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Overview of the job     

HMPPS’s efforts to tackle corruption are integral to delivering safe and secure prisons and probation. HMPPS has worked with MoJ to identify that a new approach is needed to ensure we remain resilient to this key operational threat.

HMPPS has developed a future strategy for tackling corruption in HMPPS based on four key objectives:

• ‘Protect’ against corruption by building an open and resilient organisation;
• ‘Prevent’ people from engaging in corruption, strengthen professional integrity;
• ‘Pursue’ and punish those who are corrupt; and
• ‘Prepare’ for corruption, reducing its impacts on our teams.

These objectives will need to be delivered at every level through prisons and probation, in particular, strengthening our resilience on the front line. Security, Order and Counter Terrorism (SOCT) Directorate is taking forward improvements, including restructuring the Counter Corruption Unit, to provide senior operational leaders, prisons and probation teams with an improved counter-corruption service.

This role is non-operational with no line management responsibilities and is not rotational.

Summary          

The role sits in the newly restructured Counter Corruption Unit (CCU). Its objectives are to support prisons and probation to manage corruption threats, in particular supporting establishments to prevent corruption within HMPPS.

The core service of this role is to support prisons with their administration of their counter corruption caseload. The role will involve providing the administration support for two establishments on behalf of the regional counter corruption team and work alongside the local counter corruption manager to effectively manage the threat of corruption in prison establishments.

The role will also be responsible for supporting prisons on the effective management of known corruptor prisoners in custody to prevent them from corrupting staff.

The job holder will report directly to the Regional Corruption Pursue Manager, who in turn reports to the Regional Corruption Pursue Lead.

The post holder will not have management responsibilities.

This is a regional post and will be based in two establishments. Daily travel to one of these prisons and frequent travel to the regional offices will be required. Occasional travel outside the region (e.g. to London) may be required.

This role may involve contact with prisoners depending on their area of work.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties  

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

• Having a contemporaneous understanding of the operational context in prisons priorities, risks and opportunities to better tackle corruption.
• Having an understanding of the relevant legal and policy frameworks relating to corruption, security and HR, and making sure these are followed when providing services to prisons.
• Organise, produce and maintain accurate records for the local counter corruption manager.
• Act as contact point for all communications to the counter corruption team, prioritise and distribute to the local counter corruption manager in the establishment and the regional counter corruption team.
• Complete any monitoring returns required on behalf of the establishment for the counter corruption unit.
• Co-ordinate any awareness sessions on behalf of the counter corruption unit.
• Prepare paperwork for checking by their manager, conducting initial checks as required.
• Correspond with relevant stakeholders and agencies to ensure that they are aware of information related to Corruption and that it is adequately shared in line with agreed process.  
• Maintain and check establishment databases for managing corruption, filing systems and logs of information with responses within timescales, producing reports as required.
• Arrange any meetings including the preparation of paperwork, minutes and action points for the effective management of corruption.
• Being the first point of contact for prisons to signpost policies, procedures and key contacts to support counter corruption work.
• Coordinating CCU prevent teams attendance/cover supporting establishments deliver their prevent agenda.
• Identify blockages to progress and take action and escalate to the Regional Corruption Unit as appropriate.
• Monitoring and reviewing the relative priority of corruption work and caseloads, escalating to the Regional Corruption Prevent Manager.
• Entering data onto CCU systems, ensuring information is captured accurately and is easy to understand.
• Understanding the teams caseload, including working with analysts to report on management information and data on volumes, timeliness and outcomes of cases across the region.
• On the direction of the Regional Corruption Prevention Lead and Regional Corruption Prevent Manager, the post holder may also be asked to work with prisons to understand capability gaps and signpost wider capability opportunities, best practice and guidance and support light touch research to inform our evidence base on corruption.

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
• Communicating and influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Experience        

• Candidates should role model impeccable professionalism and integrity.
• Good understanding of the operational context of prisons and probation.

Technical Requirements

• Problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to drive resolution.

Ability

• Good communication (written and verbal), leadership and partnership working skills.