In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.
Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:
- a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- a supporting statement (containing evidence of how you meet the eligibility and answers to the 3 behaviour questions)
- equality information
- information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
- Referees - please provide names and contact details of two people who may be asked to act as referees for you. You should send this to Public AppointmentsTeam@justice.gov.uk (being clear to quote your name and PAT170009 in any correspondence). At least one referee must have knowledge of your work relating to your most recent professional and/ or voluntary activity. They will be expected to have authoritative and personal knowledge of your achievements in a professional or public service capacity.
We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.
You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.
Assessment Framework
Candidates will be assessed using success profiles which will assess your behaviours, strengths and experience against the essential criteria for the role. More information on the framework and how it is used elsewhere in government is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
This post is a public appointment, not a civil service post. Success profiles is a flexible framework and the Civil Service example has been adapted to reflect behaviours that are both specific to the Parole Board and generic to a public appointment. Success profiles assess candidates against a range of elements using a variety of selection methods. This blended approach, based on behaviours and strengths, will allow candidates to discuss both their experience and their motivation and engagement.
Candidates must first meet the eligibility criteria, including the professional qualifications and registration to meet the technical skill requirement.
Assessment thereafter will be in two parts; the sift stage and the interactive stage. A total of four behaviours and seven strengths will be assessed by the time of final selection. All behaviours and strengths relate to the essential criteria for the role.Supporting statement
Within the online application, you will be asked for a Supporting Statement.
To complete the Supporting Statement, candidates should:
- Provide, in no more than 250 words, clear examples which evidence how they meet the eligibility criteria; and
- Answer the three behaviour questions below (limit of 250 words per behaviour).
1. Eligibility
As mentioned above, you must first meet the eligibility criteria, including the professional qualifications and registration to meet the technical skill requirement.
· Registered as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC);
· With forensic experience through the Criminal Justice Service or through Forensic Mental Health Services or other relevant services;
· With knowledge and understanding of forensic risk assessment;
· With training in at least one Structured Professional Judgement Tool; and
· Have no outstanding fitness to practice matters
1. Behaviours
To demonstrate the potential to adopt the required behaviours in the role of a Parole Board Psychologist Member, in the supporting statement, please answer the following three questions, each within a limit of 250 words.
In your response to these questions, you should refer to the essential criteria and job description and:
· Limit your answers to 250 words for each of the three questions;
· Be aware that you may draw on your personal life experiences as well as any voluntary or paid work experience;
· Select your strongest examples, these do not need to involve the criminal justice system, we are looking for evidence of transferable knowledge, skills and qualities in the examples that you give;
· Ensure your own role in the example is clear and that your answers are specific and tailored to cover the essential competency criteria that we are testing.
Behaviour One – Making effective decisions
Parole Board members must analyse and critically evaluate information to identify continuing risk in a parole case. Information may come from a variety of sources including written dossiers, verbal evidence and electronic updates to decide whether it is necessary for the protection of the public that a person remains confined in prison. All decisions are made by panel of 1, 2 or 3 Parole Board members.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
Please give us an example of when you had to use risk assessment tools to make a decision/recommendation which had a positive impact on public safety.
In no more than 250 words, please outline: the situation and your role; what you wanted to achieve; how you went about making your decision; what evidence you considered when making your decision and what the outcome was.
Behaviour Two – Delivering at Pace
Parole Board members are required to use a range of IT effectively to access documentation, share and comment on written decisions and communicate with other panellists and staff. Hearings are conducted in person, by telephone and by video. Other cases are completed remotely on the papers without the parties being present. Parole Board members need to plan their time carefully to ensure they are fully prepared and meet deadlines whilst being flexible to accommodate changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond their control.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
Please give us an example of when you had to deal with an unexpected challenge whilst delivering a piece of work to a tight deadline which had consequences for you and other people or organisations.
In no more than 250 words, please outline: the context; what the challenge was and how you dealt with it; your role and what you did to increase the chances of success against the tight deadline; the outcome; and what you learned in the process.
Behaviour Three - Communicating and Influencing
Parole Board members are required to take an active part in oral hearings as a panel member or panel chair. They work collaboratively with other panel members in order to make judgements that have a fundamental impact on the lives of others. An oral hearing panel can have 1, 2 or 3 members. They each need to be receptive to others’ views, prepared to be challenged on their own views, communicate effectively and work well as a team.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
Please give us an example of when you had to work with a colleague with opposing views to reach a decision.
In no more than 250 words, please outline: the context, how you adapted your communication style to reach the decision, how you adapted to better understand the opposing arguments, how you approached the situation, what the outcome was.