Common Approach to Competency for Regulators

Transcription

1 Common Approach to Competency for Regulators September 2016

2 Supporting local regulators The delivery of effective local regulation depends on the professionals involved. Their efforts to develop their skills and knowledge must be strongly supported. The regular review of their development needs is essential, as the nature of their jobs, and the legislation they enforce, change over time. The work to provide a common approach to professional competency for regulators is a collaborative project led by Regulatory Delivery. The overall approach is closely linked with the relevant qualifications frameworks provided by the professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and supported by the key players in the local and national regulatory landscape, giving transparency and confidence to all. The aim is to ensure that the needs of regulators in local authorities and elsewhere are identified and addressed: through self-assessment; via simple, flexible and user-friendly web-based tools that can be used in conjunction with existing approaches; with free access to resources, which provide a cost-effective solution for meeting development needs; and as an integral part of continuous professional development. 2

3 Project overview The key features of the overall approach to competency are: the Regulators Development Needs Analysis (RDNA) self-assessment tool, with technical knowledge sections specific to areas of regulation; their underpinning core competencies for all regulators; the Guidance for Regulators Information Point (GRIP), designed to help meet development needs identified; and a development process for regulators and managers. New competency frameworks have been launched each year since 2011 and continue to evolve, shaped by users and stakeholders. They embed the principles of good regulation 1 and their application is creating better outcomes for businesses and citizens the ultimate beneficiaries of good regulation. The frameworks are not a replacement for professional qualifications. Instead, they support regulators in maintaining their knowledge and skills and support Heads of Service in planning, identifying and satisfying the training and development needs of their teams. 1 Accountable, Targeted, Consistent, Proportionate and Transparent 3

4 Stakeholder outcomes For regulatory professionals: The approach provides a free, comprehensive means of maintaining professional competency. It provides a cost-effective way to maintain continuous professional development in the face of resource constraints. It assists the planning and prioritising of training and development activity. It supports the enhancement of specific areas of expertise. For local authorities: The approach is an efficient, adaptable and robust means of maintaining a competent and highly flexible workforce. It assists the effective deployment of staff, by supplying a picture of the skill set of regulatory services officers within a local authority (and potentially across the system as a whole). It strengthens relationships between regulators and business as a whole, by providing a consistent approach to maintaining professional standards of competency. It supports the effective protection of citizens by maintaining professional standards of competency. For business: The approach promotes accountability to business by creating a transparent set of criteria against which competency can be assessed. It shows business that regulators have robust, system-wide arrangements for continuous professional development. It delivers a consistent approach that recognises diverse types of businesses and business needs. It supports business and consumer confidence in regulatory decisions by providing a nationally agreed framework that sets out the skills and knowledge expected of officers. For national regulators: The approach eliminates the burdens associated with multiple approaches to competency, encouraging economies of scale in training and development provision. 4

5 Project details The RDNA self-assessment tool is an interactive website that provides a robust process enabling regulators to identify and prioritise their development needs. It now has 5000 registered users. It also reflects the way that work is commonly organised and structured within local authorities, while allowing for the fact that this does vary. One section covers leadership skills and is generally applicable, while all the others cover technical knowledge and are specific to particular regulatory functions (see the diagram overleaf). The purpose of the RDNA tool is to pinpoint areas of potential development need for subsequent discussion between an officer and his or her manager. It does not give work-related advice or guidance. Regulators undertake self-assessment on the basis of their job description and level of authorisation, and the expectations of the employing local authority and any relevant national regulator. The reports created on completion of the process assist discussions during annual development reviews and guide the production of personal development plans. One key principle of the common approach to competency for regulators is that there is a set of core competencies relevant to all regulators, regardless of the level and specific nature of their work. The core competencies on the RDNA tool are not part of the self-assessment process but are intended to inform it, by providing a general framework for consideration by officers and their managers. The GRIP a portal website identifies resources to help regulators meet their development needs in a cost-effective way. It mirrors the RDNA structure, providing links to 12 types of learning material. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute support RDNA and GRIP and have been central to the development of their sections. Members can claim CPD hours for the self-assessment process and for activities undertaken to address identified development needs where a personal development plan is produced. The availability of a single nationally recognised approach to regulatory competence will simplify the regulatory system and help national and local regulators work more closely together. The provision of a cost-effective process through which regulators can address their development needs is helping to meet the challenge at both national and local level to deliver robust services with limited resources. One key aim is to encourage and equip regulators to make greater use of their professional judgment and discretion, in order to maximise business compliance in a way that is best suited to the particular circumstances. 5

6 Competency structure Technical Knowledge Sections Age Restricted Products Gambling Act 2005 Intellectual Property Noise Agriculture Health and Safety Licensing Act 2003 Petroleum Animal Health and Welfare Fair Trading Core Competencies Leadership Skills Section Pollution Primary Authority Fire Safety Housing Metrology Product Safety Food 6

7 About us Regulatory Delivery brings together policy expertise and practical experience to ensure that regulation is effectively delivered in ways that reduce burdens on business, save public money and properly protect citizens and communities. We are responsible for: advising ministers on policy, including overseeing the UK s system of weights and measures, hallmarking and utility metering; We operate across the United Kingdom and have two main bases in central Birmingham and Teddington. Please visit the RDNA and GRIP websites for further details on professional competency. Alternatively, contact Lynne Howard at lynne.howard@beis.gov.uk or on ensuring the concerns of business are heard and influence policy; working with stakeholders to achieve the right policy outcomes in simpler, cheaper and better ways; operating Primary Authority; helping businesses and regulators work together to solve local issues; providing business services, particularly in certification and legal metrology; and sharing our expertise at home and overseas. Regulatory Delivery was created on 1 April 2016 to focus on regulation and enforcement, bringing together the Better Regulation Delivery Office and the National Measurement and Regulation Office as a directorate in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which became the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 July

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