About the job

Job summary

Please refer to job description.

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

The reoffending rate has remained broadly static at around 29% since 2010. Reoffending is costing society approximately £18bn per year and almost half of all prisoners reoffend within 12 months of release.

From Harm to Hope: A 10 year drug plan to reduce crime and save lives was published in 2021, following Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs. As part of this and the 2021 Prison White Strategy paper, MOJ and HMPPS have committed to: 

"Introduce Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators in every probation region in England by 2024/25"

We know that many offenders with a substance misuse need also have a mental health problem and experience poorer health than the rest of the general population. These staff will build connections between commissioners and providers across substance misuse and mental health services in the community and in custody to ensure that clear pathways into treatment and other provision are in place for all offenders leaving prison and those sentenced to community orders.

The Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator role will work strategically to support people to access appropriate support and treatment once someone is released, known as ‘continuity of care’ and through the increased use of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (CSTR). It is incredibly important, because of increased health risks including relapse and premature deaths, as well as an increased risk of reoffending. The post holder will work to ensure that people released from prison into the community have the right access to local health services to address their health needs during their resettlement period and beyond, to drive the uplift of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements (Inc Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) and Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR)) and contribute to work around addressing suicide prevention and death under supervision.

This role will work at system level to improve the lives of people in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), specifically around improving and maintaining their health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities.

Working as a Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator is a unique and rewarding role, with a focus on operational delivery. They will work in tandem with relevant local partners and HMPPS operational policy leads to develop practice related to substance misuse and health-related release planning, designing and consulting on process to enable information sharing, the use of substance misuse and health-related licence conditions and understanding of health and substance misuse resettlement pathways.   

The area of responsibility for these posts will be; Black Country and Staffordshire and will include cross-regional elements. The postholder will be based at a relevant Probation Office and will be required to travel to Prisons when required.

A 12 month merit list will be held for future regional vacancies.  

For additional information about this role, please contact Debbie Edwards-Jones - debbie.edwards-jones@justice.gov.uk

In the event that we receive a high number of applications, sifting will lead on the statement of suitability at application stage. There will be a presentation element at Interview stage, further information will be shared to applicants prior to interviews.

Overview of the job    

The job holder is strategic lead on strengthening and developing continuity of care pathways so those leaving prison can access treatment and support on release, as part of the organisation’s aims on reducing/breaking the cycle of reoffending.

As a strategic role within the Probation Service (PS), post holders are accountable to the Head of Community Integration.

The role will work regionally and be based within a community probation office with the expectation that post holders will travel as and when required, including regular visits into selected prisons.

In line with PS policies and procedures, the job holder must at all times demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion and an understanding of their relevance to the work they do.

Summary    

The job holder will be expected to lead on continuity of care pathways working in tandem with relevant local partners and HMPPS colleagues to develop practice related to substance misuse and health-related release planning.

This includes designing and consulting on processes to enable information sharing, improving the use of substance misuse and health-related licence conditions, and understanding of health and substance misuse resettlement pathways.

The post holder must adhere to all policies in respect of the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled whilst working in this position.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties    

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

•    Develop effective relationships with key partners including prisoners, people on probation, prisons, treatment providers in custody and community and commissioners to identify opportunities to improve join-up, locally innovate and drive forward national priority workstreams.
•    Lead strategic discussions with partners and stakeholders to ensure a whole system approach to the delivery of health and justice pathways from custody to community setting.
•    Use performance data to drive activity to improve probation and prison practice and inform partnership working. With a key of focus on Substance misuse and continuity of care pathways. This is also to include engagement with prisoners and people on probation to understand how to improve health and substance misuse pathways.
•    Lead joint partnership working with health and substance misuse partners to design a more integrated health and justice partnership, focusing on continuity of care pathways. Where the service exists, drive improvements in service integration between probation and NHS England and Improvement’s Reconnect service.
•    Identify good practice and innovation opportunities to improve substance misuse and health continuity of care pathways. Drive these forward locally and share with national teams.
•    Provide a key interface between national Offender Health teams within HMPPS and regional probation delivery. This includes escalating local concerns and needs and ensuring communication and delivery of agreed national activity.
•    Increase understanding within Probation about good practice and health and substance misuse pathways to support continuity of care, operating as a specialist point of contact across the region for both Probation and its partners.
•    Drive partnership working with the prison Drug Strategy Leads and PGD leads offering advice and support to manage the transition into the community to improve substance misuse continuity of care.

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.

Person specification

Please refer to job description.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,857, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £10,297 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 European Union Settlement Scheme (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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.