Social Services Inspectorate

The Departments / Assembly require a range of professional social work advice. This advice is mainly provided by the Inspectorate to the units in the Health and Social Policy Group, to the Directorates within the Health and Personal Social Services Management Group and to the Criminal Justice Division of the NIO. Our advice is available to all departments of Government in Northern Ireland and almost half of our resources are used for our advisory work. We try to make sure that we give the best advice available, based on research, professional experience and up to date information. To get the best advice we speak on a regular basis to experts in Boards, Trusts, Voluntary Organisations and Universities.

The Departments / Assembly may need professional advice about any laws which are being proposed or when it is amending other legislation such as regulations. It may need general advice at an early stage about whether the law is needed and it may need more detailed advice about the effects of changes they wish to make.

The Departments / Assembly needs professional advice when it is putting new laws into practice. We also assist Boards, Trusts and other organisations to do this.

We also give professional advice about developing policies and about how policies in other fields of work, such as education, affect social work and social care services. We also work closely with the Policy Development and Review Unit in carrying out major reviews of existing Departmental policy.