Quality Development Officer​/Detached Duty - Thames Valley - South

A fixed-term detached duty post in the Divisional Performance and Quality team of the National Probation Service in South Central. The work is quality assurance across the region: audits, analysis, practice workshops and coaching to lift the standard of probation practice. It is a specialist Probation Officer role with no line management, open to full-time, part-time, job share or flexible working.

Candidates need to be qualified Probation Officers with at least two years at PO level.

• Deliver quality assurance activities under the national effective practice programme and review their impact on practice
• Deliver practice improvement workshops and briefings to POs and PSOs and review their impact
• Undertake audits of key work, give analysis and feedback, and contribute to local improvement and quality plans
• Develop audit and improvement activities from local need and evidence from audits, inspections and case reviews
• Support the re-launch and deployment of SEEDS
• Support local managers with improvement activities for staff in capability processes, including 1:1 support for those in formal capability
• Work with local managers to plan and support quality improvement in their cluster or function
• Provide coaching and support to staff groups whose roles are changing
• Play an integral role in implementing the national performance and quality programme
• Guide and support SPOs in quality assurance work
• Respond to risk escalation requests from Community Rehabilitation Companies, set the risk level and decide management of high-risk cases endorsed by a manager
• Carry out safeguarding children and adults duties under NPS statutory responsibilities

• Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma or Honours Degree in Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice, or equivalent
• Qualification recognised by the Secretary of State under section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007
• Previously recognised England and Wales qualifications:
  Diploma in Probation Studies, Diploma in Social Work (Probation Option), CQSW (Probation Option)
• Qualified Probation Officer

• Minimum of two years at PO level
• Evidence of undertaking good quality probation work
• Evidence of working collaboratively with others to improve quality
• Experience of working with a wide variety of people and communities facing social or personal difficulties
• Experience of working with individuals and groups to motivate and change offending behaviour
• Evidence of analysing information and using it to design an action plan

• Confident spoken English, or Welsh where specified in Wales
• Civil Service behaviours assessed at interview:
  Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Developing Self and Others, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together

• Standard DBS check
• Security and identity checks before taking up post
• Eligible under Civil Service nationality rules

• Able to work only within the UK, not overseas

• Annual leave of 25 days rising to 30 after five years, plus public holidays, pro rata for part-time posts
• Local Government Pension Scheme through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund
• Hybrid working where business need allows
• Training and development opportunities
• Family friendly policies, including reduced hours and job share
• Flexible benefits, retail vouchers and discounts
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens