Head of Offender Management Delivery (Senior Probation Officer) based
within the Offender Management Unit -Task List
Please note this is not a Job Description; all NPS Senior Probation Officers work to
the generic ‘NPS Job Description (JD) Probation Pay Band 5’.
Below lists tasks that an SPO may carry out. This list is not exhaustive and would
depend on the prison function, but if does give an indicative list of tasks that the SPO
may need to undertake.
Leadership and Management:
• Provide leadership and management within the Offender Management Unit with
the Head of OM Services
• Offender management lead for the prison with a focus on improving quality
• Responsible for line managing all prison Offender Managers
• Member of the prison senior management team providing consultative advice,
support and feedback
• Work closely with the senior management team in order to develop initiatives,
practice and opportunities for prisoners to reduce their risk of harm and
reoffending.
• Act as the lead for the offender management elements within the establishment
for the Offender Personality Disorder pathway.
Offender Management Delivery - policy :
• Accountable and responsible for offender management delivery as per the OMiC
model within the prison
• Responsible for the offender management work with relevant systems including
OASys, P-NOMIS, ViSOR
• Support the implementation and compliance of the prison Public Protection
Manual with a responsibility to support the Head of OM Services in relation to
decision making (decisions should always be in alignment with the prisoner’s risk
assessment and risk management plan).
• Accountable for the delivery of the OPD core specification by the OMU staff -
ensuring this is in partnership with the HMPS Psychology teams
• Accountable for ensuring all sentenced prisoners have a plan in relation to their
sentence and that the plan is being managed
• Accountable, within the Open and Female Estate, for ensuring the delivery of
Enhanced Behavioural Monitoring work within the prison
Offender Management Delivery - work:
• Accountable for the case allocation process within the OMU
• Ensure the OMiC model is delivered with responsibility for the delivery and
quality of prison Offender Manager’s work to prisoners receiving Core and
Specialised OM
• Responsibility for pre-release work and ensuring good handovers are undertaken
between prison and community as per the OMiC model
• Ability to override the model’s timescales relating to a handover point (prison to
community) when circumstances arise
• Responsible for ensuring the process is in place for prisoners to be assigned
early to the NPS where relevant and responsible for overseeing this process and
screening within the prison
• Responsible for timeliness and quality of offender management work completed
by prison Offender Managers, including all assessments but not exclusively: re-
categorisation, HDC, ROTL, Parole Reports and OASys
• Ensure prison Offender Managers deliver relevant public protection work (within
the prison Public Protection Manual) in a timely and appropriate manner
• Ensure prison Offender Managers deliver relevant recall paperwork in timely and
appropriate manner as per OMiC model and the Best Practice Guidance Working
with Recalled Prisoners
• Ensure prison Offender Managers record relevant offender management
information on ViSOR
• Chair MALRAPS for new life sentence prisoners
• Responsible for OASys and countersigning OASys assessments
• Responsible for chairing and the delivery of IRMTs as per the Prison Public
Protection Manual
• Responsible for quality, timeliness and countersigning MAPPA F reports
• Responsible for quality, timeliness and countersigning Parole Reports and prison
OM PAROM1 input
• Accountable for the CRC to NPS risk escalation process within the prison
• Support the prison with decisions relating to prisoner transfers ensuring the
prisoner move fits with their sentence plan or progression plan whenever possible
• Responsible for any prison MAPPA Level 2/3 referrals made in relation to
Remand prisoners when there is no community probation responsibility /
management
• Responsible for delivering the Offender Personality Disorder core specification, in
partnership with HMPPS Psychology, as described in the relevant specifications
• Point of contact for the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway
• Responsible for liaising between OMU and other OPD services within the prison,
and between the prison and external agencies
• Information sharing and OPD pathway planning including ensuring the updating of
IT system
• Offer oversight to prison Offender Managers on referrals or requests for advice
from HMPPS Prison Psychology
• To ensure necessary arrangements and processes are in place to enable the
effective contribution of HMPPS Prison Psychology services to individual case
plan, and that recommendations are appropriately followed through and actioned.
• To hold accountability for ensuring all referrals to Offending Behaviour
Programmes (OBP) are in line with the latest programme suitability guidance.
• Contribute to the delivery of the Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBP) as an
active member of the AIM (Accredited Interventions Management) team.
• To ensure that Offender Managers facilitate post programme reviews as part of
the Sentence Planning process, and undertake any necessary follow up work in
accordance with Programme guidance, including supporting post programme
objectives, programme developed desistence goals and delivery of New Me MOT.
Quality and Performance:
• As agreed with the Governor; the SPO will be responsible for the quality of
offender management within the prison
• Accountable for the performance relating of offender management delivery and
the work undertaken by prison Offender Managers. Within this, manage the
achievement of qualitative and quantitative standards, inc. service Delivery
Indicators, verifying and signing off documents. Analyse and act upon data, which
is relevant to offender management delivery
• Ensure that the offender management delivery function produces and analyses
audit and establishment performance management information identifying
variances and areas requiring improvements
• Accountable for the team and individual prison Offender Manager’s quality and
delivery of good practice within the OMU. Ensure that the quality of offender
management in custody is improved and maintained
• Quality assure delivery of key worker activities
• To ‘self-audit’ and use ‘user engagement tools’ to support quality assurance work,
including dip sampling the quality of HDC and ROTL reports. To use any quality
assurance tools as per the offender management model, for example, the Quality
Assurance process for parole reports.
• Manage the quality assurance system, assessing the output, timeliness, accuracy
and quality of the work produced by prison Offender Managers
• Ensure all performance measures and outputs are produced in a timely fashion,
for example, monthly MAPPA returns (performance measure), ViSOR Audit
• Responsible for OPD performance quality requirements
Staff Development:
• Ensure all prison Offender Managers are trained and competent to perform duties
in line with their role, ensuring professional development is maintained
• Assess prison Offender Managers competency in relation to offender
management delivery and manage appropriately in line with the HMPPS HR
policy
• Oversee the skills, professional development and training of the prison key
workers
• Plan an overall package of on-going training/case reflections/learning
opportunities for key worker and prison Offender Managers; ensuring prison
Offender Managers undertake case reflection with key workers
• Ensure that prison Offender Managers have access to appropriate training, both
prison and probation training, enabling prison Offender Managers to undertake
their duties and develop professionally
• Ensure relevant induction training for all new prison Offender Managers is
undertaken, which will include as a minimum, familiarisation of the establishment,
personal protection, security awareness, fire safety and ACCT training
Stakeholder Engagement and Multi-agency work:
• Ensure that Divisional NPS leadership are informed of prison strategic plans
• Ensure timely information flows between prison and NPS in the community and
promote effective communication
• Maintain and build relationships, promoting prison staff co-operation and effective
communication between NPS staff based in the community
• Ensure work within the OMU and across the prison, has a focus on risk and
offender management, promoting effective links with external statutory
partnerships such as MAPPA
• Ensure good links with other agencies / departments in the prison, such as Drug
and Alcohol services, Mental Health Providers, Education etc.....
• Develop effective relationships with Through The Gate providers
• Where commissioned, support and promote the implementation and use of
Restorative Justice face to face victim prisoner conferencing models, enabling
those affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and
finding a positive way forward
• Ensure good links with NPS and CRC teams in the community and other
agencies such as Children Young Peoples Service, Adult Services, Police, Mental
Health, Community Safety Partnerships and Integrated Offender Management
teams
Other
• Ensure all staff within the function provide a respectful, safe and decent
environment for all prisoners and staff
• Manage prisoner’s complaints process in relation to complaints made against
prison Offender Managers
• Contribute to the strategic business plan for the establishment, with overall
responsibility for implementation of offender management delivery
• Attend relevant boards/meetings and actively contribute either as chair or team
member
• Responsible for ensuring defined work areas and associated activities comply
with Health and Safety legislation. Ensure all risk assessments are undertaken
and line managed staff are made aware of their personal responsibility towards
Health and Safety compliance.