28695 - New Methodology and Legislation

About the Department

MoJ is one of the largest government departments, employing around 70,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

What we do

We work to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public. We are also responsible for the following parts of the justice system:

• Courts
• Prisons
• Probation services
• Attendance centres

We also work in partnership with other government departments and agencies to reform the criminal justice system, to serve the public and support the victims of crime. We are also responsible for making new laws, strengthening democracy, and safeguarding human rights.

Priorities

• Improve public safety and reduce reoffending by reforming prisons, probation and youth justice
• Build a One Nation justice system by making access to justice swifter and more certain for all citizens whatever their background
• Uphold the rule of law, defend the independence of the judiciary, safeguard essential liberties and restore historic freedoms
• Delivering efficiently in MoJ: ensure the best possible service for citizens by making our department more efficient and more open, with policy driven by evidence

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Job Profile

Job Title / Group / Directorate

New methodology and legislation / Arm’s Length Bodies Sponsorship and Intelligence Team / Prison Policy Directorate

Reports To

Band A, Head of strategy and new methodologies

Location & Terms of appointment

This is a permanent post based in London (102 Petty France).

Salary and Grade

This post is Band B.

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.

Background

Directorate Overview

Prison Policy Directorate sits in the Policy, Communications and Analysis Group as part of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The directorate leads on prison policy and covers a number of work areas including prison safety and security, workforce, operational policy, Foreign National Offenders, long-term estates strategy and the sponsorship of the independent scrutiny bodies who monitor and inspect prisons and probation services.

The Arm’s Length Bodies sponsorship and intelligence team manages the relationship with 5 Arm’s Length Bodies – HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Probation, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, the Independent Monitoring Boards and the Lay Observers. The team sponsors the bodies (funding, partnering/championing them across MoJ and beyond and holding them to account), provides intelligence from their reports to help drive improvements and leads on legislative changes to promote better governance. The advertised role sits in this team

The Arm’s Length Bodies

MoJ is the major funder of these scrutiny bodies to a total of circa £18 million each year. They operate independently of Government and some are part of the UK’s National Preventive Mechanism, under the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, OPCAT.

They report to the Secretary of State on how well prisons and probation have met the standards and requirements placed on them and what impact these have on those in its custody or under community supervision.

Our Team

The work of our team has three complementary parts:

Sponsorship – we provide funding of circa £18 million and our work here includes ensuring value for money, resourcing, assurance and promoting engagement with policy developers. This is a time of reform for our ALBs including new national appointments, changes to their governance and the introduction of new inspection methodologies. We provide a high volume of advice and briefings to Ministers and to our Director General.

Intelligence – Ministers want inspections to be a tool for change, helping to drive and inform performance improvement for prisons and probation. We provide intelligence from scrutiny bodies to MoJ and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) both for operational improvement and policy development. We work closely with private offices, leading on ministerial engagement and ministerial parliamentary handling of ALB reports; we also provide the process office for the HMI Prisons Urgent Notification process, where the Chief Inspector alerts the Secretary of State where there are urgent and significant concerns about a prison and the Secretary of State has 28 days in which to publicly respond with an action plan.

New methodologies and legislation – we work with the scrutiny bodies and across the department on developing new methodologies. For example, recently with HM Inspectorate of prisons, we tested and introduced a new process where the inspectorate carries out follow-up visits (not re-inspections) to assess progress made in implementing key concerns and recommendations in approximately 15-20 prisons a year. This was a recommendation of the Justice Select Committee to ensure that HMPPS is not ‘marking its own homework’. We are also responsible for strengthening the scrutiny bodies through legislation, when Parliamentary time allows.

Role Purpose

This is an exciting time to join us in a new and developing area of work. We want to appoint a high calibre and self-motivated Band B who is able to help take forward work to develop, with the scrutiny bodies' new methodology. There is also the possibility of legislative work in another area but this is not guaranteed. Both are areas of Ministerial priority.

Our team operates a flexible, matrix approach. The new methodologies/strategy team is the ‘home team’ for this post however there will also be an opportunity to work closely with the Intelligence and sponsorship Teams within the Independent Scrutiny Bodies Team. This work could involve project based work and analysis of Inspection reports or other sources of intelligence to inform Ministerial briefings.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

Key duties are to:

• Provide support to work on designing and implementing new methodologies with full regard to the scrutiny bodies’ independence
• To support work on a formal evaluation of the new HMI Prisons Independent Review of Progress process, in conjunction with HMIP and HMPPS
• To support and design a process to allow the Minister to more regularly engage with the Chief Inspectors
• To support the team lead on handling sensitive issues as they occur
• Provide support to work looking at relationships and reporting between HMIP, Ofsted and CQC.
• Explore and develop policy options for legislation, if required, liaising with stakeholders to make sure information required for legislative purposes is accurate and comprehensive;
• Work closely with policy colleagues, the scrutiny bodies and lawyers to develop policy instructions, clauses and Explanatory Memoranda as required;
• Draft clear and concise briefings, PQs and correspondence on legislative proposals with minimal support and within prescribed timescales as required by business need.

Person Specification

Behaviours

You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours. If we receive a high volume of applications, we will sift on the basis of the ‘working together’ behaviour.

• Working together – encourages joined-up teamwork within own team and across other groups and collaborates to share information, resources and support.
• Making effective decisions – analyses and uses a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions.
• Changing and Improving – work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources.
• Delivering at pace – show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities.

Desirable Criteria

• An understanding of the work of the independent scrutiny bodies and their stakeholder landscape would be beneficial.
• An understanding of the legislative process and work of a Bill Team

Additional Information

This role will suit somebody comfortable working in a new and developing area of work, engaging with stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.