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Interventions Services, in HMPPS Headquarters are currently recruiting National Specialist Leads which are management roles within HMPPS.   

HMPPS Interventions Services, have developed rehabilitative resources including accredited programmes and assessments for over 25 years. Interventions Services are committed to reducing reoffending, addressing the needs of those individuals in our care and protecting the public. They also have a strong reputation for supporting individuals make next step career moves, with 30% of National Specialist teams securing promotion opportunities within HMPPS within the last 3 years.

As a National Specialist Lead, post holders will be responsible for developing, training, implementing, supporting and maintaining accredited prorgammes within a team of highly experienced specialists.

At a time when Interventions Services are carrying out a strategic review of accredited programme provision, and with the backdrop of the accredited programme covid recovery effort; post holders will have the opportunity to contribute expert clinical advice, innovative thinking and knowledge of cutting edge and evolving practice, to shape both the current and future direction of programme design and assessment for those with those who have committed violent and sexual offences.

You will need to be a Registered Psychologist, with either a clinical or forensic background with an understanding of the assessment and rehabilitation of people who have committed offences.

It would be advantageous to have specific specialist knowledge and experience in the assessment and rehabilitation of people with histories of sexual offending (including those with offence paraphilia), domestic abuse, general violence and/or those with protected characteristics.

Overview of the job

This is a Management Post, within HMPPS Headquarters. As a National Specialist Lead the Post holder will be responsible for developing, training, implementing, supporting and maintaining interventions within a team of highly experienced and specialist staff. 

The National Specialist Leads are responsible for the design and maintenance of accredited and non-accredited programmes for individuals who have convictions for different types of offences and responsivity needs. 

As a national specialist, they are in charge of ensuring the quality of the provision of interventions. This includes providing expert advice internally and externally to a range of stakeholders; training design; training provision and product design so that HMPPS’ reputation is maintained and programmes have maximum effect in reducing reoffending. 

Intervention Services continues to operate within a public sector environment of significant reform and financial restraint. This is the backdrop within which the post holder will be responsible for developing new, and maintaining existing products, whilst ensuring all Intervention Services products achieve high levels of clinical integrity and are evidence based. 

The jobholder will play a key role, with responsibility to support the on-going development and implementation of programmes targeting multiple offender cohorts (including those convicted of violent and sexual offences) with complex responsitivity needs. They will be required to develop, manage, deliver, monitor and evaluate training of staff delivering these programme, in both prisons and in the community.

Summary

Reducing reoffending is a key priority for HMPPS and in order to address offending behaviour HMPPS has developed a range of treatment approaches known collectively as accredited treatment programmes. This suite of treatment approaches is available throughout prison establishments and in the community, and is also available to external stakeholders. The programmes are held in high regard internationally, and are often quoted within academic literature as examples of excellence. 

The national specialist lead delivers a key element in HMPPS’ contribution to rehabilitation by providing evidence based solutions to assessing and working with multiple high risk offender cohorts (including those convicted of violent and sexual offences) with complex responsivity needs, (including those with deviant sexual interests, personality disorder and learning disability). 

The post holder provides strategic and clinical leadership including: 

• The design, development, accreditation, training, implementation, support and maintenance of specialist assessments and interventions targeted at offenders housed in custody and in the community, based on a detailed and robust understanding of offender need and evidence based practice.
• Providing specialist clinical and operational advice to senior commissioners, other senior managers, and commercial partners on the development of provision for working with offenders, in line with HMPPS objectives and priorities and the delivery of evidence based practice.
• Providing specialist clinical advice, guidance and support to prisons and community delivery teams.
• Promoting an understanding of the nature of offending, with reference to research and evidence based practice within HMPPS, across government and in forums nationally and internationally.
• The design and delivery of specialist staff training, for the delivery of high quality interventions.
• Involvement in and leading on innovative projects to design new programmes and assessment tools for use in HMPPS. Seek opportunities to provide support by keeping abreast of gaps in provision, the evolving evidence base, international practice, change in ministerial or departmental priorities, funding and partnership opportunities and relevant development in other professional settings.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

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

All interventions must take into account how HMPPS can deliver better outcomes and achieve greater cost effectiveness in reducing reoffending to enable offenders to lead a satisfying, hopeful and contributory life through changing attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and roles. 

• To be accountable for the design, development, maintenance, delivery and evaluation of one or more HMPPS accredited programme(s) in an area of relevant specialism and risk assessment systems that deliver reducing offending outcomes in line with HMPPS overall strategy: To integrate, interpret and apply the international evidence base to the development of highly effective programmes that deliver measurable reductions in reoffending on behalf of HMPPS. To be responsive to the overarching commissioning strategy in relation to reducing reoffending outcomes by holding responsibility for the provision of one (or more) products including risk assessment tools, accredited and non-accredited interventions. Awareness of changes in political priorities, sentencing and service provision, offender needs and population and HMPPS priorities. Accountable for products that are fit for purpose, evidence based, delivered to time, defensible, and developed in careful consultation with internal and external stakeholders. Produces high quality products for accreditation by the Correctional   Services   Accreditation   and   Advice   Panel.   Responsible for undertaking strategic and developmental work to foster effective working relations and ensure that the development of programmes, clinical advice and training all take into account QA and research. 

• Accountable for the provision of expert clinical advice and subject matter expertise in consultancy capacity on all aspects of specified offending behaviour programme(s) development and delivery to other professionals. Advice ranges from troubleshooting and supporting HMPPS sites, to the development of policy and strategy. Responsible for advice to internal stakeholders e.g. HMPPS treatment sites in custodial establishments and the community, JSI, HMPPS Lead Psychologist and regional psychology leads, and external stakeholders e.g. other Government Departments, agencies/organisations with whom we have an interest. Responsible for providing information for briefings, parliamentary questions, and correspondence concerning the assessment and treatment of offenders in the applicable specialist area. Contributes to an international/ national professional community through participation at conferences.

• Responsive to stakeholders by holding accountability for actively seeking to share subject matter expertise, knowledge and products with external partners. Responsible for working collaboratively with others and actively fostering effective networks and communication channels with colleagues within HMPPS and other stakeholders. This will involve supporting the development and maintenance of professional working relationships with HMPPS commissioners and external partners to ensure they have access to evidence based products that are responsive to the needs of local populations. Contributes to the work of other internal and cross-government groups, projects and working groups to support an integrated approach to rehabilitation and the management of offenders in custody and the community. Responsive to changes to prisoner populations and subsequent demand through identification of stakeholder and organisational needs and developing strategic options. Accountable for interpreting and applying emerging evidence, practice development and changes in political and policy direction in a robust, defensible and pragmatic way to produce products that will help stakeholders deliver better outcomes and achieve greater cost effectiveness in reducing reoffending, Accountable for supporting stakeholders to implement these products (including assessment guidance and interventions, appropriate to identified offender need) as well as supporting the delivery of effective practice. Delivers an internal and external communications strategy that promotes the implementation and development of evidence based practice in working with offenders. 

• Training – responsible for the delivery of offence specialist national training across HMPPS. Holds accountability for the provision of advice and guidance to HMPPS sites and external markets on training requirements, issues and queries. Accountable for the preparation, design, update and delivery of interventions training to ensure training prepares treatment providers to run effective treatment that delivers outcomes. The post holder will prepare, review and report on an annual training plan to take into account priorities identified through the HMPPS commissioning intentions process.

• Innovation - This includes renewing, changing and creating more effective processes, products or improving existing services. To lead on and contribute to the design, implementation and delivery of new, dynamic products, which address gaps in provision, and high priority or sensitive areas. These will change over time as a result of events and changing political requirements. Responsible for innovative activity covering a wide range of correctional practises and ensuring a wide range of criminal justice outcomes are met such as new offender assessment tools, interventions addressing diverse need including high risk and dangerous offenders, and short sentenced and acquisitive offenders etc. It is important that the products are fit for purpose, evidence informed based on the most effective and contemporary methods and are delivered on time, defensible, responsive to the market and developed in careful consultation with internal and external stakeholders. This will require innovative thinking and an awareness of cutting edge and evolving practice. Maintaining an awareness of changes in political priorities, sentencing and service provision, offender needs and population and HMPPS priorities is critical. To identify needs and requirements for research activity, leading to innovation. To explore the application of products to other offenders and clients in treatment outside of HMPPS, and develop pilot programmes. This involves identifying and being responsive to innovative opportunities to create products that fit with the customers’ requirements, delivery context, cultural considerations and resources to sustain and maintain effective delivery, whilst promoting effective working of the offence specialism team.

• Maintaining own professional competence - This role requires the job holder having credibility with HMPPS commissioners and providers, as well as external stakeholders across Government Departments. This is in addition to knowledge and experience in effecting change with the most complex and diverse offenders. It is crucial that the job holder takes responsibility for their own professional development and maintaining specialist knowledge in their area of expertise. The job holder will be responsible for maintaining their own CPD requirements. 

• From time to time, the post holder may be required to undertake additional activities which are appropriate to the level of your Group Profile (GP). 

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

• Changing and improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Experience

Essential Skills:

• The post holder must have specialist skills and expertise relating to the assessment and treatment of individuals in prison or in the community.
• The post holder must have a minimum of five years’ experience of working with offenders in a community or custody setting.
• Proven experience of providing training to multi-disciplinary staff. 

Desirable skills:

• Experience of working with individuals who have specific responsively needs e.g. learning disability.
• Experience of delivering and supervising an accredited offending treatment programme.
• Experience of delivering, supervising and managing accredited offender treatment programmes in custody or in the community.
• Proven training/experience of providing clinical supervision to facilitators who deliver treatment.
• Chartered and / or Registered with HCPC.

Technical Requirements

• Registered Psychologist or Qualified Probation Officer.