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Annexes – Parole Board Independent Member

Annex 1: About the Parole Board.

The Parole Board for England and Wales was established in 1968 under the Criminal Justice Act 1967. It became an independent Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) on 1 July 1996 under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

A NDPB is an independent public body which has a role in the process of national Government. It is not a government department or part of one. It operates at arm's length from Government. Appointments to the boards of these public bodies are known as public appointments.

The Parole Board’s mission statement is:The Parole Board is an independent body that works with other criminal justice agencies to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can safely be released into the community.

The Parole Board has five functions in England and Wales:1. Deciding whether to release indeterminate sentence prisoners, including life sentence

prisoners and prisoners given imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, after their minimum term of imprisonment has expired;

2. Deciding whether to release some categories of determinate sentence prisoners;3. Deciding whether some prisoners who have been recalled to prison can be re-released;4. Advising the Secretary of State whether some indeterminate prisoners can be progressed

from closed to open conditions; and5. Advising the Secretary of State on any release or recall matters referred to it.

The Parole Board’s Strategic Values are:

Fairness: Ensure each individual case is dealt with fairly, whilst ensuring protection of the public, and sensitivity to victims.

Independence: Taking independent, impartial decisions on individual cases and positively engaging with other agencies to achieve the Parole Board's own objectives and responsibilities.

Confidence: Individually and organisationally willing to take and support decisions on the best available evidence, a shared understanding and commitment to the Parole Board's core purpose and open to the need to adapt and improve where necessary.

Collegiate: A collaborative, respectful working relationship between members, between staff, and between staff and members. Willingness to provide and receive both support and challenge.

Transparency: A presumption of openness and disclosure about the work and performance of the Parole Board.

Reflection: Reflective about the Parole Board’s and individuals' performance and how it can be improved. Open to the different approaches and insights members and staff with diverse backgrounds can bring. Empathetic to the experience of both victims and prisoners in the parole process.

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Strategic Aims 2018 to 2020The Parole Board must interpret its role and statutory duties in the context of its current environment.

It should carry out its responsibilities to assess prisoners for release as part of wider efforts by other criminal justice agencies to reform the prison system. This should reduce reoffending and, in turn, the risk of people becoming victims of crime due to prisoners committing further offences.

The Parole Board has a key role to play by ensuring resources and capacity are not wasted by keeping individuals in prison because of inefficiencies in the parole system, that the parole system supports rehabilitative processes, and that the public have confidence in the parole system.

The Parole Board has four overarching aims:

The strategic aims from now until 2020 are:1. Efficient processing of parole cases leading to the timely conclusion of cases and safe

release of prisoners back into the community.2. Ensure the independence and quality of the Parole Board’s decision-making.3. Ensure openness and transparency of the Parole Board’s processes and decision-

making.4. Ensure that staff and members of the Parole Board work together to continuously improve

the way they work, while treating all with respect and humanity

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Annex 2. Working Arrangements

LocationThe Parole Board manages the caseload on a regional basis across England and Wales. There are four regions: North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber East Midlands, West Midlands South, South East, East Anglia and London South West, South Central and Wales.

There are currently ONLY vacancies in the North East, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber. You MUST live in the northern counties listed to apply for the role of independent member.

The counties included in these regions are:

Cheshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire North Yorkshire Greater Manchester Merseyside Lincolnshire* (only in the areas of North and North-East Lincolnshire) Lancashire Cumbria Tyne & Wear Northumberland County Durham

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Flexible Working The work is part-time and flexible. There are 2 main types of work:

1. Oral Hearings

The majority of oral hearings are held in prisons, or occasionally in mental health settings, or take place through a video link with the panel situated in the Parole Board’s offices (currently at Canary Wharf, London), or other suitable venue, as needed. Panels can consist of 1, 2 or 3 Parole Board members, and could be Independent, Judicial, Psychologist or Psychiatrist members.

Cases are listed 3 months in advance. The Parole Board will ask for the days you are available to work and match your availability with the cases that are ready to be heard.

You will be asked to select around 25 prisons that are accessible to you. The prisons are shown by region below. You will need to be able to travel to around 25 prisons so that you can attend the oral hearing which is held in office hours. The Parole Board will reimburse your travel, in accordance with its policies. If you need to stay overnight in the course of your Parole Board business, expenses will be reimbursed at the prevailing rates.

Preparation for the oral hearing and contributing to the written reasons afterwards can be done from home, using IT equipment provided by the Parole Board.

New members are trained on oral hearings as part of the initial induction training.

2. MCA

All cases are first considered by a single member, working at home and using a secure laptop computer that is provided. These are paper panel called MCA (Member Case Assessment).

Members will receive a number of cases to consider and will be able to make a decision based on the dossiers for each case, or direct that the case needs to be considered further at an oral hearing.

New members are trained in MCA towards the end of their first 12 months as a member.

Regional establishments for oral hearings If you are appointed you will be asked to select around 25 prisons that are accessible to you. They are expected to be predominantly in the area in which you live, but they may extend into other regions depending on transport links.

The prisons located within each region are listed below:

HMP Establishments by Region

Region 1: North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humberside

Deerbolt (YOI) DurhamHolme House Kirklevington Grange

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Low Newton NorthumberlandAltcourse Lancaster FarmKirkham PrestonHaverigg WymottGarth HindleyBuckley Hall KennetLiverpool StyalRisley ManchesterThorn Cross FranklandForest Bank WealstunWetherby Askham GrangeLeeds New HallWakefield MoorlandDoncaster LindholmeHatfield (Moorland Open) HumberHull LincolnFull Sutton North Sea CampMorton Hall

Region 2: East and West Midlands

Foston Hall GartreeGlen Parva LeicesterLowdham Grange NottinghamRanby SudburyWhatton BirminghamBrinsford Drake HallDovegate FeatherstoneHewell OakwoodStafford Stoke HeathSwinfen Hall WerringtonLong Lartin OnleyRyehill Stocken

Region 3: South, South East, East Anglia and London

Bure NorwichHollesley Bay Warren HillWayland Highpoint NorthHighpoint South WhitemoorLittlehey PeterboroughBedford The MountChelmsford RochesterSheppy Cluster Cookham WoodMaidstone East Sutton parkDover Blantyre HouseDownview High DownLewes SendBronzefield FordPentonville Wormwood ScrubsFeltham Wandsworth

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Brixton ThamesideBelmarsh Isis

Region 4: South Central, South West, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland

Woodhill GrendonSpring Hill BullingdonHuntercombe HaslarIsle of White Cluster ErlestokeLeyhill Eastwood ParkBristol AshfieldGuys Marsh PortlandThe Verne Channings WoodExeter DartmoorUsk BerwynPrescoed CardiffParc SwanseaScotland Northern Ireland

StatusMembers are public appointees, not employees.

RemunerationThe work is fee paid. Casework fees range between £320 and £365 per day, depending on the role. A member working 115 days would be likely to receive between £30,000 to £40,000 in member fees, depending on the precise work undertaken. Those who chair hearings will earn more.

Remuneration is taxable and fee-paid members have no pension rights. Members do not receive holiday pay, sick pay or other employee status benefits, however, they may be entitled to statutory benefits.

Although there is no guarantee of work, the Parole Board currently has sufficient demand in the northern regions that it is able to offer members more than the minimum 115 days time commitment in a year. The time commitment includes some preparation time.

The current fee structure is below:

Parole Board Members’ Fees (Effective 7th September 2015)

Paper panels and casework

Member Case Assessment (MCA) Panels – Per day (mixed cases) £

Panel member (one bundle of cases, totalling 8 hours notional*)

* A MCA bundle is based on an 8 hour working day, with case types having the following notional time allocations:

- Standard determinate sentence recall case = 1 hour- Indeterminate Sentence Prisoners review/recall case = 2 hours

320

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- Discretionary Conditional Release/Extended sentences for Public Protection/Extended Determined Sentence/Extended Sentence Prisoner annual review case = 2 hours

Part bundles – per case bundle equal to 2 hours notional 80

MCA Panels – Specialist Member Consultation

Day rate (based on 8 hours working from home) 345

Pro rata – hourly rate(part hours to be claimed to the nearest quarter hour) 43

MCA Duty member

Per day (based on 7 hours at Queen Anne’s Gate) 320Pro rata – per hour(part hours to be claimed to the nearest quarter hour) 46

Oral hearings

Oral Hearing - Panel Chair

Allocation fee - per case 68Preparation fee – per case 91Conduction fee – per day of hearings 365

Specialist Co-panellistPreparation fee – per case 65Conduction fee – per day of hearings 345

Co-panellistPreparation fee – per case 60Conduction fee – per day of hearings 320

Adjournments

Adjournment when the case is re-convened at oral hearing: 1 x preparation fee (per case) + 1 x conduction fee (per day) at the prevailing rate for role of each member of the panel

Complex single case hearings

Single case listed for 4.5 hours or more at oral hearing: 2 x preparation fee (for the single case) in addition to the 1 x conduction fee (per day) at the prevailing rate for role of each member of the panel. (Chair will also be entitled to 1 x allocation fee, as standard).

Non-casework activity

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Enhanced non-caseworkDay rate – based on 7 hours at a location 300Pro rata – per hour 43Advanced approval by email from a senior manager is required for all enhanced non-casework claims. A fixed time allowance will be set for the specific work commissioned at this level of fee. The enhanced rate applies for:Sitting on a Parole Board governance committee: Management Committee, Standards Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Review Committee.Quality assurance: Practice observation, MCA quality assurance, case review and other initiatives.Delivering training, coaching, mentoring and other development activities.

Standard non-casework Day rate – based on 7 hours at a location 250Pro rata – hourly rate 36The standard rate applies for:Attending conference and member eventsAttending training, learning and development eventsAttending meetings, focus groups or other activities at the invitation of the Parole Board.

Professional Development Members are expected to engage in professional development and this is part of the minimum time commitment. The Parole Board hosts a 2-day residential conference and a 1-day strategy event, which members are expected to attend. An attendance fee is paid and expenses in line with the policy are payable.

In addition, there are opportunities for members to do training in specific additional roles including oral hearing chair, duty member and quality assessor. Members are also invited to contribute to the development of the organisation through consultation, pilot projects and non-casework activity, such as mentoring, training and quality assessment. Fees are payable for time spent on Parole Board business.

Performance Appraisal

All members will be subject to regular monitoring and appraisal of their performance. This will include an initial appraisal after completion of the first year of membership.

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Annex 3. Standards and Integrity Members are required to adhere to the Parole Board Code of Conduct for members, including the seven principles of public life.

The Code of Conduct for Parole Board members

1. Scope of the Code of Conduct

1.1 This Code of Conduct relates exclusively to Parole Board Members. The Code is a public document, published on the Parole Board website and extranet. As a public office-holder, your behaviour and actions must be governed by the principles set out in this Code of Conduct. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with, and comply with, all the relevant provisions of the Code. The Code should be read in conjunction with your Terms of Appointment.

1.2 Parole Board Committee Members, including Management Committee members, have separate Terms of Appointment which govern those roles in addition to their responsibilities to comply with this Code of Conduct.

1.3 This Code of Conduct is intended to be consistent with the Cabinet Office’s Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies (June 2011). The judicial nature of Parole Board Members’ work is such that there will be some minor differences between the Cabinet Office Code and this Code.

1.4 This Code of Conduct was approved by the Parole Board’s Management Committee on 29 October 2015 following the recommendation of the Parole Board’s Standards Committee.

2. Purpose, Powers and Duties of the Parole Board

2.1 The Parole Board is an independent body whose function is to assess the risk posed to the public by a particular prisoner in order to determine whether it remains necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should continue to be confined.

2.2 The Parole Board may also be required to advise the Secretary of State whether the risk presented by a prisoner is sufficiently low that it can be managed in open prison conditions and on the areas of a prisoner’s risk which continue to need to be addressed.

2.3 The Parole Board exercises judicial functions, including the power to decide upon the lawfulness of the continued detention of prisoners referred to it by the Secretary of State, and acts as a Court for the purposes of Article 5(4) of the European Convention on Human Rights. As such, it must remain independent and impartial.

2.4 In discharging The Parole Board’s duties and exercising its functions, Parole Board members must make an objective, fair and lawful assessment of evidence in each individual case.

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2.5 The purpose, powers and duties of the Parole Board should inform your actions and decisions as a Parole Board member.

3. Key Principles of Public Life

3.1 Parole Board Members are public office-holders. The principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources.

3.2 The key principles upon which this Code of Conduct is based are the Seven Principle of Public Life1. These are:

3.2.1 Selflessness - You should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. You should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for yourself, your family or your friends.

3.2.2 Integrity - You should not place yourself under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might, or might be perceived to, influence you in the performance of your official duties.

3.2.3 Objectivity - In carrying out public business, including awarding contracts and recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, you should make choices on merit.

3.2.4 Accountability - You are accountable for your decisions and actions to the public and must submit yourself to whatever scrutiny is appropriate for your office.

3.2.5 Openness - You should be as open as possible about the decisions and actions that you take. You should give reasons for your decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

3.2.6 Honesty - You have a duty to declare any private interests relating to your public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

3.2.7 Leadership - You should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

3.3 These principles should inform your actions and decisions as a Parole Board

member.

4. General Conduct

Use of public funds

4.1 You have a duty to ensure the safeguarding of public funds2 and the proper custody of assets which have been publicly funded.

1 Standards in Public Life: First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Volume 1: Report. CM 2850-I. 2 This should be taken to include all forms of receipts from fees, charges and other sources.

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4.2 You must carry out your fiduciary obligations responsibly- that is, take appropriate measures to ensure that the Parole Board uses resources efficiently, economically and effectively, avoiding waste and extravagance.

Allowances

4.3 You must comply with the rules set by the Parole Board regarding remuneration, allowances and expenses. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all relevant HM Revenue & Customs’ requirements concerning payments, including expenses.

Gifts and hospitality

4.4 You must not accept any gifts or hospitality which might, or might reasonably appear to, compromise your personal judgement or integrity or place you under an improper obligation.

4.5 You must never canvass or seek gifts or hospitality.

4.6 You must comply with the rules set by the Parole Board on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality. You should inform the Chief Executive of any offer of gifts or hospitality and ensure that, where a gift or hospitality is accepted, this is recorded in the public register in line with the rules set by the Parole Board.

4.7 You are responsible for your decisions on the acceptance of gifts or hospitality and for ensuring that any gifts or hospitality accepted can stand up to public scrutiny and do not bring the Parole Board into disrepute.

Use of Parole Board resources

4.8 You must not misuse Parole Board resources3 for personal gain or for political purpose. Use of such resources must be in line with the Parole Board’s rules on their usage.

4.9 You should not use equipment, including IT equipment, provided by the Parole Board for your use as a Parole Board member, for other purposes which could bring the Parole Board into disrepute.

Use and Disclosure of information

4.10 You must not misuse information gained in the course of your work for the Parole Board for personal gain or political purpose4.

3 This includes facilities, equipment, telephony and other services.4 Members who misuse information gained by virtue of their position may be liable for breach of confidence under common law or may commit a criminal offence under insider dealing legislation.

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4.11 You must not disclose any information which is confidential in nature or which is provided in confidence without authority. This duty continues after you have left the Parole Board.

4.12 Information about prisoners and cases, including case discussions, must be kept confidential and must not be disclosed to any third party without the prior permission of the Chair of the Parole Board or the Chief Executive.

4.13 All casework documentation must be secured and accounted for in line with Information Assurance instructions provided by the Parole Board. This also applies to electronic equipment. Members will process personal data and are subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Guidance can be found in chapter 6 of the Members’ Handbook.

4.14 Any contacts from the media should be directed to the Director of Business Improvement and Development or to the Chief Executive. You must not speak to the media in your capacity as a Parole Board member without the prior approval of the Chair or the Chief Executive.

4.15 You must not undertake engagements in the name of the Parole Board without the prior approval of the Director of Business Improvement and Development, the Chief Executive or the Chair.

4.16 If, in the course of your work, you come across something that you think is fundamentally wrong, illegal or endangers others within the Parole Board or the public, you can raise your concern using the Parole Board’s Whistleblowing and Raising a Concern Policy.

Political activity

4.17 In your public role, you should be, and be seen to be, politically impartial. You should not occupy a paid party political post or hold a particularly sensitive or high-profile role in a political party. You should abstain from all controversial political activity5 and comply with Cabinet Office rules on attendance at Party Conferences6 which state that attendance in an official capacity should only be an exceptional circumstance.

4.18 If you intend to stand as a Member of Parliament you will be required to resign from your role as Parole Board member. If you are not elected you may request re-instatement, which will be subject to ministerial approval.

4.19 On matters directly related to the work of the Parole Board, you should not make political statements or engage in any other political activity.

5 This does not include work as a Local Councillor. However, you should still exercise proper discretion on matters directly related to the work of the Parole Board and recognise that certain political activities may be incompatible with your role as a Parole Board member.

6 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/public-bodies-and-appointments

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http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/public-bodies-and-appointments

http://www.paroleboard.gov.uk/members/policy_and_guidance/complaints_and_whistleblowing/

http://www.paroleboard.gov.uk/servefile.aspx?docid=3323

4.20 In your official capacity, you should be even-handed in all dealings with political parties.

4.21 Subject to the above, you may engage in political activity but should, at all times, remain conscious of your responsibilities as a Parole Board member and exercise proper discretion. You should inform the chair and/or Chief Executive before undertaking any significant political activity.

Employment and appointments

4.22 If you wish to take up new employment or appointments during your tenure, you must ensure that this is in compliance with the terms of your appointment. You should consider whether this might result in a conflict of interest or otherwise compromise your ability to fulfil your obligations as set out in your terms of appointment. Advice may be sought from the Director or the Head of Member Development and Practice if required.

5. Conflicts of Interest

5.1 You must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between your public duties and your private interests- financial or otherwise. You must also ensure that no conflict of interest arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, in your conduct of casework or decision-making.

5.2 You must declare any personal or business interests (including other public appointments) which may conflict with your responsibilities during your appointment. Declarations should be made in writing (by email) to the Director of Member Development and Practice or the Chief Executive.

5.3 You are not precluded from participating in cases in which you have had previous personal involvement. However you must notify the relevant Panel Chair when such involvement might give rise to a presumption of a conflict of interest. Advice may be sought from Director or the Head of Member Development and Practice or the Legal Advisor, if required. Panel chairs should notify the Director or the Head of Member Development and Practice or the Legal Advisor if they have had previous personal involvement in a case and such involvement might give rise to a presumption of a conflict of interest

5.4 You are expected to sit with the allocated panel members, and to engage fairly with the advocates and witnesses appearing at hearings in which you are participating as a Parole Board member unless there is a clear and declared conflict of interest. Advice may be sought from the Director or the Head of Member Development and Practice if required.

5.5 It is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with and comply with these rules on handling conflicts of interests, and that your entry in the Parole Board’s register of members’ interests is accurate and up to date.

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6. Standards of personal behaviour

6.1 You must not use, or attempt to use, the opportunity of public service and your position as a Parole Board Member to promote your personal interests or those of any connected person, firm, business or other organisation.

6.2 You must not bring the Parole Board into disrepute or behave in such a way that is likely to bring the Parole Board into disrepute.

Notification Duties

6.3 You must notify the Chief Executive or Chair of the Parole Board of anything in your public or personal life which may affect your position or may reflect on the standing and reputation of the Parole Board.

6.4 You must notify the Chief Executive or Chair of the Parole Board immediately in the event you are arrested or subject to any criminal proceedings other than parking or minor traffic offences without aggravating circumstances.

6.5 You must notify the Chief Executive or Chair of the Parole Board if you are the subject of any disciplinary proceedings by any professional body to which you belong; or if you get into serious financial difficulties particularly where legal proceedings are or are likely to be initiated.

Social Networking and Blogging

6.6 The use of social networking is a matter of personal choice but it should not be used by Parole Board Members in a manner that is likely to bring the Parole Board into disrepute.

6.7 Blogging by Parole Board members is not prohibited, but Parole Board Members who blog (or who post comments on other people’s blogs) must not identify themselves as members of the Parole Board. You must also avoid expressing opinions which, were it to become known that you are a member of the Parole Board, could damage public confidence in your own impartiality or in the Parole Board in general.

7 Professional Behaviour

General Duties

7.1 You must act at all times in good faith, observing the highest standards of professionalism, impartiality, integrity and propriety.

7.2 You should deal with all Parole Board users including prisoners, witnesses, victims, advocates, NOMS staff, other Parole Board members and Parole Board staff fairly and with appropriate sensitivity. You must not act in a way that calls into question your impartiality and independence or favours or discriminates against particular individuals or interests.

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7.3 You should ensure that your communications with all Parole Board users are professional and courteous.

7.4 You should work within Rules governing, and guidance issued, by the Parole Board.

Professionalism

7.5 It is your professional duty to do what you reasonably can to equip yourself to discharge your duties as a Parole Board member with a high degree of competence. This includes:

7.5.1 Developing and applying a working knowledge of the legal framework and procedures within which the Parole Board operates.

7.5.2 Taking reasonable steps to maintain and enhance your knowledge and skills necessary for the proper performance of your duties as a Parole Board member. This includes keeping abreast of changes in guidance and practice as may be issued by the Parole Board from time to time.

7.5.3 Participating as required in performance appraisals and in training and development activities identified as necessary to meet and maintain required standards.

7.5.4 Complying with the minimum time commitment set out in your terms of appointment and not exceeding reasonable time commitments that could adversely impact on the quality and timeliness of your Parole Board work.

Impartiality

7.6 You must act impartially between all parties in Parole Board proceedings and promote equality of treatment in all aspects of your work.

7.7 You must take all reasonable steps to ensure procedural fairness. This includes:

7.7.1 Providing reasonable opportunities, within appropriate time constraints, for all parties to make representations on issues which are relevant to your decisions.

7.7.2 Taking reasonable steps to ensure that evidence is disclosed to all parties, save where a decision has been made in accordance with Parole Board Rules, to withhold disclosure from a specific party.

7.7.3 Providing reasons for your decisions which are consistent with the Parole Board reasons framework and which adequately

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reflect the evidence that has been relied upon to reach a decision.

7.8 You must ensure that your conduct maintains and enhances the confidence of the parties in Parole Board proceedings and the public in the impartiality of Parole Board members. You must ensure that your conduct does not undermine your individual independence or the independence of the Parole Board.

7.9 In your conduct as a Parole Board member, you should consider the perception of a fair-minded and informed observer. If circumstances are present in a particular case which may give rise to a suggestion of bias, or appearance of bias, they should be disclosed to the parties in good time before a hearing so that appropriate action can be taken.

Integrity

7.10 Your conduct, during and outside Parole Board hearings, should uphold the status of the Parole Board, the confidence of the parties in Parole Board proceedings and the confidence of the public in general in the integrity of the Parole Board and its membership.

7.11 You should at all times respect the dignity of Parole Board users (including prisoners, witnesses and advocates), members and staff.

7.12 You should ensure that, in the course of your work as a Parole Board member, you do not display bias or prejudice on grounds of race, ethnic or national origin, colour, gender, religion, caste, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, social and economic status or other like characteristics. Nor should you allow any such bias or personal views to affect your decision making.

7.13 In making arrangements for and conducting hearings, you should take all reasonable steps to ensure that parties and witnesses are given an equal opportunity to participate to the best of their ability and are not unfairly disadvantaged by, for example disability, mental health difficulties or limitations of language or intellectual ability.

Propriety

7.14 You should, in your personal relations with advocates or witnesses who frequently appear before you in parole hearings, avoid situations which might reasonably give rise to a suspicion or appearance of favouritism or partiality.

7.15 You should not participate in the determination of a case in which any member of your family represents a prisoner or is associated in any manner with the case.

7.16 You should not allow your family, social or other relationships improperly to influence your judicial conduct as a Parole Board member.

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8 Preparing For and Conducting Parole Board Hearings

8.1 You must take all reasonable steps to prepare effectively for parole hearings in which you are participating as a Parole Board member. This includes reading relevant papers, directions and communications relating to a case in which you are involved.

8.2 You must take all reasonable steps to ensure that proceedings in which you are participating as a Parole Board member are structured appropriately in accordance with Parole Board guidance and training. This is primarily the responsibility of panel chairs but all panel members have a collective duty in this regard.

8.3 You must take all reasonable steps to ensure that proceedings in which you are participating as a Parole Board member and actions you take in relation to those proceedings, are transparent. For example, communications (by email or in person) with one party to proceedings should be open and shared with the other party unless there is a lawful reason for withholding information from a particular party.

8.4 You must take all reasonable steps, within reasonable time constraints, to ensure that sufficient, relevant evidence is adduced to enable you to make, or contribute to making, a decision in each case and to ensure that the prisoner has a fair hearing. This is primarily the responsibility of panel chairs but all panel members have a collective duty in this regard.

8.5 The Parole Board operates within resource constraints and you should ensure that hearings are conducted effectively, efficiently and that questioning is proportionate and relevant.

8.6 You are entitled to question witnesses about relevant matters that can reasonably be expected to be within their experience or knowledge and are entitled to expect that witnesses are adequately prepared to answer questions relevant to the matters at issue. Where there are disputed facts or aspects of the case which are challenged, it may be necessary to pursue or permit a robust form of questioning but you should ensure that parties, witnesses and advocates are treated with courtesy and respect.

8.7 You must refrain from questioning in a manner which would objectively be regarded as hectoring or bullying and from asking questions or making comments which are inappropriate or irrelevant to the issues you need to explore in order to make an assessment of risk and a decision in any given case.

Timeliness of decisions

8.8 The Parole Board has a legal duty to provide decisions concerning prisoners within stipulated periods of time. For example, section 26(1)(c) of the Parole Board Rules 2011 requires decision letters to be provided to the parties no more than 14 days after the hearing. It is your duty to manage your work in

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such a way that you enable the Parole Board to discharge its legal duties to meet such deadlines.

8.9 If you are the chair of the panel you must ensure that you allow any co-panellists adequate time to comment on the draft decision letter in advance of the 14 day deadline for the letter to be provided to the parties. This should also include allowing time for the case manager to receive, process and distribute the letter.

9 Responsibilities towards Parole Board Staff

9.1 You must treat any staff employed by the Parole Board with courtesy and respect. Parole Board staff are expected to treat you with the same courtesy and respect. A failure to do so is likely to be a breach of their own Code of Conduct.

9.2 You must not ask or encourage Parole Board staff to act in any way which would conflict with their own Code of Conduct.

December 2015

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Annex 4. Guidance for completing an application You need to provide three pieces of documentation:

1. Your CV2. Supporting statement3. Supporting documents

This guidance gives some helpful tips on how best to present yourself to the assessment panel who will be reviewing your application. There is no official or ‘correct way’ to write your CV or supporting statement, this is simply a guide you may wish to refer to or use as a template.

1. CV

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind whilst writing or updating your CV: Please write your name at the top; Do not write more than 2 pages. We appreciate this may be a challenge and your

achievements could spread across several pages. However, please appreciate that the panel may have a large number of applications to assess so brevity is appreciated.

Avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Tailor it to the position you’re applying for. Make sure to draw attention to how

you have met the essential and desirable criteria throughout your achievements in life. An opening paragraph at the top of the front page would be beneficial.

Use an updated CV. Explain what you are currently doing or what you most recently have done that fits the role you are applying for, 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 what abbreviations stand for. 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. There is no legal requirement for you to put your age, or any other protected characteristic (under the Equality Act 2010) on your CV.

2. Supporting statement

You are required to answer 3 questions. The purpose of this question-based approach is to give you the opportunity to demonstrate how you match with the essential criteria for a Parole Board Member. The Assessment Panel evaluation at this stage involves a search for evidence of that match the relevant knowledge, skills and qualities.

The grid below outlines the competency areas against which your responses to the questions will be assessed. These may be tested again at later stages, along with other competency areas from the essential criteria.

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Competency area

Que

stio

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Analytical skills: experience and ability to conduct evidence-based decision making, evaluate large volumes of complex data, identify and document issues within tight deadlines, working on your own initiative

Q1 ✔

Written communications: ability to draft well-informed accounts that summarise evidence in support of a recommendation

Q2 ✔

Influencing skills: contributing to decision making, having confidence to challenge opinions as necessary (including confronting matters of standards) and resolving differences to reach sound decisions

Q2 ✔

Integrity: high standards of conduct, commitment to equal opportunities/diversity, an ethos of support including the public good, commitment to personal development

Q3 ✔

Planning and organisational work skills: good time management and administrative skills, meeting deadlines, high personal motivation

Q1 ✔

The Assessment Panel will be looking in your written answers for evidence of:

what you have actually done in a given situation how your actions were linked to the success or otherwise of what you did why you approached a task or situation in a particular way how you have learned from experience whether your approach was underpinned by values applicable to Parole Board work

Give evidence and AVOID assertions:

Assertions will, typically, only:

o tell us that you believe you are good at something (e.g. ‘I am an excellent communicator’)

o tell us that you have done something for a certain length of time or at a certain level of seniority but not necessarily that you did it well (e.g. ‘I was a member of the management team for 10 years’)

o tell us that you have a theoretical understanding but not how you put this into practice which may give evidence of ‘talking the talk’ but not ‘walking the walk’ (e.g. ‘I am committed to equal access for all’)

Checklist for writing your application

Refer to the essential criteria and job description at Section 3. In the candidate pack 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;

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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;

When answering the first two questions, describe a situation you faced, outlining what you wanted to achieve in that situation, explaining the actions you took and analysing the extent to which you were successful and why;

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 in each question:

There are some models which you can use to help structure your answers, including:

o The WHO Model:What was your personal role? How you did it? Outcome achieved and its success?

o The STAR model: 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;Result: what you achieved through your actions.

3. Supporting documents You must fill in the document as openly and honestly as you can. If you are asked for

an interview, due diligence checks will be performed by a member of the Public Appointments Team.

Although completing the diversity monitoring form is voluntary, it would greatly help the Ministry of Justice to build a world class organisation and recruit public appointees who are as diverse as the society they represent.

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