Senior Probation Officer - Personality Disorder Projects - Lancashire (Ref: 23875)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Lancashire OPD for a Senior Probation Officer (SPO) role on a part-time basis (0.6). The Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Partnership brings together Health and Probation to work with some of the most complex, high-risk men and women who meet the OPD criteria, and to support those working with them. In Lancashire, there is also a strong connection with Enhanced Reconnect and services from across the Third sector.

The role is structured as a split post, with three days per week (0.6 FTE) dedicated to the OPD Pathway and two days per week (0.4 FTE) focused on developing and maintaining external partnerships.

The post-holder’s base will be negotiable, though there is an expectation that the team will come together regularly – usually at Diadem House. You will be line managed by the Regional OPD Senior Leader and be part of an environment that is committed to learning and developing together, with support from colleagues working in OPD services across the North West.

If you would like to find out more about this role before applying, please feel free to contact:

Karen Rooney – karen.rooney@justice.gov.uk or Anna Javed (Current SPO)

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Manage and provide leadership to specialist Probation Officers and other staff within OPD services.
• Ensure cases are allocated appropriately and workloads are managed effectively.
• Maintain oversight of high-risk and complex cases.
• Ensure compliance with probation policies, safeguarding requirements and public protection procedures.

Clinical and Psychological Partnership Working

• Work closely with Clinical Leads and NHS partners in delivering the OPD pathway.
• Support the use of psychological formulations to inform sentence management and risk management.
• Promote psychologically informed approaches across probation services.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary decision-making regarding PiP and PoP.

Risk Management and Public Protection

• Provide management oversight for individuals assessed as high or very high risk of serious harm.
• Ensure robust assessment and management of risk.
• Support staff in managing challenging behaviours, safeguarding concerns, and public protection issues.
• Participate in MAPPA and other multi-agency forums where appropriate.

Consultation and Workforce Development

• Support delivery of case consultation and formulation processes.
• Facilitate reflective practice and psychologically informed supervision.
• Develop practitioner confidence and capability in working with personality difficulties.
• Deliver or coordinate learning and workforce development activities.

Quality Assurance and Professional Standards

• Review casework, reports and assessments.
• Provide feedback and coaching to practitioners.
• Ensure management oversight frameworks are applied consistently.
• Monitor performance and service outcomes.

Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop productive relationships with NHS providers, Approved Premises, prisons and community agencies.
• Contribute to service development and pathway improvement.
• Represent OPD services within local and regional governance structures.
• Work alongside OPD Senior Co-Commissioners to develop and deliver quality services in the Lancashire sub-region.

The post holder will also be required to undertake the following:

• Oversee multi-agency partnership arrangements within the three Lancashire MASH hubs, supporting HMPPS safeguarding activity across Lancashire.
• Support the training and development of probation staff in relation to local child and adult safeguarding procedures and processes.
• Attend monthly MASH operational meetings and participate in multi-agency audits.
• Oversee arrangements for the delivery of MARAC.
• Support PDUs and Court Teams by providing advice and improving referral pathways and communication.
• Support the Business Manager in the management and deployment of Case Administrators working within partnership locations.
• Work collaboratively with the Health and Justice Team, EPOP, and Regional Commissioning and Contracts Team to strengthen pathways and relationships with third-sector organisations across Lancashire.
• Support developments relating to neurodiversity and chair the Lancashire Autism Justice Board.
• Lead partnership work relating to women in the justice system and chair the Female Justice Partnership Board.

Person Specification

Essential

• Existing Senior Probation Officer.
• Extensive experience of managing complex, high-risk individuals.
• Knowledge of personality disorder, trauma-informed practice and risk management.
• Experience of leading staff and providing professional supervision.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, MAPPA, and public protection processes.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication, decision-making and leadership skills.
• Demonstrable commitment to working compassionately and relationally with colleagues and people on probation.

Desirable

• Experience within OPD, PIPE, IIRMS or psychologically informed services.
• Experience of reflective practice, consultation, or formulation-led approaches.
• Knowledge of personality disorder theory and psychologically informed environments.
• Experience of collaborative working with psychology and health professionals.

Technical Skills

Technical 1

You must have the mandatory Qualification for the role. Applicants who do have any of the following qualifications will be withdrawn :

Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma/ Honours Degree in
Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice.

Or a qualification which was recognised at the time of qualification by the
Secretary of State for Justice as per Section 10 of the Offender Management
Act 2007.The following qualifications gained in England and Wales were
previously recognised as providing such eligibility:

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

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Qualifications

You must have the mandatory Qualification for the role. Applicants who do have any of the following qualifications will be withdrawn :

Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma/ Honours Degree in
Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice.

Or a qualification which was recognised at the time of qualification by the
Secretary of State for Justice as per Section 10 of the Offender Management
Act 2007.The following qualifications gained in England and Wales were
previously recognised as providing such eligibility:

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

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Please refer to the Technical Skills section in the Job Description

Benefits

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which 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 below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5358

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/23875?entityId=23875