Inspector - HM Inspectorate of Prisons (Ref:86414)
Ministry of Justice
Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 7th May 2024
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Inspector of Education and Training
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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.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) for England and Wales is an independent inspectorate which reports on the treatment of, and conditions for, those in prison, young offender institutions and court custody suites in England and Wales, and immigration detention facilities in the United Kingdom. HMI Prisons also inspects Border Force customs custody (jointly with HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) and secure training centres (jointly with Ofsted). By invitation, HMI Prisons inspects some military detention facilities, as well as prisons in Northern Ireland and in other jurisdictions with links to the UK, such as the Isle of Man.
The role of HM Inspectorate of Prisons is to provide independent scrutiny of the conditions for and treatment of prisoners and other detainees, promoting the concept of ‘healthy establishments’ in which staff work effectively to achieve positive outcomes for those detained and for the public.
The Inspectorate’s work constitutes an important part of the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment. This Protocol requires signatory states to have in place regular independent inspection of places of detention.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an Arm’s Length Body (ALB) of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The Chief Inspector of Prisons is a Crown Appointee, while the staff of the Inspectorate are civil servants employed by the MoJ. The established values of the Inspectorate are:
- Independence, impartiality and integrity are the foundations of our work.
- The experience of the detainee is at the heart of our inspections.
- Respect for human rights underpins our Expectations.
- We embrace diversity and are committed to pursuing equality of outcomes for all.
- We believe in the capacity of both individuals and organisations to change and improve, and that we have a part to play in initiating and encouraging change.
Inspector Job Description
ABOUT THE ROLE
HM Inspectorate of Prisons are looking for Inspectors to inspect prison and other forms of custody. The inspector is the pivotal role within our organisation, inspecting the conditions and treatment prisoners and detainees experience whilst they are held in custody. They do these using criteria we call Expectations, which describe the standards establishments should achieve.
Inspectors must be confident and be able to interact in the field with detainees, staff and leaders during an inspection. They must be able to analyse complex information from a range of sources and determine accurate and objective judgements under time pressure. They also need the ability to write up key findings in a clear, concise and evidence-based way. These roles require excellent team players who can support colleagues when working as part of an inspection team but are also able to spend long periods inspecting and working alone.
Most inspections take place over two weeks, so the role of an inspector requires a considerable amount of time working away from home. For example, if you are coordinating an inspection for your team, you might be away for two nights on the first week, and then four or five nights on the following week. This will sometimes include leaving on Sunday afternoon to start work early on a Monday. If you are just attending the full inspection week, rather than coordinating, you will only be required to attend the second week. It is essential that inspectors are very flexible, but the Inspectorate will offer a balanced workload that provides time at home between inspections. Across the year, you are likely to complete on average 18 or 20 weeks away on inspection. When not inspecting, time will be used for report writing, project work and other tasks as required.
Frequent travel within the UK (and possibly abroad) will be required, and you will spend at least one week in three away on inspection, as well as travelling for meetings and other events. You will also need to be available to come to London for internal and external meetings on a regular basis. A preparedness to travel and work away from home is a key requirement of the role.
Responsibilities
You will:
• inspect the conditions and treatment of prisoners and detainees, using HMIP’s own Expectations inspection criteria.
• interact with detainees and staff throughout inspections, seeking their views.
• work under significant time pressure during inspections.
• spend a lot of your time working on your own each day in the custodial environment (you will be trained in jailcraft and carrying keys)
• at speed, interpret complex information and draw accurate and objective conclusions from a range of evidence sources.
• draft key findings in a clear, defensible and evidence-based way.
• discuss, evaluate and debate findings with the team leader and other team members.
• need to be an excellent team player throughout the inspection weeks, Support colleagues throughout the inspection weeks and constructively contribute to on-site discussions and judgements.
• brief senior managers in the establishment about your developing findings and participate in the debrief at the end of the inspection.
• write up your evidence-based findings clearly and concisely the week after an inspection, to tight timescales and wordcounts (and using information technology)
• monitor policy and practice in relation to those in custody and help ensure that your team, and the Inspectorate in general keeps up to date on these developments.
• attend meetings and conferences, where required, on behalf of the Inspectorate.
• assist with policy papers, briefings and thematic reviews as required.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills:
All candidates will need to have:
• Experience of working with people at senior levels.
• Experience of developing or influencing policy.
• An interest in working across the range of custodial environments but mainly in prisons.
• Experience that demonstrates support for and understanding of the Inspectorate’s work and values
• Experience that demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write high-quality evidence-based reports at pace.
• Sound interpersonal, communication and relationship building skills.
• The ability to thrive working as part of the inspection team, but also able to spend long periods inspecting and working alone.
You will be working in difficult and challenging environments. The best candidates will offer a combination of the following skills:
• Think in an objective and analytical manner with the ability to analyse a range of oral, written and statistical evidence.
• Make accurate judgements under pressure and support their findings with evidence.
• Be committed to continuous improvement, in an environment where performance matters.
• Adhere to HMIP’s code of conduct and core values at all times.
• Be flexible, adaptive and creative in solving problems and dealing with change.
• Be resilient in the field and meet tight deadlines.
• Deliver difficult messages in a constructive manner.
• Be able to manage confidently potentially difficult and challenging situations.
• Be able to engage constructively with prisoners and other detainees.
• Be extremely flexible and supportive to colleagues.
• Work closely with colleagues, custodial staff and detainees throughout inspections.
Desirable:
• Understanding of policy, debates associated with detention and custodial environments.
• A background in inspection or investigation
• Extensive understanding of immigration detention law and policy.
• An ability to work across very varied detention environments, including detention centres, small holding facilities and overseas escorts.
Why become a prison inspector, please view the below video to gain an insight on current inspector’s experiences.
Person specification
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
- Access to learning and development
- A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Annual Leave
- Public Holidays
- Season Ticket Advance
For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.
Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
- Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
- Telephone : 0845 241 5359
Recruitment team
- Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
Further information
