Family Liaison Officer: Prisons And Probation Ombudsman

Submitted By rharvey2013
Words: 1124
Pages: 5

[pic] |Position: |Family Liaison Officer |
|Reference No: |JPG00323 |
|Location |HMI Probation, Ashley House, London, SW1P 2BQ |
|Band |C |
|Contract Type |Permanent |

Overview
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has a dual role. The PPO investigates complaints from offenders and immigration detainees as well as investigating the deaths of prisoners, residents of approved premises and immigration detainees. Each death is investigated to establish the full circumstances and to discover what lessons can be learnt. The aim of the investigation is to find out why the death occurred, to help stakeholders to reduce the number of deaths of people in their care and to provide full explanations for bereaved families. Recommendations arising from our investigation reports have led to positive changes and improvements to policies and procedures.
Family liaison
Family liaison is integral to the fatal incident investigation (FII) process. We aim to gain the confidence of the bereaved families by being open about the investigation process and seeking their contribution and concerns. Family liaison officers (FLOs) work in consultation with the investigator and other FII staff. The FLOs are key members of the investigation team and are the public face of the PPO in its communication with bereaved families, their representatives, solicitors and other stakeholders. Job Description
Main duties and responsibilities
The role of the FLO is to provide information to the family and offer them the opportunity to contribute to the investigation. If the family choose to be involved, the FLO allocated to the case is a consistent point of contact for the family throughout the investigation, ensuring that they are kept informed of the progress of the investigation and their questions and concerns are considered and addressed, where possible.
Each FLO has an extensive caseload, working with a high number of families. There can be a number of competing demands, some of which are expected and others which will arise during the course of the working day. Accurate responses need to be provided in a timely and sensitive way, having been prioritised appropriately. The post-holder will need to show they can manage their time effectively and be flexible in their work. Whilst working as part of a team, they will also need to work autonomously, managing and quality controlling their own workload. They will be expected to participate actively in internal meetings, ensuring the family liaison service is represented. FLOs also work with representatives from a wide range of external agencies and stakeholders.
This role involves travelling around the country to visit families in their own homes and communicating with them in a way which is respectful, appropriate and sensitive to their needs. The successful candidate will be required to obtain CRB enhanced clearance.
The main functions are as follows: • Liaising with families to provide information, introduce the PPO and explain the investigation process. Building effective relationships with those who wish to be involved in the investigation and enabling them to contribute. Ensuring their concerns are addressed, where possible, and that they understand the investigation findings and are able to comment on them. • Reviewing draft and final investigation reports and providing constructive comments to investigators about the contents. • Liaising with representatives from various external agencies, such as solicitors, prison and police family liaison officers and