The National Offender Management Service is a government administration that focuses on criminal rehabilitation and behaviour management. It was established in 2004 and, only recently, the specific offender manager position has been created. Since then, the process has helped 25,000 offenders and 2,000 young offenders in the community. The central aim of the position is to assess the likelihood of offenders committing further crimes and to help he or she identify why they committed the offence in the first place. Offender managers are placed with specific individual offenders for the duration of the intervention process.
The roles of the job are intentionally broad and diverse, and vary from case to case. Typically, after a thorough assessment is made by the manager based on daily or weekly meetings and tests, the manager draws up a single sentence plan. Resources and interventions, commissioned and purchased by regional offender managers, are engaged, using a brokerage approach. Personal supervision is implemented to ensure cooperation from the offender. Interventions are the activities and resources selected by a specific offender manager to deliver specific requirements as part of the offender’s court sentence. These adhere to certain criminogenic (situations that invoke crime or criminal activity) or public protection needs. The bedrock of Offender Management (i.e. the supervision and administration) merely provides the context within which interventions fit. Interventions are focused on a certain list of requirements from the offender and these are often placed within a certain circumstantial timeframe.
The main aims of the role are often laid out in the acronym ASPIRE. This stands for:
Assessing the needs and risk of each offender. This is carried out by means of research into information from different sources, including from the offender him/herself and from previous cases of a similar nature. A view can then be formed about what this all means set in the context of the objectives of the programme.
Sentence Plan for the whole sentence: Laying out the roles of those managing the offender, and when these roles should be completed as a means of ensuring their compliance.
Implementing the plan in its entirety (these include more minor initiatives such as offender behaviour programmes and health and fitness regimes). This also involves establishing fluid communication between the offender manager and those working in intermediary roles with the offender.
Reviewing the offender’s progress. This involves regularly comparing this emerging view with the working assessment and plan, and checking that that these are still accurate and relevant, and revising as necessary (this is an ongoing process). It also involves evaluating this likelihood of re-offence.
Enforcement requirements, largely a feature of the community phase of an offender pathway, are already specified in operating standards and procedures.
The position holder will reflect impressive people skills in dealing with offenders on a one-to-one basis and delegating between junior members of their team. Proven experience in relevant roles will substantiate this as well as strong levels of confidence and verbal and written communication skills. They will work well as part of a team and should be expected to deal with a variety of issues as part of the day-to-day requirements of the role. This may involve problem solving, dealing with emergency situations and some flexible hours may be required (including evening and weekend work).
An undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a humanities or closely related field would be preferable, but substantial related experience would suffice.
Related work in offender liaison or management or in the offender management field would be required.
Strong people skills, team work skills, written and verbal communication skills, problem solving skills, analysis and assessment skills.