HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 7
Directorate: Community Interventions
Job Description - Post Release Casework Senior Team
Manager - Review PPCS
Document Ref.
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager -
Review PPCS v2.0
Document Type
Management
Version
2.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
20/01/20
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0
Job Description
Job Title
Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Review PPCS
Directorate
Community Interventions
Band
7
Overview of the job
The Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) is placed within the Public Protection
Group within the Community Interventions Directorate. The post of Review Senior
Team Manager, Post Release Casework within PPCS, is based in HQ and is located in
Southern House, East Croydon. It is not classified as operational, although PPCS
delivers frontline public protection casework, which would otherwise fall to prison
and probation officers. There are approximately 8,000 recalled prisoners in custody
at any point in time and PPCS recalls approximately 23,000 prisoners a year. The
Review team is responsible for case-managing the review of recalled prisoners,
liaising with prison and probation, handling Parole Board oral hearings, managing
the statutory annual review process and deciding when and whether to exercise the
Secretary of State’s power to re-release recalled prisoners, on the basis of proposed
risk management plans being sufficient to ensure the safe management of the
offender in the community.
The Senior Team Manager will manage a casework team with specific responsibility
for overseeing the case management of the review of recalled offenders and
exercising the Secretary of State’s statutory release power by deciding whether it is
safe to re-release high risk of harm recalled determinate sentence prisoners, most of
whom have a history of sexual and violent offending. They consider release reports,
taking account of professional risk assessments and release plans provided by
Community and HQ based probation staff. They will make the final decision to
whether to release without reference to senior managers; such decisions are open
to scrutiny and have a direct impact on the safety of the public. Poor decisions can
also lead to reputational damage. They will also provide an essential interface with
senior managers within the National Probation Service (NPS), Community
Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and senior managers within the Prison Service and
Parole Board and will be responsible for working with these bodies to deliver system
wide improvements to performance in respect of the review and re-release of
recalled offenders. They will also be responsible for the day to day management of a
team of Band 4 staff and ensuring that the team undertakes its review role
efficiently and effectively.
Senior Team Managers are expected to have or quickly to acquire a sound
understanding of risk assessment and risk management as well as probation
practices so that they are able to make informed risk assessments before taking
release decisions in individual cases.
The Senior Team Managers are line managed by the Deputy Head of Casework (Band
8). Their responsibilities are:
? Overseeing the on-going review of detention of 14,000 recalled offenders a
year, who have been assessed by the Parole Board as presenting an
unacceptable risk for re-release.
? Ensuring that there are effective and efficient casework processes in place
to deliver timely and high quality casework decisions.
? Deciding whether to re-release on behalf of the Secretary of State
determinate sentence recalled prisoners, basing the decision on a sound
understanding of risk assessment and risk management and taking into
account professional risk assessments and risk management plans.
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0
? Close liaison with Parole Board casework managers to ensure that cases are
successfully identified and diverted away from being released through oral
hearing and instead considered under the SofS release powers.
? Acting as the lead contact for specific NPS divisions and CRCs and liaising
with managers in those divisions and CRCs to develop and enhance
operational practice in respect of the review and re-release of recalled
prisoners.
? Handling complex casework, judicial reviews, applications for non-
disclosure and compensation claims as directed.
? Handling Ministerial & TO Correspondence and FOI & Data Protection
Enquiries as directed.
? Representing PPCS and giving presentations to meetings of internal and
external stakeholders as directed.
? A member of the PPCS Senior Management Team (Band 7 and above).
? Substitutes/deputises for Deputy Head of Casework when they are absent,
taking decisions and attending meetings as appropriate.
Team Managers report to a Deputy Head of Casework (Band 8).
Summary
The job holder will be responsible for directly managing a team of 10 case managers
(Band 4) whose main responsibilities are the review of recalled offender’s ongoing
detention, liaising with probation service colleagues and identifying offenders whose
cases may be assessed as suitable for re-release either by referral to the Parole
Board or by use of the Secretary of State’s executive re-release power. The case
manager is responsible for drafting release proposals for final consideration by the
Senior Team Manager. The job holder will report to the Deputy Head of Post
Release (Review). They will be responsible for the day to day operation of their
team and will be the decision maker in respect of whether to exercise the Secretary
of State’s statutory release power in respect of determinate sentence recalled
prisoners.
Their responsibilities include: overseeing and managing on a day to day basis an
efficient and timely review process for 14,000 determinate sentence recalled
prisoners. The post holder must ensure that these cases receive ongoing reviews, as
appropriate, and that there are effective systems in place to ensure that prisoners
who are safe to be re-released are being identified and swiftly case managed to the
point of release. They will also be responsible for quality assuring the work of the
case managers and ensuring that training and support is provided so that their
release proposals are of a consistently high quality. They are also responsible for
ensuring that all casework is completed on time and against performance targets.
The post holder is responsible for taking decisions whether to authorise the re-
release of recalled prisoners, without reference to senior managers or ministers, but
with the assistance of seconded probation staff by taking account of professional risk
assessments and release plans provided by community and HQ based probation
staff. They make the final decision to release, without reference to senior managers;
such decisions are open to scrutiny and have a direct impact on the safety of the
public. Poor decisions can also lead to reputational damage to the Department.
They are expected quickly to develop a sound understanding of risk assessment and
risk management.
The post holder will be the point of contact for managers in specified divisions of the
NPS and specified CRCs. They will attend regular virtual meetings with NPS and CRC
managers to discuss, develop and enhance practice and performance in respect of
the review and re-release of determinate recalled prisoners. They will feed back
through senior PPCS managers to the NPS Probation in Prisons group.
The post holder will work collaboratively with Parole Board case managers to ensure
that joint review and release processes are working effectively and that cases are
being diverted from release through oral hearing to release using the SofS statutory
power.
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0
The post holder will also have responsibility for handling of applications to the Parole
Board to withhold sensitive information from the prisoner. The post holder is
required to identify complex/high profile cases and provide advice to senior
managers, including the SCS Head of Group, and first draft responses to letters
before action etc. They will be required to take a range of routine operational
decisions and ensure that their case managers are being supported and developed
and that SPDR/performance/attendance procedures are being applied in accordance
with HMPPS instructions.
They will support the Deputy Head of Casework with the analysis of performance
management information, identifying defects and devising solutions.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
Activities and Duties
and duties:
? Managing 10 staff, including line management and supervisory
responsibilities, holding regular bilaterals, cascading information to team
members and convening weekly team meetings. This work also involves
monitoring sick absence and performance.
? Deciding whether recalled prisoners can be safely re-released back into the
community, on the basis of up to date risk assessments and risk
management plans, by taking account of professional risk assessments and
release plans provided by community and HQ based probation staff. They
make the final decision to release without reference to senior managers;
such decisions are open to scrutiny and have a direct impact on the safety
of the public. Poor decisions can also lead to reputational damage to the
Department.
? Developing, maintaining and applying the disciplines of risk assessment and
risk management, and the tools used for each, so that their decisions are
properly informed ones and do not place the public at unnecessary risk of
harm.
? Ensuring that 14,000 recalled prisoners have their ongoing detention
reviewed at reasonable and appropriate intervals and that prison, NPS &
CRC staff are actively engaged in these reviews.
? Quality assuring the work of the team and ensuring that it is completed
with target.
? Ensuring that cases are being diverted from resource-intensive oral hearings
wherever possible and instead being considered for re-release through the
SofS statutory powers.
? Developing excellent working relationships with managers in the NPS,
Parole Board, prisons and CRCs and ensuring regular contact with specific
leads so that the overall performance of the recall review and re-release
process is efficient and effective.
? Contributing to the development of review operational practice in both
prisons, NPS and CRCs, including delivering training to front line staff.
? Handling applications to the Board for the non-disclosure of sensitive
information,
? Ensuring that appropriate PPCS staff represent CRCs at Parole Board oral
hearings, and in doing so, ensuring that there are effective lines of
communication between PPCS/NPS/CRC staff to enable effective
preparation of cases.
? Approval of expenses and overtime claims.
? Escalating serious/significant review casework issues within prisons,
probation and the Parole Board which undermine the overall performance
of the review process. These might include NPS/CRCs failing to send OM
witnesses to Parole Board oral hearings, or persistent failure to submit
reports for recall dossiers on time, thus affecting the timely re-release of
recalled prisoners.
? Compiling and analysing weekly management information for the Deputy
Head of Casework to ensure that all work is being delivered on target and is
being recorded on the database correctly.
? Investigating causes of failures to meet targets within their teams and
proposing solutions, as well as keeping processes under review and
identifying efficiencies and improvements.
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0
? Approving recalls for life sentenced prisoners and challenging managers in
NPS in cases where statutory tests for recall have not been met.
? As directed identify complex/high profile cases and provide advice to senior
managers and first draft responses to letters before action etc.
? Assist Head/Deputy Head of Casework with the handling of Judicial Reviews
raised by ISPs and determinate sentenced prisoners, in consultation with
Legal Directorate and Government Legal Department.
? Ensure that PPCS database is accurately updated by team members;
milestones are completed; and documents and minutes are uploaded and
that Quality Assurance systems are applied.
? Contribute to the work that colleagues are undertaking to digitalise the
recall and review process.
? Undertake additional activities including sitting on recruitment panels,
attending and advising capability hearings and providing first draft
ministerial submissions.
? Play an active role in the work of the PPCS Senior Management Team.
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.
Behaviours
? Making Effective Decisions
? Leadership
? Communicating and Influencing
? Delivering at Pace
? Changing and Improving
? Managing a Quality Service
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Experience
None
Technical
None
Requirements
Ability
None
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 HMPPS consider to be racist.
Hours of Work
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0
Success Profile
Strengths
Behaviours
It is advised strengths
Ability
Experience
Technical
are chosen locally,
recommended 4-8
Making Effective Decisions
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Changing and Improving
Managing a Quality Service
HQ-JES-2300 Post Release Casework Senior Team Manager - Release PPCS v2.0