We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
Overview of the job
This is a management job which provides leadership and facilitates/enables religious and pastoral care to prisoners and staff within an establishment.
Summary
The job holder will be responsible for leading and managing the multi faith chaplaincy team.
The job holder will provide for the religious and pastoral care of prisoners and staff in their own faith tradition, and appropriate pastoral care for all irrespective of faith tradition.
The job holder will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of the specification “Faith and Pastoral Care”, the broader work of Chaplaincy in delivering faith and non-faith based courses and ensuring the Governor and Head of Chaplaincy/Profession at Headquarters is provided with assurance that the specification “Faith and Pastoral Care” is being delivered.
This is a non-operational job with line management responsibilities.
Responsibilities, Activities and Duties
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Responsible for leading and managing the multi faith chaplaincy team ensuring chaplains are available and accessible to prisoners
- Ensure chaplains are receiving training and development opportunities
- Provide pastoral care and seek to ensure spiritual welfare of prisoners and staff
- Responsible for arranging and leading worship for own faith community
- Provide expert faith advice within establishment and be responsible for supporting the establishment in ensuring faith groups observe their religious holy days and festivals
- Acquire and distribute appropriate religious literature, supplies and materials.
- Responsible for leading on developing relationships with various support and volunteer groups
- Responsible for the contact strategy with outside faith based agencies to help with the resettlement of prisoners
- Responsible for planning and leading workshops and prayer/faith specific meetings
- Responsible for ensuring input into, and contributing to, safeguarding, allocations, referrals, inductions and Diversity Race Equality Action Team (DREAT), as appropriate
- Responsible for ensuring and delivering awareness programmes for prisoners, including bereavement programmes and lifer programmes, as applicable, and local Faith Awareness Training for staff
- Work closely with Safer Custody to ensure issues such as deaths in custody procedures, Assessment Care in Custody Teamwork (ACCT) and Violence Reduction are delivered in-line with HMPPS standards
- Responsible for ensuring, and contributing to, supporting prisoners in dealing with bereavement by liaising with families/prisoners and other third parties e.g. hospitals, Coroners offices
- Plan, organise hospital visits, weddings, funerals, memorial services, where appropriate
- Responsible for ensuring and contributing to the delivery of daily statutory duties which include interviewing all new prisoners, visiting prisoners in healthcare and Care and Separation Unit (CSU) responding to prisoner applications and being available prior to discharge
- Responsible for ensuring the involvement of the Chaplaincy team in resettlement issues as appropriate, and engage and build contacts with own faith community towards aiding the resettlement of prisoners
- Responsible for ensuring and contributing to prisoner reports including, Lifer Reports, and Parole Reports as appropriate
- Responsible for the use of the chaplaincy facilities and maintenance of the equipment used
- Ensure appropriate training for chaplaincy volunteers; nurture volunteers in their contribution
- Where appropriate act as Official Prison Visitor Liaison Officer
- Ensure effective administration of chaplaincy, including prisoner lists for events, records updated etc
- Provide mentoring and personal support for other chaplains and volunteers, including following incidents
- Take responsibility for your own spiritual health and development, allowing time for private prayer, study and retreat
Undertake other management tasks including:
- Accountable for the performance of the Chaplaincy team and the staff within it. Manage the achievement of qualitative and quantitative standards including Service Delivery Indicators (SDI’s) within the function, verifying and signing off documentation as appropriate. Analyse and act upon data which is relevant to Chaplaincy
- Ensure that all staff within the Chaplaincy team contribute to providing decent conditions for prisoners and a safe working environment for staff
- Promote prison service policy in all activities and behaviours e.g. promote diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-offending agendas
- Will have the skills to apply all Human Resources (HR) related policies and practices and be able to carry out all aspects of people management such as attendance management, disciplinary investigations, performance management and staff appraisals
- Responsible for ensuring prisoner’s complaints (including those involving litigation claims) relevant to the Chaplaincy team, have been dealt with in accordance with policy
- Produce relevant reports as required and ensure all correspondence is replied to within agreed timescales
- Oversee the compilation and achievement of any performance improvement programmes, reporting on progress regularly as appropriate
- Manage the appropriate authorisation of financial compliance statements
- Manage devolved budgets in accordance with the financial procedures outlined in the budget delegation
- Ensure that Chaplaincy produces and analyses audit and establishment performance management information identifying variances and areas requiring improvements
- Contribute to the establishment’s overall achievement of (SDIs) and standards and be accountable for the performance and delivery of targets relating to the budget and People Plan for the function
- Responsible for leading the development of local policy, procedures and practice and the implementation of national policy in relation to the chaplaincy service and lead activities. Contributes toward the development of general HMPPS local policy, procedures and practice. Ensures that current Chaplaincy practice is in line with policy (both national and local)
- Contribute to the development and delivery of the medium-to-long term strategic and business plan for the establishment, with overall responsibility for implementation within their function
- Attend relevant boards/meetings and actively contribute either as chair or team member
- Responsible for ensuring work areas and associated activities comply with Health and Safety legislation. Ensure all risk assessments are undertaken and staff are made aware of their personal responsibility towards Health and Safety compliance
- Work collaboratively and provide constructive challenge to colleagues to ensure that their own and other functions are joined up and together contribute towards the overall delivery of the establishments performance
- Contribute to the preparation of the establishment contingency and emergency plans and ensure implementation when required.
- Carries out investigations and administration in relation to incidents of potential discrimination and reports on findings.
- Responsible for ensuring relevant actions arising from Standard Audit, Her Majesty Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) Action Plans, Managing Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) surveys including local self audit action plans and Resettlement strategies are delivered
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.
An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.