Senior Managing Chaplain in Eccleshall

This is a management job which provides leadership and facilitates/enables religious and pastoral care to prisoners and staff within an establishment.

This is a non-operational job with line management responsibilities for leading and managing a multi-faith and belief chaplaincy team. Although a managerial role rather than being faith or belief specific, post holders must be endorsed by the respective HMPPS Faith and Belief Adviser. The job holder will provide religious and pastoral care for prisoners and staff in their own faith tradition, and appropriate care for all regardless of faith. The role involves ensuring delivery of PSI 05/2016 Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners policy, and broader chaplaincy work, to assure Governor and Head of Chaplaincy/Profession that policies are delivered. Responsible for building relationships with support and volunteer groups and, where appropriate, act as Official Prison Visitor Liaison Officer. Maintains own spiritual health through private prayer/reflection, study and retreat.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties:

• Lead and manage a multi-faith chaplaincy team, ensuring chaplains are available and accessible, administrate chaplaincy, maintain records, promote HMPPS policy in all activities.
• Handle prisoner complaints and incidents of potential discrimination, conduct investigations, report findings.
• Ensure chaplains and volunteers receive necessary training, development, mentoring and support.
• Accountable for performance, manage achievements of qualitative and quantitative standards, verify documentation, analyse data, attend boards/meetings and produce reports.
• Provide pastoral care and spiritual welfare for prisoners and staff, distribute faith literature and materials, arrange worship/meditation for own faith community, organise ceremonies such as hospital visits, weddings, funerals.
• Provide expert faith/belief advice, support observance of holy days, lead workshops and prayer/faith meetings.
• Deliver awareness programmes for prisoners, including bereavement and life‑line programmes, and faith/belief awareness training for staff.
• Collaborate with Safer Custody for deaths in custody procedures, ACCT, violence reduction, liaise with families, hospitals, coroners.
• Engage with resettlement issues, build contacts with faith communities and agencies for prisoner resettlement.
• Accountable for budget, People Plan targets, develop local policy and procedures, implement national policy, ensure compliance with risk assessments.
• Act on action plans from HMIP, QuAD, MQPL surveys, self‑audit and Resettlement strategies.
• Accept reasonable alterations to tasks and incorporate reasonable adjustments via the Job Evaluation Scheme.
• Communicate in English; Welsh where specified in Wales.

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Essential Experience:

• Complete specific training to hold qualification for area of specialism outlined on relevant job description.
• Faith/Belief eligibility: Anglican ordained clergy, Christian ordained clergy, Roman Catholic clergy, Latter‑Day Saints, Free Church clergy, non‑ordained clergy, etc. (Refer to Group Profile for full list).
• Proven experience and skills in pastoral care and pastoral leadership, including crisis events.

Technical Requirements:

• Formal recognised qualification in theology or religious study; experience, endorsements from faith community.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances:

• 37‑hour working week. Role requires working regular unsocial hours outside 0700‑1900 hrs Monday to Friday, including evenings, nights, weekends and bank/public holidays. An unsocial hour allowance will be paid in addition to basic pay.

Eligibility and EEO Statement:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries with the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members with settled or pre‑settled status under the EUSS
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members who have applied for settled or pre‑settled status under the EUSS
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible for EUSS before 31 Dec 2020
• Turkish nationals and certain family members who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

All individuals meeting the above criteria are encouraged to apply. The Civil Service is an equal opportunity employer and commits to providing reasonable adjustments to candidates with disabilities.