Job Description
Job Title Appropriate Adult Bank Worker
Location Required to travel to relevant police stations throughout Northern Ireland.
Service / Department Operations
Reporting to Appropriate Adult Scheme Manager
Terms and Conditions
Hours Various hours, as and when required with no guaranteed hours and no obligation to accept work. Salary Range (FTE) £9.06 per hour Holidays (FTE) Accrued as per bank worker/annual leave policy Employment Status Bank Worker Probationary Period N/A MindWise Grade Grade G/F Notice Period (weeks) N/A
Service / Department Description The Northern Ireland Appropriate Adult Scheme exists to ensure that The Statutory Codes of Practice, issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Northern Ireland Order 1989, are met.
The service, delivered in partnership with key stakeholders, will ensure that suitably qualified ‘Appropriate Adults’ are available ‘to support, advise and assist’ a juvenile and/or mentally disordered or mentally vulnerable person when they are detained in police custody in Northern Ireland.
Job Purpose
To ‘support, advise and assist’ vulnerable adults or juveniles detained in a police custody suite in line with the provisions of PACE Codes of Practise C&H.
Duties To: Attend Appropriate Adult call-outs at designated police stations in line with the scheme guidelines.
ID: JD104AA Worker Support, advise and assist the detained person, whilst in police custody and being interviewed. Ensure that the detained person understands their rights and police processes whilst in custody. Ensure that the health, well-being, legal rights and entitlements of the Detained Person whilst in custody are in accordance with PACE Codes C & H. Assist with communication between the Detained Person, the police and others involved in the process. Consult the detainee’s custody record to clarify and check any concerns raised by the detainee. Discuss with the custody officer any concerns and requests arising from the PACE interview etc. and to bring to the custody officer’s attention any issues that need to be dealt with. Ensure the police act fairly and with respect for the rights of the juvenile or vulnerable detainee whilst in custody. Supporting individuals in a stressful situation, people in crisis and individuals considering suicide or intending to harm themselves or others. Supporting potentially volatile and dangerous individuals who may have an unpredictable nature. Working in a sterile, high security environment for those detained for high level offences or under the Terrorism Act 2000. Assessing and monitoring the detained person’s communication levels, emotional stress and ability to cooperate and understand. Supporting, advising and assisting individuals partaking in a Video Identification Procedure (VIPER). Support the detained person during intimate searches of same sex detainees where required. Comply with NIAAS instruction booklet on service delivery Ensure your line manager is made aware of your availability or non-availability to respond to routine calls. Be responsive to the needs of the service when exceptional demand arises and at short notice. Participate in the ‘on call’ rota system particularly at weekends between the hours of 11pm and 8am. Whilst on standby and not engaged in front line service delivery, to update records, data and manage general administration. Travel throughout Northern Ireland in response to service demand.
Employees of MindWise are required to promote and support the vision, mission and values of the organisation and:
Demonstrate their commitment by their regular attendance and efficient completion of all tasks allocated to them in a timely manner. Carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with Health and Safety Policies, Quality and Statutory Regulations. Participate in an effective and continuous development process, taking responsibility and ownership for supervision, appraisal and personal learning and development. Work in accordance with MindWise operational policies and procedures and those of external regulators. Ensure safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children. Adhere to Equal Opportunities and the Equality and Diversity policies throughout the course of the employment. Ensure the ongoing confidence of all stakeholders including service users and the public in MindWise service provision. Engage in fundraising activities. Comply with the MindWise Code of Conduct for Staff. Act in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Demonstrate their commitment to the Recovery ethos. Work with basic computer packages for example, Microsoft Word, e-mail and the Internet.
Support the service to continually improve in line with internal recommendations and plans and external regulatory requirements
(*This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be exhaustive and is subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines. Those in all job roles are expected to adopt additional tasks when required; these tasks will be in keeping with the general profile of the role).
MindWise does not permit smoking by staff and volunteers in work. MindWise will protect staff, volunteers and others from passive smoking. MindWise wishes to encourage applications from people with disabilities and commits to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy and to consider them on their abilities
PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE REF AREA 1 EDUCATION/ PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS OCN Level 2 qualification in Appropriate Adults (or (shortlisting) equivalent)
Committed to achieving OCN Level 2 qualification in (interview) Appropriate Adults within 1 month of employment
2.0 EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE Must be able to demonstrate a minimum of 6 months experience of providing support to (shortlisting) juveniles, mentally disordered or mentally vulnerable people. OR Demonstrate a minimum of 1 year’s experience of providing advocacy and guidance type support in another care setting.
Must be able to demonstrate a minimum of 1 (shortlisting) year’s experience of providing support to juveniles, mentally disordered or mentally vulnerable people. OR Demonstrate a minimum of 18 months experience of providing advocacy and guidance type support in another care setting.
Experience of working with the PSNI or other statutory agencies or the voluntary sector. (shortlisting) Knowledge of Current Detention Procedures regarding (interview) detained persons in custody.
Knowledge of mental health, learning disability, (interview) vulnerable adults and young people.
Knowledge of working with the PSNI, other statutory agencies and the voluntary sector. (shortlisting/ interview)
Must be able to demonstrate experience of working with basic computer packages, the internet and emails. (shortlisting) 3 COMPETENCIES
Able to demonstrate good written communication skills. (shortlisting) Able to demonstrate good verbal communication skills (interview) Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team (interview)
4 ADDITIONAL The successful candidate will be required to undergo a check via the Access (NI) Service and the Independent (interview) Safeguarding Authority before commencement of employment. Must be at least 18 years of age. (shortlisting)
Hold a valid driving license and have access to a car to carry out the duties associated with the post. (shortlisting) Applicants who are disabled can use alternative forms of transport to enable them to carry out the duties associated with this post.
Willing and able to travel throughout Northern Ireland in order to meet the 2 hour call out time required by police (interview) custody suite 4 VALUES & BEHAVIOURS
Ability to demonstrate alignment with MindWise’s core values and organisational behaviours. (interview)
Demonstrate an independent and impartial view in (interview) relation to the detained person and all parties involved in the Appropriate Adult scheme process.
Be able to demonstrate and confirm reliability and commitment to service provision (interview)
Be able to demonstrate and commit too a flexibility in working unsocial hours include evening, early (interview) mornings, weekends and public holidays. This includes participating in an on call rota, which operates specifically at weekends between the hours of 11pm and 8am.
MindWise reserves the right to use the desirable criteria for short-listing.