Neurodiversity Support Manager (Ref: 13447)

HM Prison and Probation Service; Warrington; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A correctional services organization in the UK seeks a Neurodiversity Support Manager. The role focuses on improving neurodiversity support for prisoners through collaboration with various stakeholders. Responsibilities include leading the development of support strategies, managing data related to neurodiverse prisoners, and ensuring that all staff are equipped to understand and implement best practices. This is a crucial position aimed at enhancing rehabilitation pathways for individuals with neurodivergent needs.

Benefits

£39,803 salary

£11,530 pension contribution

Access to learning and development

Flexible working options

Inclusive workplace culture

Annual leave and public holidays

Qualifications

• Professional qualifications in education training and support for SEND/ALN.
• Experience in managing neurodiversity needs within a custodial setting.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead neurodiversity support and implement improvement strategies.
• Collaborate with educational and support teams to enhance services.
• Manage data collection on neurodiversity provisions for effective analysis.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Communication

Education

PGCE, Cert Ed or Level 5 in Education and Training

Level 4 Certificate in Supporting learners with SEND/ALN

Extensive experience in a neurodiversity specialist role

Job description

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

• Focus on improving and ensuring that the quality of neurodiversity support and provision is at least good and moving towards outstanding. This is to include 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 neurodiversity needs strategy for the prison, incorporating and working with key stakeholders. This should include as a minimum: Head of Education Skills and Work (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, 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. Working with Senior Management Team (SMT) to implement, maintain, invest and update it as necessary.
• Manage the collection and collating 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 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 to ensure it is both appropriate and helpful. Ensuring 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 adjustment as required and sufficient places by working with the LSM, activities and industries managers.
• Raise awareness of Neurodiversity in the prison. Upskilling workforce to support a whole prison approach to supporting prisoners with neurodivergence using full staff briefings, internal communications and 1-2-1 processes but the list of opportunity is not exhaustive.
• Work with key stakeholders to ensure that neurodivergent prisoners receive the support and advice that 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.

Qualifications

• 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, PGCE, Cert Ed or Level 5 in Education and Training.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:
UK nationals
Nationalities of the Republic of Ireland
Commonwealth nationals who have the right to work in the UK
EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein nationals and family members of those nationalities under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) or who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the EUSS
Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals and certain family members of Turkish nationals who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.

Benefits

• £39,803 salary with £11,530 contribution towards a Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• Access to learning and development.
• Flexible working options to enhance work-life balance.
• A culture that encourages inclusion and diversity.
• Annual leave, public holidays and a season ticket advance.
• Corporate and community partnership opportunities.