Head of Casework Team (Mental Health Casework Section)

Regular verbal contact with other professionals requiring good spoke English - doctors, social workers, probation officers, police etc. 60% office attendance required. All PPG roes are hybrid, 2 days per week in the office (FTE). This role is part time so 1 day per week in the office at 1 Ruskin Square Croydon., The Mental Health Casework Section (MHCS) sits in the Public Protection Group of the HMPPS Wales & Public Protection Directorate. This is a Headquarters based post. The main function of MHCS is to discharge the Justice Secretary's functions under the Mental Health Act 1983. This involves the transfer of prisoners to and from hospital, and the management of other restricted patients diverted for treatment at the point of sentence who are either detained in hospital or conditionally discharged to live in the community under supervision. MHCS takes decisions on recall, community leave, transfer and provides advice and training to stakeholders including clinicians on the management of restricted patients. The job holder leads one of three casework teams in MHCS, and is accountable for decisions made on behalf of the Secretary of State in respect of approx. 7,600+ restricted patients (mentally disordered offenders who present a risk of significant harm to the public). The Head of Team takes personal responsibility for the management of high profile cases, and takes personally the decisions that have the greatest impact on the protection of the public. The post holder also manages all litigation arising from the team's caseload, including instructing Treasury Solicitor and attending conferences with counsel as necessary. On occasion, the post holder will be required to give evidence in court as a witness. The post holder also deals with all Ministerial Correspondence. This is a leadership role and the post holder sets the direction for the team, cascading information, guidance and support, and ensuring that the views of the team are represented at Senior Management Team meetings. In addition the job holder will lead on one or more key business priorities for MHCS identifying the priority actions, planning the approach, checking legal or consequential issues and producing any agreed deliverables. As part of this process the job holder will undertake the necessary stakeholder liaison. The post holder reports to the Head of Mental Health Casework Section., The job holder is accountable (jointly with 2 other Heads of Casework Teams) for a caseload of 7,600+ restricted patients, and the performance of a team of 15 who take decisions on behalf of the Secretary of State. The post holder takes personal responsibility for the management of a small number of very high profile cases, manages the section's high profile cases collectively and takes the decisions on the recall and discharge of all patients. The decision making requires the analysis of clinical and legal reports, and balancing the rights of the patient to rehabilitation against the need to protect the public from harm, within the legal framework of the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation. The post holder is required to seek specialist legal advice to support decision making and to lead the department's response to litigation challenges, some of which may require subsequent changes to operational policy. The post holder will represent the department regularly, delivering training, making presentations and attending meetings with stakeholders involved in the management of mentally disordered offenders. They manage their own work and that of the team to deliver casework to targets, and establish good working relationships with other agencies involved in the management of restricted patients. They use management information (such as casework outputs, data on backlogs and quality assurance assessments), to monitor and manage the performance of the team to ensure that workload and resources are managed effectively, defensible decisions are taken and agreed processes followed. The work concerns dangerous mentally disordered offenders and much of the material handled is of a disturbing and sensitive nature. It is rare to have direct contact with patients but it is not unusual to have difficult conversations with a number of stakeholders who have a different view of the decision that should be made. In order to undertake their role, the post holder will have advanced understanding of the legislative framework, caselaw, Department of Health and Social Care guidance and the facilities available for the management of restricted patients.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Lead a team of 15, to ensure that performance and quality targets are met, individual staff potential is developed and good morale is maintained.
• Take overall responsibility for the management of approximately 7,600+ restricted patients, including direct responsibility for the management of sensitive, problematic and/or high profile cases as appropriate, through the effective use of the Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD) and by the analysis and assessment of the clinical evidence available, ensuring that the risk to the public is identified and appropriately managed.
• Ensure timeliness targets are met to quality assure, using the quality assurance (QA) framework, a sample of the team's decisions every month and deliver high quality, constructive feedback as part of the QA process.
• Provide an on-call service to deal with urgent work out of hours approximately one week in six as a minimum (this may attract an on-call payment dependent upon the candidate's contract).
• Liaise with clinicians, social supervisors and other personnel involved in the management of mentally disordered offenders, plus with other statutory and non‑statutory agencies and organisations to build effective working relationships, including hosting and presenting at Section Open Days.
• Work as a supportive and flexible member of the SMT, taking a strategic approach to the wider management of the Section, including the development of operational policy, and owning and delivering business plan commitments to deliver continuous change and improvement across MHCS.
• Lead on all litigation cases and Ministerial correspondence relating to restricted patients.
• Provide briefings and submissions for Minsters on high profile restricted patients on behalf of the Head of Group.
• Manage the development and delivery of effective guidance relating to the management of restricted patients, working with stakeholders across HMPPS, HMCTS, MoJ, DHSC, NHS and Local Authorities to ensure effective management of restricted patients.

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.

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre‑employment checks. Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy. If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered. Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit 250 Changing and Improving Leadership Seeing the Big Picture Experience We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods CV or Work History Evidence of Experience CV or Work HistoryInterview stage assessments Interview Dates To Be Confirmed Behaviours Communicating and Influencing Leadership Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service Strengths Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here. Level of security checks required DBS Standard

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

Ability

• The individual must be able to demonstrate a proven track record of delivery and achievement.
• The individual must have strong written skills, verbal and non‑verbal communication skills.
• The individual must be able to demonstrate self‑motivation, resilience and the ability to handle significant level of pressure whilst delivering outcomes.

Experience Essential

• Experience of managing a team to deliver quality outcomes.
• Experience of delivering in a fast‑paced environment with competing priorities on your time and that of your team.
• Experience of briefing senior managers and Ministers on relevant issues.

Desirable

• Experience of case work and working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 (full training on the legislation will be provided).

Annual Leave

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