Neurodiversity Support Manager

Ministry of Justice; Camden Town; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency is seeking a Neurodiversity Support Manager to lead initiatives aimed at improving support for neurodivergent individuals within the prison system. The successful candidate will develop strategies, ensure quality provision, and collaborate with various stakeholders. This position offers flexible working arrangements and a commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Pension schemes

Pro-rata annual leave

Qualifications

• Experience in developing education strategies for diverse groups.
• Excellent data management and analytical skills necessary for tracking progress.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively with prison staff and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Improve quality of neurodiversity support across the prison system.
• Manage data collection on neurodiversity support.
• Raise awareness and upskill staff in neurodiversity.

Skills

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education management

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent

Job description

Neurodivergent individuals are overrepresented in the criminal justice system (CJS). Evidence suggests that half of the adult prison population can be expected to have needs arising from neurodivergence, compared with just 15‑20% of the general population. Despite a sizable proportion of our prison population being likely to have needs arising from neurodivergence, HMIP (2021) conducted a report and identified significant gaps in the support available for neurodivergent people in prison. To improve support, the Rehabilitation and Change Directorate (previously the Reducing Reoffending Directorate) introduced the Band 6 Neurodiversity Support Manager (NSM). NSMs have been recruited across the prison service, including in both the English and Welsh estates. The latest update from HMIP (2025) highlights the successes and challenges of the role so far.

Key Responsibilities

• Focus on improving and ensuring that the quality of neurodiversity support and provision is at least good and moving towards outstanding, including assessment of quality to inform the prison education, skills and work improvement plan across various learning channels (e.g., classroom, industries, work areas, workshops, gym).
• Develop and maintain the neurodiversity needs strategy for the prison, incorporating and working with key stakeholders.
• 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 and work with the Senior Management Team (SMT) to implement and update it as necessary.
• Manage the collection and collating of data on neurodiversity at local level, continually analysing and evaluating 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, analyse data and identify any participation and achievement gaps and address these.
• Case‑manage prisoners who require additional support to access education, skills and work opportunities within the prison, ensuring it is both appropriate and helpful, and ensuring that individual prisoners’ neurodiversity‑related information is shared, appropriately and lawfully, with relevant prison teams.
• Ensure that the needs of neurodivergent prisoners are considered in terms of availability of activities, appropriate adaptations and reasonable adjustment as required, working with the Learning and Skills Manager, Activities and Industries Managers.
• Raise awareness of Neurodiversity in the prison, upskilling the workforce to support a whole‑prison approach to supporting prisoners with neurodivergence using full staff briefings, internal communications and 1‑to‑1 processes.
• Work with key stakeholders to ensure that neurodivergent prisoners receive the support and advice that they need to prepare for release into the community.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers hybrid working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and/or from home. Hybrid Working will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office.

Standard full‑time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding unpaid breaks. HMPPS welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS Flexible Working policy.

Applicants who are current NPS employees may be given the vacancy on a loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff. The loan/secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate’s Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Annual Leave & Holidays

The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non‑standard work pattern, your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave is calculated on a pro‑rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment.

Bank, Public and Privilege holidays: you are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays, added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and operational needs.

Benefits

The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and an NVQ season ticket advance. After two months’ service, you will be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer‑period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work.

Equality and Inclusion

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. We support an interview process for disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns, and you may request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process via the application form.

Diversity & Inclusion: The Civil Service is committed to attracting, retaining and investing in talent wherever it is found. Further information is available on the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Veterans benefit: The 'Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans' initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme for those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs.

Redeployment

Departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed to providing opportunities to those who are at risk of redundancy through the Redeployment Interview Scheme.