Quality Development Officer​/Detached Duty - South

Overview of the job

This is a specialist Probation Officer post, in which the post holder has specific responsibility to contribute to the development of excellence in the quality of work undertaken with offenders and victims in the National Probation Service (NPS). The post holder will have no line management responsibilities.

The post holder will be part of the Divisional Performance & Quality team. They will work in partnership with divisional/local managers, practice tutor assessors and operational staff to promote high quality work through the delivery of quality assurance and improvement activities including audit and analysis, practice workshops, coaching and support to colleagues. The post holder must demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion, understand the relevance of those principles to their work, and adhere to all policies regarding the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled.

• Deliver quality assurance activities as part of the national effective practice programme, and review the impact of these activities on operational practice.
• Deliver practice improvement workshops and briefings to POs and PSOs, and review the impact of these interventions on practice.
• Support the re‑launch and deployment of Skills for Effective Engagement Development and Supervision (SEEDS).
• Undertake audits of key work, provide analysis and feedback to staff, and contribute to local improvement and quality plans.
• Work in partnership with local managers to develop audit and improvement activities based on local and divisional need and evidence from audits, inspections and case reviews arising from serious further offences, domestic homicides, serious case reviews.
• Provide support to local managers in delivering improvement activities to staff in informal/formal capability processes. As agreed with line manager, provide focussed 1:1 support to POs and PSOs involved in formal capability processes based on the improvement plans drawn up by line managers.
• Plan and support quality improvement in their cluster/function with local managers.
• Provide coaching and support to groups of staff whose roles are changing.
• Play an integral role in the divisional performance and quality team in implementing the national performance and quality programme.
• Provide guidance and support to SPOs to undertake quality assurance work.
• Respond to risk escalation requests raised by Community Rehabilitation Companies, determine risk level and, if endorsed by a manager, decide how high‑risk cases will be managed.
• Carry out safeguarding child and adult duties in accordance with NPS statutory responsibilities and agency policies.
• Demonstrate and promote pro‑social modelling skills by consistently reinforcing pro‑social behaviour and attitudes and challenging anti‑social behaviour and attitudes.
• Work within the aims and values of NPS and HMPPS.

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• 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 who have experienced a range of social/personal difficulties.
• Experience of working with individuals and groups in order to motivate and change offending behaviour
• Evidence of analysing information and using it to design an action plan to meet specific goals

Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma or Honours Degree in Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice; or a qualification recognised by the Secretary of State for Justice under Section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007. Previously recognised qualifications include:

• Diploma in Probation Studies
• Diploma in Social Work (with Probation Option)
• CQSW (with Probation Option)

37 hours per week

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…