7967 - National Lived Experience Lead

Ministry of Justice; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department is seeking a special advisor to provide insights from service users' experiences within the criminal justice system. The role involves engagement with stakeholders and supporting various initiatives aimed at reducing reoffending. Candidates with lived experience of imprisonment or community punishment are encouraged to apply. This is a remote position with potential for future line management responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of imprisonment and/or community punishment.
• Experience in the criminal justice voluntary sector.
• Experience in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice on service user experiences to senior managers.
• Engage with stakeholders to support project outcomes.
• Champion service user experience in meetings.
• Conduct workshops for HMPPS staff on service user experience.

Skills

Effective communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Building rapport

Job description

Overview of the job

The role sits within Reducing Reoffending Team as part of the HMPPS Reducing Reoffending, Partnerships & Accommodation. The role involves engagement with external and internal stakeholders. The post will have a responsibility for ensuring service user voice/needs is considered in all parts of HMPPS business. In addition, will work to embed service user experience into staff development and normal recruitment practices.

Participation at senior level meetings at operational delivery and strategic level with internal and external stakeholders. The post holder will provide senior managers across the business with a unique insight into service user experiences and provide guidance aspects of service user experiences.

The post holder must be a subject matter expert with recent lived experience of the Criminal Justice System. The role will include advising and support Reducing Reoffending projects and across the business.

This is a non-operational role with possibility of line management in the future and the role will matrix manage at the moment.

The post holder will operate remotely and travel to support activities across England and Wales.

Summary

The job holder will operate as a special advisor/consultant to HMPPS for service user lived experience.

The purpose of this job is to provide a unique subject matter insight, or facilitating the wider voice of service users, experience as a recipient of community and custodial services to support the development of work within HMPPS.

The job holder will develop effective working relationship with a range of stakeholders at all levels of the organisation. These will include front line staff, service users, VCS, HMPPS and senior officials from other government departments.

They will also be responsible for ensuring a programme of activity and advice and guidance on the recruitment of staff with lived experience in HMPPS.

The job holder will on occasion be required to represent the Directorate at external or internal meetings with external stakeholders.

The job holder will work as part of the Directorate Team supporting several initiatives and projects.

The job holder must be able to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.

The role will be instrumental in developing HMPPS approaches to ensuring that work develops with the lived experience voice heard.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

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

• Responsible for providing senior managers with advice on service user experiences.
• Actively seeking engagement links which supports project outcomes or improves HMPPS understanding of service user experiences.
• Champion the service user experience at meetings.
• Work with VCS such as Clinks, Unlock and User Voice or other organisations that supports offender reintegration/resettlement outcomes.
• Establish a network of key stakeholders that can support HMPPS delivery of RR outcomes.
• Act as peer support/mentor to other service users.
• Support the training and development of HMPPS staff by holding workshops that raise awareness of Service User Experience.
• To contribute to the development of Prison Leavers Strategy.
• To contribute and take a professional lead in providing and developing service user responses through development and maintenance of networks with partner agencies and stakeholders.
• Review, develop, evaluate and monitor RR Activities with partner agencies delivering resettlement services to offenders.
• To build and develop collaborative relationships and networks with other government departments, agencies and other key stakeholders to achieve effective team working.
• Promote HMPPS policy in all activities and behaviours, e.g. promote inclusion, diversity, decency and reducing re-offending agendas.
• Embed service user lived experience into staff development and normal recruitment practices.

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.

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service

Essential Experience

• Lived experience of imprisonment and/or community punishment (there are no offence based exclusions, ideally you will no longer be on licence but life licensees will be considered).
• Experience of working in the criminal justice voluntary sector.
• Experience of building rapport with Service Users whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
• Experience of providing a service as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Technical Requirements

• A working knowledge of IT applications.
• Project management experience/PRINCE 2 qualification.

Ability

• An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.
• Effective communication skills (speaking and listening), with demonstrated relationship management and stakeholder engagement experience.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to draft and submit a variety of documents, policy papers and submissions.