Appointment details

Independent Advisory Panel on Death's in Custody - Panel Member

Summary

• Organisation: Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody
• Sponsor department: Ministry of Justice
• Location: London
• Sectors: Judicial, Prisons & Policing
• Skills: Legal, Judicial, Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 36 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £10,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11am on 2 June 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   12 May 2026

2. Application deadline

   11am on 2 June 2026

3. Sifting date

   12 June 2026

4. Interviews expected to end on

   10 July 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Appointment description

• Lead projects that result in advice and recommendations on matters identified with the IAPDC Chair and Ministerial Board on Deaths in Dentition as priority issues requiring expert advice and research.
• Work with panel members to identify the most effective means of reducing the number and rate of deaths in custody and communicate them authoritatively to Ministers and operational service leads.
• Work with external organisations, individuals with lived experience and bereaved family members to ensure that advice is drawn from a range of expert providers.
• Represent the IAPDC at external forums.

Organisation description

The IAPDC is a non-departmental public body established in 2009, following publication of the 2008 Fulton Report. The IAPDC is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office and forms part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody in England and Wales (“the Council”).

The Council is formed of three tiers: the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Detention (the Ministerial Board), the IAPDC and a practitioner and stakeholder group. The Council considers all deaths in state custody, including those in prisons, approved premises, youth custody, police, immigration detention, and detention in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

The role of the IAPDC is to provide independent advice and expertise to the Ministerial Board, the first tier of the Council, with the central aim of preventing deaths in custody. The IAPDC provides guidance on policy and best practice across sectors and makes recommendations to Ministers and operational services. It assists Ministers to meet their human rights obligations to protect life. The IAPDC’s aim is to bring about a continuing and sustained reduction in the number and rate of deaths in all forms of state custody in England and Wales.

The IAPDC’s main responsibilities are to:

• Act as the primary source of independent advice to ministers and service leaders (both through the Ministerial Board and where appropriate directly) on measures to reduce the number and rate of deaths in custody;
• Consult and engage with Ministers and the Ministerial Board to identify priority areas of advice and research to enable the operational services to reduce the number and rate of deaths in custody;
• Consult and engage with relevant stakeholders to collect, analyse and disseminate information about deaths in custody and the lessons that can be learned from them;
• Commission research;
• Carry out thematic inquiries into areas of concern, in co-operation as appropriate with the relevant oversight and investigative bodies;
• Issue formal guidance, and where appropriate set common standards, on best practice for reducing deaths in custody, both on its own authority and where appropriate under the authority of the Ministerial Board;
• Monitor compliance with such guidance and standards; and
• Where appropriate, make recommendations to Ministers for changes in policy or operational practice, to help reduce deaths in custody.

Board composition

The panel currently comprises: 

Wendy Sinclair-Gieben - IAPDC Chair 

Dr Jake Hard - Member 

Professor Seena Fazel - Member 

Kate Eves OBE - Member 

Andrew Harris - Member

Person specification

Essential criteria

·       Demonstrable knowledge of the work of service providers (for example the police service, the prison and probation service, immigration removal centres or secure hospitals/mental health services) or those working on behalf of individuals detained by the State or their families;

·       Ability to build strong relationships with national operational organisations, professional bodies and interest groups;

·       Knowledge, expertise, or experience in one or more of the following areas in the context of custodial environments or related fields: 

o   Human rights and how they relate to deaths in custody (first preference);  

o   Epidemiology;

o   Applied research;

o   Legislation or legal practice;

o   Organisation/cultural learning;

o   Operational or frontline experience in a detention setting;

o   Lived experience of a detention setting and/or experience of working with those with lived experience;

o   Experience working in third sector, charitable, or other civil society organisations; or

o   Experience of strategically influencing key stakeholders

·     The ability to identify research opportunities, complete projects in a timely way and make clear recommendations based on evidence gathered; and

·     The skills and knowledge needed to confidently and effectively communicate specialist or technical information to ministers, service leaders and stakeholders. 

Application and selection process

How to apply

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:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

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.

Guidance for those applying for an MoJ Public Appointment

When applying for a public appointment, you may need to include:

1. Your CV
2. A Supporting Statement or other supporting medium

This guidance provides helpful tips about drafting these documents. There is no official or ‘correct way’ to draft your CV or supporting statement, this is simply a guide that you may wish to refer to or use as a template.

CV

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind whilst writing or updating your CV:

·       Please write your name at the top. An initial paragraph giving a short, factual career biography would be helpful.

·       Font should be Arial – no less than size 11.

·       Your CV should not exceed 2 pages. We appreciate this may be a challenge and your achievements could spread across several pages. However, please understand that the panel may have many applications to assess so brevity would be appreciated.

·       Avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Check that spacing is uniform across the document,

·       Use an up-to-date CV. Outline your current and most recent roles, including dates of the positions you have held.

·       Avoid big blocks of solid text. Using bullet points will help those reading the CV.

·       Always explain, on first citation, what acronyms represent.

·       Only include key information. The panel do not need to know about your hobbies unless they specifically match the criteria of the role you are applying for. Personal details including name, address, phone number & email address should be included.

Supporting Statement or other supporting medium

Your supporting statement/medium is a key opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for the role and how your experience, skills and abilities meet the role criteria.

·       The supporting statement should not exceed two pages.

·       Font should be Arial – no less than size 11.

·       Please tailor your supporting statement to the role for which you are applying.  Generic statements make it more difficult for panels to match your evidence to the role criteria.  Using the essential criteria as headings can be helpful.   For example:

o   Relationship building: ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials and external stakeholders.  You would provide a paragraph using evidence from your current role or from recent examples of how you have demonstrated the ability to build strong and effective stakeholder relationships. You would then link this work of the body you are seeking to join and how your experience and ability directly benefit the body. There are two models that you may find useful in drafting your supporting statement/medium. In both cases specific examples, rather than assertions, are required.

o   The WHO Model – What was your personal role? How you did it? And what was the Outcome? placing emphasis on the successful outcome.

o   The STAR approach – Situation: briefly describe the context and your role, Task: the specific challenge, task or job that you faced, Action: what you did, how and why you did it and Result: what you achieved through your actions.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

• Paul Norris - Deputy Director, Scrutiny, Performance and Engagement, Ministry of Justice
• IAPDC Representative - TBC
• Representative from the Home Office or Department of Health and Social Care - TBC 
• Camilla Poulton - Independent Panel Member (IPM)

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact publicappointmentsteam@justice.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.  

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the way your application has been handled, we would like to hear from you. In the first instance please write to or e-mail the Public Appointments Team at the address or e-mail address given below.

Maggie Garrett, Ministry of Justice, Head of the Public Appointments Team, ALB Centre of Expertise, Ministry of Justice, E-mail address: PublicAppointmentsTeam@justice.gov.uk

Complaints must be received by the Public Appointments Team within 12 calendar months of the issue or the closure of the recruitment competition, whichever is the later.

We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days of receipt and reply within 20 working days of receipt. We will tell you if we cannot meet this deadline for any reason and provide an expected reply date.

Taking it further: If you are still concerned after receiving your reply you can write to:

Commissioner for Public Appointments, Room G/8, Ground Floor, 1 Horse Guards Road,

London, SW1A 2HQ: publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA) regulates and monitors appointments to public bodies to ensure procedures are fair. More information about the role of the Commissioner, the Governance Code for Public Appointments and the complaints process is available  here

Alternatively, please contact the Commissioner’s office on 020 7271 6729, or 0207 271 3305 for a printed copy of the complaints process.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

In accordance with the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019(4)(5), we will process your application in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Ministry of Justice’s Information Charter, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/personal-information-charter. 

We will hold your data securely and access will be restricted to those dealing with your application or involved in the recruitment process. We will share your data with the Commissioner for Public Appointments and other relevant government departments, including the Cabinet Office, as part of a complaint investigation or review of the recruitment process. Cabinet Office will handle data in accordance with their Privacy Notice https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/privacy-notice.   Your data may also be disclosed as required by law or in connection with legal proceedings. 

We will store your data for up to two years and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process, diversity monitoring and, if successful, your personal record. If appointed, your data will be stored for the duration of your tenure and may be shared with the organisation to which you are appointed, unless you specifically request us not to.  

Should you wish your data to be removed from our records, please contact publicappointmentsteam@Justice.gov.uk

Contact details

If you have further questions about this post, you are welcome to speak to Kish Hyde, Deputy Head of Secretariat, Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody. Please contact Kish via email at Kishwar.Hyde1@Justice.gov.uk.

If you have questions about the appointment process, you can contact the Public Appointments Team at: PublicAppointmentsTeam@Justice.gov.uk.