AUM: Neurodiversity Support Manager (Ref: 10302)

HM Prison and Probation Service; Grove; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in the UK seeks a Neurodiversity Support Manager to enhance support for neurodivergent prisoners. The role involves developing strategies, overseeing education activities, and working with stakeholders to ensure effective support in learning and skills. A strong background in education and neurodiversity is essential. This position offers a competitive salary alongside comprehensive benefits including pension contributions and annual leave.

Benefits

Salary of £39,803 plus pension contributions

Flexible working environment

Access to learning and development

Qualifications

• Experience in a specialist neurodiversity role.
• Detailed knowledge of OFSTED/Estyn's EIF.
• Substantial teaching experience with strategies for accessible resources.

Responsibilities

• Focus on improving neurodiversity support quality.
• Develop a neurodiversity needs strategy for the prison.
• Manage data collection on neurodiversity at local level.

Skills

Strong written and excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Knowledge of Microsoft suite (Word, Excel, Project, PowerPoint)

Education

PGCE or Level 5 in Education and Training

Level 4 Certificate in Supporting learners with SEND/ALN

Job description

Overview

The post holder will be responsible for leading on supporting prisoners with needs arising from neurodivergence. Developing and implementing, through close collaboration with stakeholders, a 'whole system' principle is of paramount importance, with the focus firmly on supporting individuals to achieve and progress through Education, Skills and Work pathways throughout 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 or not, and that they continue to be supported in the community, including by the probation teams. The post holder will provide support and guidance to ensure that all staff and stakeholders share the same vision and ethos of neurodiversity. The post holder will ensure that actions across education, skills and work (ESW) within their prison support a whole prison improvement approach which supports wider improvements across the estate. This is a non-rotational, non-operational job with no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Focus on improving and ensuring that the quality of neurodiversity support and provision is at least good and moving towards outstanding. This includes assessment of quality to inform the prison education, skills and work improvement plan which can be applied across various learning channels (e.g. classroom, industries, work areas, workshops, gym, etc.).
• Develop and maintain a neurodiversity needs strategy for the prison, incorporating and working with key stakeholders. This should include as a minimum: HoESW, LSM, Head of Reducing Reoffending (HoRR), provider education and/or curriculum managers (including regional leads), Employment lead, New Futures Network (NFN) broker, Prison Work Coach, Head of Offender Management Unit, libraries, Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG), activities, gym, industries manager, and key worker.
• Develop and maintain the systems and structures to ensure that delivery of all Education, Skills and Work activity is appropriate to all cohorts. Recommend and test related solutions leading into an improvement plan. Work with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to implement, maintain, invest and update it as necessary.
• Manage the collection and collation of data on neurodiversity at local level. Continually analyse and evaluate current practice for how neurodiversity provision is tailored to the needs of a wide range of prisoners, including those who are hard to reach, vulnerable prisoners, and those for whom English is not their first language.
• Track the progress of neurodivergent prisoners in education, learning and work (including kitchen, horticulture, waste management industries/workshops, wing work and orderly/peer roles), analyse data and identify participation and achievement gaps and address these.
• Case manage prisoners who require additional support to access education, skills and work opportunities within the prison to ensure it is both appropriate and helpful. Ensure individual prisoners' neurodiversity-related information is shared, appropriately and lawfully, with relevant prison teams (e.g. PEF, CIAG, LSM, AM Health Care).
• Ensure that the needs of neurodivergent prisoners are considered in terms of availability of activities, appropriate adaptations and reasonable adjustments as required and sufficient places by working with the LSM, activities and industries managers.
• Raise awareness of neurodiversity in the prison. Upskill the workforce to support a whole-prison approach using full staff briefings, internal communications and 1-2-1 processes, while noting that the list of opportunities is not exhaustive.
• Work with key stakeholders to ensure that neurodivergent prisoners receive the support and advice they need to help them prepare for a release into the community.

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. An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Essential Experience

• Experience of operating in a specialist neurodiversity role.
• Experience of working within the Special Educational Needs/Additional Learning Needs and Disabilities field.
• Detailed knowledge of OFSTED/Estyn's EIF (Education Inspection Framework) and further education and skills criteria.
• Substantial teaching experience that has developed a range of strategies for developing accessible and appropriate resources to match the specific learning needs of individuals or cohorts of learners.
• History of developing highly effective partnerships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Worked in a complex multi-agency operational setting to achieve mutual outcomes.
• Experience of setting goals and achieving targets.
• Experience of implementing change, preferably within an educational setting.
• Evidence of innovation and impact in an educational context.
• PGCE, Cert Ed or Level 5 in Education and Training.
• Level 4 Certificate in Supporting the learning of learners with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)/Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
• Alternatively, extensive experience working with people with complex needs in a neurodiversity specialist role in a custodial setting or other multi-disciplinary environment.

Desirable Qualifications

• Level 4 TAQA qualifications in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes or equivalent, Level 7 Diploma in Assessing and Teaching Learners with Dyslexia, Specific Learning Differences and Barriers to Literacy.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong written and excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge and use of the Microsoft suite of packages particularly Word, Excel, Project and PowerPoint.

Benefits

• Salary: £39,803 plus HM Prison & Probation Service contribution of £11,530 to the Civil Service Pension scheme.
• Access to learning and development.
• A flexible working environment to support work-life balance.
• A culture that encourages inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• 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 candidate information page: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ