The Child and Family Agency was established on 1^st 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 of circa €1.2billion and delivers its services through over 5,500 people in 259 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Parenting, Family Support and Early Help Services
• Alternative Care
• Birth Information & Tracing and Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Support

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the Head of Practice Assurance and Service Monitoring and Director of Quality and Regulation, to provide expertise and leadership in relation to implementation of Quality Management Systems - requirements in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 and to support organisational readiness.
• Develop and implement a Tusla ‘roadmap’ for QMS implementation across the organisation in accordance with the Agency’s Quality Strategy.
• As part of the organisational reform programme, working with other senior managers as required across the Agency and accessing external expertise as required, map and agree a phased approach and priority services for QMS development  
• Provide leadership, cultivating and maintaining positive and constructive working relationships with all relevant key stakeholders across the Agency to achieve engagement and to provide direction in relation to QMS systems and processes required
• Research implementation of a QMS in social service organisations of similar scale to identify best practice, implementation challenges and learning.  
• Develop a project plan and using both existing internal staff capacity and identifying where business cases for additional resources will be required as part of the annual estimates process to support QMS implementation.
• Ensure agreed project milestones are delivered and highlight any risks to the project implementation plan objectives and timelines.
• Monitor project performance and attainment of project indicators against agreed milestones in Tusla’s annual business plan.
• Engage, actively contribute, advise, and support the project activities to enable achievement of the project objectives.
• Be responsible for managing and delivering multiple project components including managing resources, tasks, stakeholder management and consultation, timelines and delivering status reports.
• Provide oversight and support the process owners in the implementation of the required elements and components of a Quality Management System in the Tusla organisational context.
• Oversee the implementation of a document management system (DMS) to include controls, audit and verification functions.
• Liaise and engage with relevant Tusla services, including National Operations, Information Managers, Tusla Commissioning, Tusla ICT and Workforce Learning and Development, to support the development and integration of the identified project requirements including staff training supports.
• Manage external relationships with key stakeholders as required
• Take a lead role in the oversight and co-ordination of the design and implementation of all policy, procedures, and standard operating procedures which may be required.
• Provision of reports for Tusla Board, Executive Management Team and DCED as requested/required by the Director of Quality and Regulation
• Manage and oversee the release of data and performance information for PQs, Reps and media queries
• Contribute to and promote the work of the Quality and Regulation Directorate as requested.

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.
• Oversee the provision 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

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

• Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:
• Have a third level qualification
• Sufficient knowledge and experience in a quality development/management role
• Experience of Strategy Development within larger organisations
• Knowledge of Quality systems and /or ISO standards
• Experience of working in a Quality/Regulation function
• Experience of managing and maintaining positive interagency relationships with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Must have the requisite knowledge and management potential for the proper discharge of the duties of the office. 

Desirable

• Experience in report writing to Board/ Executive team level
• Experience of implementing a Document Management System

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