Policy Communications and Analysis Group Policy Advisor Candidate

Policy, Communications and Analysis Group Policy Advisor Candidate Pack June 2020

Welcome James Bowler Director General Policy, Communications & Analysis Group Thank you for taking an interest in joining the Ministry of Justice as a Policy Advisor. The Mo. J is a major Government Department with a vital role. We work to protect the public and reduce reoffending and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the wider public. We are responsible for courts, prisons and probation services, and for upholding the rule of law. The Government has an ambitious policy agenda for the department and its responsibilities. I’m delighted to lead the Policy, Communications and Analysis Group which aims to deliver that programme of work. As a Policy. Advisor in the Group, you will work with Ministers, set the agenda, and deliver lasting change for the citizens who rely on our services. I’m committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace in PCAG and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential. If you require any further queries to our recruitment process please email contacts in the last slide. I wish you all the luck in your application. Mo. J Values Contents About Us. . 3 The Role. . 4 Our People. . . . 6 Application. . . 7 Our Values at the Ministry of Justice Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in our society, protecting and advancing the principles of justice. Our values sit at the heart of how we work and how we bring the principles of justice to life.

About Us Policy As a Policy advisor you will have the opportunity to make a real difference. Your decision making will contribute to changing people’s lives who come into contact with the justice system. We have just over 600 Policy Advisors in our Group, from Director level to more junior grades. We are responsible for setting and advising policy across a number of areas, including: Ø criminal, civil, family and administrative justice; the criminal and civil law Ø the court system, legal aid and support and the legal services sector Ø the prison and probation systems, and offender policy; the youth justice system Ø the UK’s domestic human rights framework and international obligations Ø Mo. J’s interests in the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Benefits Tools for the job Everyone is provided with a laptop and i. Phone. We use Microsoft applications, mainly Teams as platform to do our work. 25 days annual leave, which increases yearly up to 30 days per year. Flexible working, we offer a range of opportunities: working from home, compressed hours, part time working and job share. Learning and Development, you’ll join the Policy Profession and will have access to: faceto-face and online training on a range of topics (ministerial briefing and stakeholder management) and accredited programmes. You’re entitled to up to five days special volunteering leave. Civil Service Pension, option to join the Civil Service Pension, we make a significant contribution to your pension. .

The Role A week in the life of a Policy Advisor Wednesday Monday - Tuesday Ø Start off the week attending a team meeting, catching up with colleagues, discussing up coming priorities and corporate objectives. Ø Write a briefing for our Minister to provide them with background information ahead of a meeting on Friday where we need a decision from them on the future direction of a piece of work I am leading on. Ø Present a paper I have written to a Board with senior leaders from across the Criminal Justice System, including colleagues from the Home Office and the Judicial Office to gain their agreement on my proposed next steps. Ø Interview frontline, operational staff from across the Criminal Justice System, including police officers and court staff to gather qualitative data for a strategic project I am leading on. Ø Spend time on my own personal development, going to a ‘lunch and learn’ delivered by a senior official in the Crown Prosecution Service, to learn more about how they operate and build on my knowledge of the Criminal Justice System. Thursday - Friday Ø Meet with colleagues from analytical services and the legal department to analyse a policy proposal. Ø Have a ‘Touchpoint’ meeting with my line manager. This is a longer 1 -1 that we have every 8 weeks where you can discuss your work and development objectives in my detail. Ø Attend the Ministerial meeting where I receive a decision from our Minister which I can progress next week. Further information on the Policy Profession can be found here. I have been working in Mo. J since April 2019. I joined from outside the civil service, having previously worked in the private sector as a buyer for a supermarket chain. I joined as a Policy Advisor and I am now a Senior Policy Advisor in the Criminal Justice Strategy Team where I get to lead on strategy projects which aim to develop and implement plans that address challenges faced by the Criminal Justice System. I feel very grateful to work in a place where I always feel supported and my development is prioritised and I love being able to make a genuine difference to how our Justice System operates. Amy Waghorn – Policy Advisor, Family Criminal Strategy

Our People Nicola Hewer & Melissa Case (Joint Directors for Family and Criminal Justice Policy) We’ve been jobsharing for five years over three different roles. As directors, we lead a team of over 100 and deal with wide portfolio of policy from vulnerable users and victims to criminal and family courts. Neither of us started off in the civil service or in policy: Nicola started her career as a clinical psychologist and I was in corporate PR. Since joining the civil service, we have held a variety of roles in private office and policy, spanning the Department of Health, Ministry of Justice and the Cabinet Office. We are also the Wellbeing champion for the Group, we care about the wellbeing of all staff. Working with colleagues we organise a number of initiatives throughout the year to support staff. Junior Johnson (Deputy Director for Prison Performance and Independence Scrutiny Bodies) I’m responsible for agreeing performance outcomes across Prisons and for ensuring we operate transparent prison and probation system. As part of that, I oversee a number of independent Arm’s Length Bodies who aim to improve accountability, standards and outcomes for offenders through their monitoring and inspection regimes. Before joining Mo. J I worked in the Department for Work and Pensions in a variety of operational delivery roles. Alongside the day job, I’m one of the Race Champions in Mo. J mentoring and supporting people to reach their full potential is a passion of mine. We believe our people are our most valuable assets. We invest in our people and encourage them to be the best and most authentic version of themselves.

Our People We have no doubt, that whatever your interest, starting your career in the Mo. J offers you a great opportunity to learn and grown in a truly inclusive and supportive working environment. Roshnee Patel & Stephanie Hack (Joint Deputy Director for Legal Support and Fees Policy) We operate as a job share, and are both responsible for policy on how we set a range of fees for users engaging with the justice system and what kind of legal support people need in order to have access to justice. For me (Roshnee), joining the civil service was a complete accident, but what a happy one it has been. I have worked on a range of very different roles throughout my career. Some of these include work on how we manage violence in youth custody, advising Ministers on policing incidents and support for victims of crime, presenting to a UN delegation on international standards for emergency travel documents and negotiating with the EU Commission on infraction proceedings against the UK Government. Lizzie Checkley (Head of Eligibility, Civil and Family, Legal Aid Policy) I’ve been working in Mo. J through a range of jobs for 16 years. My roles have ranged from being a Court manager, to negotiating agreements, developing new policy and taking forward legislative changes. I’ve worked on varied policy roles from international policy to legal aid and really enjoy considering tricky issues, working with really interesting and dedicated people from within and outside of Government and developing potential solutions for Ministers to consider. It’s incredibly rewarding seeing policy you have worked on being implemented. I currently manage two diverse teams leading on a huge area of legal aid policy and I love helping people to develop and reach their potential. Leading teams is rewarding and I am constantly learning from those I manage.

Recruitment Process Your application & interview Top tip: when writing your application, provide some context to the situation you’re describing and clearly explain the task and action you took and say what the results were. When recruiting, Mo. J uses the Success Profiles Framework to attract people of talent and experience from a range of sectors and all walks of life. Before you complete your application and if successful attend an interview, look carefully at the job description and think about the examples you can give (in your application and interview) of the times you have previously demonstrate the behaviours outlines. Application At this stage we’re assessing your application on the Behaviours element of Success Profiles. We want to get an understanding of the actions and activities that you have done (or would do) that result in effective performance in a job. Contact Details For more information please visit our website and check out the Ministry of Justice on Facebook, Twitter, Linked. In and Instagram. For more information about the role please email PCAGPeopleand. Capability @justice. gov. uk and leave your name and number, we will call you back. For any queries about the application process please direct your email to SSCL. Interview The Microsoft Teams interview will last approximately 50 minutes and will be structured as follows: Ø Introductions Ø You’ll be asked to give a short verbal presentation, we’ll send you more information ahead of the interview. Ø Followed by two/three questions based on the Behaviours we outlined in the job description Ø Finishing off with a short question and answers round, where we are testing your potential Strengths