurance standards
- Quality assurance frameworks (HMIP/Ofsted-style)
-
Advanced skills in:
- Extracting meaning from large datasets (risk/demographic analyses)
- Managing complex multi-agency projects amidst shifting priorities
- Writing influential reports for clinical review posts
Leadership:
- Collaboration & Accountability: Proven ability to liaise with senior leaders, elected officials and third-sector organisations.
- Stakeholder Management: Building rapport with frontline practitioners, staying credible amid uncertainty.
Personality & Approach:
- Observant but solution-focused—for spotting systemic vulnerabilities whilst fostering resilience.
- Service-hearted in prioritising outcomes for: children, unheard victims, and professional teams they support.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
What We Offer
- Competitive pay: £60,135 pa (or pro-rated) working 37 flexible hours.
- Flexible benefits package:
- 29 days holiday + £4,000 in travel/lifestyle/wellbeing credits
- Volunteer-plus days, childcare vouchers (up to £50k)
- Comprehensive Pension Scheme aligned to cost-of-living adjustments
- Career growth:
- Investment in progressive training, mentorship and widening opportunities
- Active bribe-free cultures and pro-bono support (2 days leave for voluntary placement)
- Inclusive culture problems:
- Our Workforce Equality Report represents our commitment to inclusive outreach—we encourage underrepresented candidates to apply.
Next Steps
Deadline: 11.30pm 15 July 2026.
Application Process:
- Complete jobperson profile before uploading your responses (max 400 words each):
- Scenario: How did you drive inspection-readiness, benchmark key assumptions, and achieve tangible progress?
- Data spot analysis: Share an example—what patterns emerged, how did it reshape partnerships?
- Suffolk insights: Reflect how you’d leverage local research for continuous adjustment
Format： MS Word/PDF only.
Support Needs?
- Request adjustment assistance via our recruitment channel: +03456 014412 or recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk
Queries?
Contact: rachel.cogman@suffolk.gov.uk or 01473 264704
Vetting Policy
Role requires DBS Declaration/Disclosure alignment. CG2B safeguarding processes apply.
Reimagine the possibilities. Together, we’re redefining collectives through fairer systems, forward-looking leadership. Join us.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location