Decision Makers - National Referral Mechanism- Public Safety Group (PSG) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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About the job
Job summary
This is an exciting time to join the Single Competent Authority; we are looking to bring in new team members to help us deliver critical, high-impact work for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. Modern slavery is a complex crime and may involve multiple forms of exploitation. It encompasses human trafficking, slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour.
Potential victims of modern slavery are identified by First Responders (such as police forces, charities, government departments or local authority areas) and referred into the NRM.
The Home Office Competent Authorities are then responsible for:
- Deciding whether or not an individual is a victim of modern slavery (a positive decision can open the door to support provision, which is designed to lift the individual from their situation of exploitation and/or assist with their recovery)
- Deciding on the type of support required for each individual, in accordance with their recovery needs
- Providing that support, through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC)
As a Decision-Maker Executive Officer, you will join a highly driven and productive operational Unit, motivated by a determination to deliver high quality and timely decisions for potential victims of modern slavery. You will join the Single Competent Authority. Further information about the work of the Competent Authorities can be found at page 46 of the Statutory Guidance governing their activities; Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and Non-Statutory Guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Job description
After receiving detailed training and benefiting from continued close mentoring and support by experienced members of the team, your role will be to join one of our teams making decisions within the National Referral Mechanism.
You may be expected to perform the following key tasks:
- Complete Reasonable Grounds decisions (this is a decision taken, using all available information, about whether you “suspect but cannot prove” that the individual being considered is a victim of modern slavery)
- Complete Conclusive Grounds decisions (this is a decision taken, using all available information, about whether “on the balance of probabilities” there are sufficient grounds for you to decide that the individual being considered is a victim of modern slavery)
- Complete Modern Slavery Temporary Permission to Stay decisions
- Complete Public Order/Bad Faith disqualification decisions
- Complete Additional Recovery Period decisions
- Complete Recovery Need Assessment decisions (this is a decision about whether a victim has any ongoing recovery needs arising from their modern slavery experiences following a positive CG decision and if so, whether continued MSVCC support is required to meet these recovery needs)
- Populate relevant spreadsheets & databases to accurately track decision-making activity for potential victims of modern slavery
- Make relevant referrals to internal/external bodies
- Communicate with internal/external stakeholders
- Deal with second stage requests and decisions relating to reconsideration requests and litigation challenges
- Manage some Case Preparation activity, such as ensuring that information is requested clearly and rapidly from a variety of external stakeholders as required for a case
- Other ad hoc Decision Making duties as and when required
The above is indicative, not exhaustive: the NRM system is subject to change in order to meet the needs of victims, and staff members are expected to work flexibly across the Unit’s priorities in order to deliver high-quality and timely outcomes.
Person specification
Please note that a successful candidate will be reading and considering sensitive information relating to modern slavery crimes suffered by individuals referred into the NRM and dealing with potentially difficult cases. Candidates must have resilience and be comfortable moving into a role where they may come across such difficult information on a daily basis; full training and support is offered to all staff undertaking this work.
The full-time working week in the Home Office is 37 hours (excluding breaks). You may be required to work at any time between the hours of: 7:45am and 8:00pm on any day between Monday to Friday. Managers will agree working patterns with successful applicants within these business hours and review these as appropriate.
Successful candidates will receive detailed training to provide you with the skills and knowledge to undertake this role effectively.
Essential criteria
You’ll have a demonstrable passion for delivery with the following skills or strong experience in:
- Strong written communication and comprehension skills, with a close attention to detail.
- The ability to understand, assess and make decisions based on complex pieces of information from different sources.
- Proactive and self-starting approach to managing own workload, balancing competing priorities to deliver high-quality and timely outputs.
- Flexibility and willingness to take on new and varied areas of work as required according to business need.
Desirable criteria
For this role, the below experience would be beneficial, but is not essential:
- Experience of the NRM or other complex casework, or of working with vulnerable individuals.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Casework Skills Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 20th August 2023. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
Candidates who pass the test will then have until 23:55 on 20th August 2023 to submit their full application. If your full application has not been submitted by 23:55 on 20th August 2023 it will not considered.
If you pass the test you will then move onto the next stage of the application process.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and provide evidence of 3 behaviours - Making Effective Decisions, Communicating & Influencing and Delivering at Pace.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The sift will be conducted on the 3 behaviours listed.
CV's will not be scored.
If a high volume of applications is received, an initial sift will be undertaken on the lead Behaviour example provided - Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.
If your application scores highly enough at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview.
Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be tested on strength-based questions and all behaviours outlined in the job advertisement.
This interview will take the form of a video interview - where you record your answers to a set of questions and then submit the video for assessment. Full advice and guidance will be provided at that stage, however please note that you will be required to submit your interview within 5 working days of receiving the link.
Sift & Interview dates:
This is a rolling campaign, which means that candidates will be sifted and interviewed in tranches while the advertisement is live. You may be asked to sit an interview at short notice (5 working days) and offers may be made on a rolling basis.
Indicative Timescale
Tranche 1
Sift week commencing 21st July
interview links are likely to be provided from 07th August 2023
Tranche 2
Sift week commencing 4th August
interview links are likely to be provided from 28th August 2023
Tranche 3
Sift week commencing 21st August
interview links are likely to be provided from 13th September 2023
Please note, the above dates are provisional and may change due to business need.
Further Information
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.
Hybrid working enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. A hybrid working pattern may be available, where business needs allow. Applicants can discuss what this means with the vacancy holder if they have specific questions.
If you wish to contact the vacancy holder to discuss the roles or responsibilities of this post in more detail, please send your query to [email protected]. If your query relates to the selection process of this campaign, general recruitment, HR or the onboarding process, please email the HORC Campaign Team (email address listed below under the vacancy holder details).
Northern Ireland is part of the UK. As stated in the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland recognise the birth right of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
