7839 - HMP Elmley AUM : Neurodiversity Support Manager

Ministry of Justice; Wealden; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is seeking a Neurodiversity Support Manager to enhance support for neurodivergent prisoners in Wealden. The role involves coordinating education, skills, and work pathways, ensuring that prisoners receive tailored support and improving provisions to ensure their effective reintegration into the community. Ideal candidates will possess strong leadership and communication skills, alongside relevant qualifications and experience in this field.

Qualifications

• Experience in supporting neurodivergent individuals.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to track and analyze data effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead and enhance neurodiversity support and provision in the prison.
• Develop a neurodiversity needs strategy in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Case manage prisoners requiring additional support for education and skills.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Analytical Skills

Education

Relevant degree or qualification in education or social sciences

Job description

The post holder will be responsible for leading support for prisoners with needs arising from neurodivergence. Developing and implementing, in collaboration with stakeholders, a 'whole system' approach is essential, focusing on supporting individuals to achieve and progress through Education, Skills, and Work pathways during their sentence.

The Neurodiversity Support Manager (NSM) will liaise with the Head of Education Skills and Work (HoESW), Learning and Skills Manager (LSM), Industry Managers (IMs), Activity Managers (AM), and the education provider to ensure prisoners are supported to engage with education, skills, and work, and continue to be supported in the community, including probation teams.

The post holder will provide support and guidance to ensure all staff and stakeholders share the same vision and ethos of neurodiversity.

They will also ensure that actions across education, skills, and work within their prison support a whole-prison improvement approach, which aligns with wider estate improvements.

Responsibilities, Activities, and Duties

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

1. Focus on improving the quality of neurodiversity support and provision, aiming for at least good, moving towards outstanding. This includes assessment of quality to inform the prison education, skills, and work improvement plan, applicable across various learning channels such as classrooms, industries, work areas, workshops, and gyms.
2. Develop and maintain a neurodiversity needs strategy for the prison, working with key stakeholders including HoESW, LSM, HoRR, education and curriculum managers, employment leads, NFN broker, prison work coaches, offender management, libraries, CIAG, activities, gym, industries managers, and key workers.
3. Develop systems and structures to ensure appropriate delivery of all Education, Skills, and Work activities for all cohorts. Recommend and test solutions leading to an improvement plan, working with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to implement, maintain, and update as necessary.
4. Manage data collection on neurodiversity at the local level, analyzing and evaluating current practices to tailor support for a wide range of prisoners, including those who are hard to reach, vulnerable, or for whom English is not their first language.
5. Track progress of neurodivergent prisoners in education, learning, and work, analyzing data to identify participation and achievement gaps, and address these.
6. Case manage prisoners requiring additional support to access education, skills, and work opportunities, ensuring information sharing with relevant prison teams lawfully and appropriately.
7. Ensure neurodivergent prisoners' needs are considered regarding activity availability, adaptations, and reasonable adjustments, working with LSM, activities, and industries managers.
8. Raise awareness of neurodiversity within the prison, upskilling staff through briefings, internal communications, and one-to-one processes.
9. Work with stakeholders to ensure neurodivergent prisoners receive support and advice for community reintegration.