HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 4
Directorate: Prisons
Job Description: Category A Review Officer
Document Ref.
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0
Document Type
Management
Version
2.0
Classification
Unclassified
Date of Issue
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Head of Group
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0
HQ Job Description
Job Title
Category A Review Officer
Directorate
Prisons
Band
4
Overview of the job
The job holder will be a member of a small team responsible for security category
casework for category A and Restricted Status prisoners.
The caseworker manages their own caseload and reports directly to the Head of the
Review Team, who in turn reports to the Head of the Category A Team.
The caseworker post is Headquarters based and is part of the Category A Team, Long
Term and High Security Prisons Group.
Travel to establishments, Government legal Services Departments, Counsel Chambers
and Courts may be required.
No line management responsibility
This is a non - operational post but needs a good understanding of operational
matters.
Summary
The primary function of the Category A Team is the categorisation, allocation and
movement of all Category A and Restricted Status prisoners.
The post holder will be required to liaise with prisons in the Long Term and High
Security Estate, and stakeholders in the MOJ, Police advisors, external partnerships,
Prison Service Ombudsman and Government legal Service Departments.
The post holder is responsible for providing support and guidance on policy to Long
Term and High Security prisons and other stakeholders in the MOJ in relation to
category A and Restricted Status prisoner’s security category reviews.
The post holder will be responsible for managing a caseload of newly convicted and
sentenced category A Prisoners and Restricted status prisoners including prisoner
correspondence, legal correspondence and judicial reviews. Most cases will be high
profile and present significant financial and ongoing operational and reputational risk
for the Service.
The post holder is responsible for ensuring security category reports received are
completed to high standard and quality assured to ensure the prisoner has the
opportunity for fair representation and evaluation of their case. The job will involve
reviewing and assessing, police case summaries, court documents, probation reports
and information in relation the prisoner’s conduct and behaviour previous to and in
custody.
The post holder has delegated authority to make decisions in relation to security
category reviews where no recommendation for downgrading has been made an
establishment level and the case is not scheduled to be reviewed at a Category A
Panel.
The post holder will prepare submissions of cases to be reviewed and attend monthly
Category A Panels to make recommendations the Executive Director of Long Term
and High Security Prisons Estate as appropriate. Detailed outcomes of caseload
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0
decisions made at the panel will be drafted and sent out by the job holder to the
prisoner.
The post holder is expected to gain and maintain a good working knowledge of
psychological terms, processes, assessment and courses in order to inform decisions
and recommendations on risk reduction and security category.
The post holder is expected to ensure that a consistent and coherent approach is
adopted in the reviews of category A, restricted status cases to protect the interest of
the Service and the wider public.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
Activities & Duties
and duties:
? To personally lead on and manage a designated caseload of Security
Category reviews for convicted Category A and Restricted Status prisoners,
that includes some high risk and occasionally high profile cases. Ensuring that
reports and relevant information is available and timescales are met in line
with current PSI.
? Lead on all correspondence for designated caseload of convicted category A
and Restricted Status prisoners, which will include prisoners, complaints,
prisoners relatives, prison establishments, legal representatives, private
psychological reports, Government Legal Dept, Counsel in relation to
possible/ongoing litigation, ombudsman, NOMS and other MOJ stakeholders
and external organisations.
? To liaise with relevant stakeholders to ensure the necessary information is
available to assist in the Director, Head of Category A, Head of Casework and
Category A Team caseworkers to inform the decision making process.
? To act as first point of contact for designated caseload.
? To liaise with prison establishments in providing advice and guidance in
relation to Category A reviews. To support Category A Clerks in prison
establishments.
? Assess and prepare case summaries of designated caseload of (provisional)
convicted Category A and Restricted Status prisoners for First formal
Reviews, ensuring the correct information is recorded and available. This will
include case summaries and related chronologies. Ensuring the correct
information is sent and disclosed to the prisoner within timescale set.
? Prepare case summaries in the form of submissions for First Formal and
Annual Reviews for the monthly Pre - Panel meeting with Police Advisers and
National Crime Agency (NCA). This will involve summarising key aspects of
relevant information i.e. police information, judges sentencing remarks,
offending history and any other reports to allow for an informed decision to
be made. Attend and assist in making recommendations to the Director of all
submitted panel cases.
? Prepare submissions with recommendation for Directors' monthly panel.
Attend Panel Meeting and advise the Director when required on First
Formals and Annual review cases.
? Liaise with the Head of Casework when considering a case to be referred to
the Director’s monthly panel.
? To draft and send out decisions to the prisoner of cases considered by
Directors' monthly panel in timescale set. Manage any subsequent
correspondence relating to a completed review, including legal, prisoners,
and Ombudsman.
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0
? Responsibility for assessing and making decisions on designated caseload of
Category A Team Annual Reviews not considered at panel level. To draft and
send out final Annual review decisions within timescales set. Work will
involve making an assessment and analysis of all available information to
make an informed decision. This may include reading sensitive and
sometimes graphic information related to the prisoners offending behaviour,
the prisoners' custodial behaviour, Prison Psychology Assessments and
Reports, medical reports, offending behaviour programmes reports and post
programme reports, prison security intelligence, solicitors and prisoner
representations as well as privately commissioned psychological reports.
? Ensuring that all information for Category A and Restricted Status Annual
Reviews are quality assured to ensure a fair consistent approach is adopted.
This will involve setting out clear justifications for each decision ensuring all
cases are assessed against the relevant criteria.
? To implement any relevant Judicial Review findings into caseload decisions.
? Maintain a log of cases received recorded and completed. To ensure case
tracking is up to date so as to enable accurate timetable of reports to be
generated.
? Ensure the correct file management of all category A and Restricted Status
prisoners, including liaising with Branston Registry.
? Respond to all initial Judicial Review correspondence and advise Government
Legal Department in preparation of cases and ongoing Litigation.
? Attend case conferences when required ensuring relevant paperwork is
available.
? Prepare and provide witness statement in defence of litigation as required.
? Attend Court and meetings to represent the Director in Judicial review
hearings as required.
? To present cases at the Pre - Panel and Monthly Director's panel meetings in
the absence of the Head of Casework. To take minutes of the meeting to
assist in drafting panel decisions.
? Provide briefs on Category A review issues for Category A Manager when
required.
? Cover reporting in line during core office hours.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not
intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable
alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant
adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation scheme and shall
be discussed in the first instance with the Job Holder.
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0
Competencies
When there is a need to recruit to this post, competencies will need to be defined by
the Recruiting Manager.
The 4 Competency Framework clusters and their respective 15 competency indicators
are shown below:
Setting Direction:
Seeing the Big Picture; Changing & Improving: Making Effective Decisions
Delivering Results:
Achieving Commercial Outcomes; Delivering Value for Money; Managing a Quality
Service: Delivering at Pace
Engaging People:
Leading and Communicating; Collaborating and Partnering; Building Capability for All
NOMS Specific Skills and Behaviours:
Achieving a Safe, Decent and Secure Environment; Showing Drive and Resilience;
Caring; Persuading and Influencing; Acts with Integrity
In choosing competencies to recruit to, the recruiting manager should select around 4,
but no more than 6 competency areas to include in the advert.
There may be additional professional competencies a Recruiting Manager will also
need to include if recruiting for one of the designated Civil Service Professions e.g. HR,
Health & Safety, Statistical Service, IT.
Please refer to the Civil Service Learning Portal - Professions Page for further details.
https://civilservicelearning.civilservice.gov.uk/learning/
NB: you need to be registered on Civil Service Learning to access the portal pages.
Minimum Eligibility
? All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up
post
? All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates
are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period
within HMPPS
? All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or
organisation which the Prison Service consider to be racist
Essential
Skills N/a
Qualifications,
accreditation
&
Registration
Hours
of
Work 37 hours
(Unsocial
Hours)
Allowances
HQ-JES-0703_Category A Review Officer_v2.0