Job Title

Head of Quality Assurance, Training & Prisoner Casework

Directorate

Public Protection

Band

8

Overview of the job

The Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) is placed within the Directorate for South West, South Central and Public Protection Group (PPG). The role is not operational, although the business objectives of PPCS are focused on delivering frontline public protection casework and supporting prisons and the Probation Service in doing the same.

The job holder has accountability / responsibility for two distinct teams - Quality Assurance & Training and Prisoner Casework with line management responsibilities within each.

The Quality Assurance & Training (QAT) Team provides direct and essential support to enhance the performance of frontline public protection casework both within PPCS and across prisons and the Probation Service nationally.

The Prisoner Casework (PCW) Team is responsible for the delivery of around 4,500 pieces of Ministerial, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and general correspondence and casework each year from across the prison estate, including the appeal process for adjudications.

Summary

This is a busy, demanding and challenging leadership role where the job holder oversees the management of up to 30 Band 3 - Band 7 staff, with direct line management responsibilities for 3 Band 7 members of staff.

The post-holder will have ultimate accountability for a critical HMPPS-wide database which supports fully electronic caseworking across PPCS, leading on working with third party suppliers and external stakeholders for strategic development and operational changes, as well as overseeing the production of accurate statistical information for both external publication and internal use, working closely with the Senior Statistician.

They will be ultimately accountable for the development of a staff training strategy and the ongoing development of operational guidance across PPCS. The job holder will also be responsible for developing an internal audit / compliance strategy to identify areas of risks and control weaknesses and developing an action plan to mitigate such risks; overseeing a high-profile correspondence function; responsibility for the delivery by a third party of a critical out of hours telephony service, and take the lead in setting the agenda for PPCS Senior Management team meetings.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Lead the Quality Assurance, Training & Prisoner Casework Team (up to 30 staff);

• Responsibility for over 5,200 users of the critical database ensuring this operates effectively to deliver the Department’s business, monitoring and negotiating with IT consultants and other database stakeholders, some independent of HMPPS, ensuring DPA compliance and seeking cost-effective solutions to day-to-day operation issues;

• Provide strategic leadership in delivering database enhancement, identifying the scope for facilitating further efficiencies and performance improvement;

• Oversight, and development of as required, parole and recall casework performance quality assurance systems, including report writing and running;

• Responsibility for multi-agency performance data, drawn from our database and overseeing the challenge process of performance data for the timeliness of probation report delivery (that forms part of the KPI reporting suite), including being the final decision maker in the escalation process;

• Develop and maintain a training strategy, as well as overseeing and contributing to, the production of training material and the delivery of training courses, for both internal and external stakeholders, including a programme of management development and lunch and learn sessions;

• Maintain effective quality assurance processes to maximise data quality;

• Oversee the preparation of data, with the Senior Statistician, for the quarterly publication of Unlawfully At Large Offenders following recall;

• Provide responses to Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests (and oversee the management and allocation of such), as well as contributing statistical information for Ministerial submissions, via the Head of PPCS and/or the Head of PPG, in conjunction with the Senior Statistician;

• Oversee the provision of an out of hours on call service to deal with urgent recalls to custody of offenders in the community, and possible participation in the out of hours rota, including all service-related issues related to the out of hours service, leading on any future contract extensions, re-tendering and/or amendments, and representing PPCS in fortnightly service review meetings.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the role 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.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Changing and Improving

• Making Effective Decisions

• Communicating and Influencing

• Working Together

• Delivering at Pace

Strengths

(Note: we recommend you choose 4 to 8 strengths locally - select from the list of Civil Service strength definitions on the intranet.

• Challenger

• Adaptable

• Analytical

• Explainer

• Networker

• Organiser

Experience

• Wide knowledge of the strategic priorities of the organisation and how these relate to public safety.

• Practical knowledge of IT databases, internal audit and training methodologies.

• Knowledge of the workings of central government departments and the drivers, targets and measures of business performance in a public service environment.

• Knowledge of procedures for working with and preparing correspondence for Ministers.

Technical Requirements

None

Ability

Familiarity with IT and the Microsoft Office packages is essential.

Willingness to learn other relevant databases.

Must be able to draft to a very high standard.

Must have a grounding in risk / assessment of operational processes

Minimum Eligibility

Please do not alter this box

• 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 HMPPS consider to be racist.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

Leave Blank

To be used by the JES Team only