We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity
About the MOJ
The Ministry of Justice supports the Secretary of State and the Justice Ministerial team to deliver the Government’s programme. Our work spans criminal, civil, family and administrative justice, together with responsibility for making new law and safeguarding human rights. The Ministry works in partnership with other Government departments and agencies to serve the public, improve the justice system and support victims of crime.
Working with Ministers and senior leaders, you will form a detailed understanding of how policy proposals are developed, delivered and managed in government. Further, you will work on policy areas which have a significant impact on our society: protecting the public, upholding the rule of law, and providing a just, proportionate and accessible justice system.
Background:
The Vulnerable Offenders team works on cross-cutting policy to support the needs of the vulnerable across the criminal justice system. We are responsible for delivering the Government’s female offender strategy, which aims to reduce the number of women in prison, particularly on short sentences, and shift the focus to a whole systems approach in the community. We co-ordinate work on tackling racial disparity in the criminal justice system, following the independent review by David Lammy MP. We are also responsible for policy on offender health and for the criminal justice elements of the Mental Health Act. Alongside, we lead work on other vulnerable cohorts of offenders, including those with learning disabilities and autism, transgender offenders and ex-armed service personnel in the criminal justice system.
These are high-profile and fast-paced policy areas with a great deal of public, Parliamentary and Ministerial interest, making it a great place to learn about working in Government.
We are a friendly team with a strong emphasis on providing support and opportunities for development, and we include people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. We will be keen to work with you to understand your interests, skills and areas for development. Alongside your core role, you will have the opportunity to get involved in corporate projects across the wider team and Directorate, to support how we work as a team and contribute to the MoJ as a whole.
About the Role:
We are looking to recruit one policy officer to join the Health, Justice and Well-being team. The team works closely with health and justice partners to support effective healthcare for offenders in prison and in the community. Offenders often have complex health needs across physical health, mental health and well-being, neurodiverse conditions and substance misuse problems. The team is also responsible for policy on young adult offenders and veterans in the Criminal Justice System.
You will be required to work specifically on mental health policy. As well policy relating to the Secretary of State’s priorities on mental health in the criminal justice system, you will be working on the Department’s response to Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s independent review of the Mental Health Act, which sets out how a person can be detained for treatment, including following the commission of a criminal offence. This is a stretching role that involves tricky, complex, and important issues including the access to care and treatment for these offenders; the timeliness and effectiveness in which they are managed; the rights and safeguards available to them, while ensuring that public protection is upheld at all times. This role involves working closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, Public Health England and the Welsh Government as well as operational colleagues in HMPPS.
You will work closely, and often at speed, with senior officials and Ministers, as well as press and private offices on these high-profile issues. The role will involve interaction with a wide range of stakeholders, in prisons, probations, other government departments and the voluntary sector.
You will require a willingness to be flexible, to develop strong relationships, and to build core Civil Service skills in project management, Parliamentary business, briefing, drafting and policy development.
Key tasks may include:
- Developing evidence-based policy and providing research and written input on complex and challenging issues relating to offender mental health policy.
- Building good working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders - particularly NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England, HMPPS and the Third Sector – to support the effective implementation of policy, both in custody and the community.
- Assisting with the internal and external governance and project management arrangements for key projects, including attending meetings and/or Boards on behalf of the team, developing papers, co-ordinating and supporting effective project management and otherwise feeding in as appropriate.
- Communicating regularly with senior leaders, external stakeholders or user groups – presenting ideas and gathering feedback to help develop policy work.
- Supporting the team to brief Ministers, including working closely with colleagues to meet tight ministerial deadlines and requests.
- Input to short term problem-solving on urgent issues.
- Drafting briefing, PQs, correspondence, submissions and similar pieces of work.
- In this busy team, you will be expected to sometimes stretch yourself beyond your grade, including taking the lead on some policy areas and delivering pieces of work from start to finish.
Skills & Qualifications
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- The ability to make sound judgements and to articulate these persuasively.
- Excellent IT skills.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, tact and diplomacy and experience in dealing with senior figures.
- Good political awareness and the proven ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences and to negotiate solutions to problems.
Behaviours:
You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours:
Working Together
- Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
Making effective decisions
- Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice.
- Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
Delivering at pace
- Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
Communicating and influencing
- Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
Further information about each behaviour can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours (Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours booklet).
In the event of receiving a high number of applications we will sift initially on the lead behaviour – ‘Working Together’ behaviour. Applicants who are successful at the sift stage will be invited to an interview.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Closing date for this post is Thursday 29 October 2020 and interviews are expected to take place in November 2020.
If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Sophia Blake Sophia.Blake@justice.gov.ukmailto:Victoria.Scrope@jutsice.gov.uk.The role is available to applicants already at the substantive grade and on promotion.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records
Please be aware, if successful and you are not currently a Civil Servant, the Ministry of Justice does not negotiate pay, you are expected to start at the minimum pay scale.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
Security
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/
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