Quality Development Officer - Fixed Term/Detached Duty - South Central

This is a specialist Probation Officer post, in which the post holder has specific responsibility to contribute to the development of excellence in the quality of work undertaken with offenders and victims in the National Probation Service (NPS). The post holder will have no line management responsibilities.

The post holder will be part of the Divisional Performance & Quality team. They will work in partnership with divisional/local managers, practice tutor assessors and operational staff to promote high quality work through the delivery of quality assurance and improvement activities including audit and analysis, practice workshops, coaching and support to colleagues. The post holder must demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion, understand the relevance of those principles to their work, and adhere to all policies regarding the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties:

• Deliver quality assurance activities as part of the national effective practice programme, and review the impact of these activities on operational practice.
• Deliver practice improvement workshops and briefings to POs and PSOs, and review the impact of these interventions on practice.
• Support the re‑launch and deployment of Skills for Effective Engagement Development and Supervision (SEEDS).
• Undertake audits of key work, provide analysis and feedback to staff, and contribute to local improvement and quality plans.
• Work in partnership with local managers to develop audit and improvement activities based on local and divisional need and evidence from audits, inspections and case reviews arising from serious further offences, domestic homicides, serious case reviews.
• Provide support to local managers in delivering improvement activities to staff in informal/formal capability processes.
• As agreed with line manager, provide focussed 1:1 support to POs and PSOs involved in formal capability processes based on the improvement plans drawn up by line managers.
• Plan and support quality improvement in their cluster/function with local managers.
• Provide coaching and support to groups of staff whose roles are changing.
• Play an integral role in the divisional performance and quality team in implementing the national performance and quality programme.
• Provide guidance and support to SPOs to undertake quality assurance work.
• Respond to risk escalation requests raised by Community Rehabilitation Companies, determine risk level and, if endorsed by a manager, decide how high‑risk cases will be managed.
• Carry out safeguarding child and adult duties in accordance with NPS statutory responsibilities and agency policies.
• Demonstrate and promote pro‑social modelling skills by consistently reinforcing pro‑social behaviour and attitudes and challenging anti‑social behaviour and attitudes.
• Work within the aims and values of NPS and HMPPS.

Behaviours:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Evidence of undertaking good quality probation work. Evidence of working collaboratively with others to improve quality. Experience of working with a wide variety of people and communities who have experienced a range of social/personal difficulties. Experience of working with individuals and groups in order to motivate and change offending behaviour. Evidence of analysing information and using it to design an action plan to meet specific goals.

Technical requirements:

Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma or Honours Degree in Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice; or a qualification recognised by the Secretary of State for Justice under Section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007. Previously recognised qualifications include:

• Diploma in Probation Studies
• Diploma in Social Work (with Probation Option)
• CQSW (with Probation Option)

Hours of Work: 37 hours per week

Working Arrangements & Further Information: 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 (the role can only be worked in the UK). Hybrid working will not suit everyone’s circumstances; arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate 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 upon after completion of pre‑employment checks.

Benefits:

• Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and increases to 30 days after five years’ service, plus public holidays. Leave for part‑time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro‑rata basis.
• Pension: The National Probation Service is covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) run through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF). Current civil servants who are members of the PCSPS will be opted out of the PCSPS and auto‑enrolled into the LGPS when they accept an offer of employment.
• Training: The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
• Networks: Employees may join employee‑run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed directly to senior management. Current networks include those for minority ethnic origin, disabilities, caring responsibilities, women and LGBTQ+ people.
• Support: Family friendly policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share. Flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services. Access to alternative government childcare support schemes. Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave. Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Eligibility (Civil Service Nationality Rules): This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre‑settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre‑settled status under the EUSS
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service