NATIONAL ADVISER FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND

NATIONAL ADVISER FOR
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
AND OTHER FORMS OF GENDERBASED VIOLENCE, DOMESTIC ABUSE
AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Recruitment Information Pack
2
Contents
Background
3
Role and Key Responsibilities
4
Person Specification
5
Terms of Appointment
8
Response Instructions
11
Indicative Timetable
14
Annex A – Seven Principles of
Public Life
16
Annex B – Application Form (separate document)
3
Background
Gender-based violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence in any form
is unacceptable. Evidence shows gender-based violence, domestic abuse
and sexual violence are as much an issue in Wales as for the rest of the
UK and across the world.
Violence against an individual within a family environment has wider
consequences. Children growing in an environment of domestic abuse can
have a profound impact on their education, future relationships, health and
emotional wellbeing. Individuals can be targeted in work resulting in
individuals taking time off; victims can also suffer short and long term
mental health issues.
The Welsh Government’s commitment to tackling such abuse and
violence is clear and evident. The Violence against Women, Domestic
Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 sets in place the legislative
framework to provide a strategic focus and ensure consistent
consideration of preventive, protective and supportive mechanisms in the
delivery of services. It addresses gender-based violence, domestic abuse
and sexual violence perpetrated against all people in Wales, irrespective
of gender or sexual orientation and addresses violence perpetrated
against a woman or man arising directly or indirectly from values, beliefs
or customs relating to gender or sexual orientation.
The Act ensures an improved public sector response to gender-based
violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence aiming to:
promote awareness of, and to prevent, protect and support victims of
gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and sexual violence;
strengthen the strategic leadership and accountability for gender-based
violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence; and
improve the consistency, quality and join-up of service provision in
Wales through an improved and shared evidence base.
The Act requires the Welsh Ministers to appoint a National Adviser to drive
improvements across the public and third sectors on the issues of genderbased violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence
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Role of the National Adviser on Violence Against Women and other
forms of Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence
The Welsh Government is seeking to appoint the first National Adviser for
Violence Against Women and other forms of Gender-based Violence,
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence following Royal Assent of the Violence
against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015.
The post-holder will be expected to be an expert in this field, providing an
informed perspective on the work being taken forward to develop and
implement the policy and legislation in these areas.
This is a statutory role appointed via the public appointment process. The
Adviser will work alongside the Government to advise and assist the Welsh
Ministers in tackling these issues. The Adviser will be appointed by the First
Minister.
This appointment offers an excellent opportunity to develop knowledge and
experience of working with the Welsh Ministers and policy making at a
national
level.
The functions of the Adviser, as set out in the Act are to:
advise the Welsh Ministers about pursuing the purpose of the Act and
tackling related matters1;
give other assistance to the Welsh Ministers in their pursuit of the
strategic priorities or tackling related matters;
undertake research relating to pursuing the strategic priorities, tackling
related matters or examining whether abuse of any kind is related
directly or indirectly to inequality of any kind between people of a
different gender;
advise and give other assistance, with the agreement of the Welsh
Ministers, to any person on matters relating to pursuing the strategic
priorities or tackling related matters;
produce reports on any matter relating to the strategic priorities or
tackling related matters.
Key responsibilities
In practice the Adviser’s role will include, on behalf of the Welsh Ministers:
agreeing an annual plan setting how they propose to exercise their
functions during the following year;
providing an annual report to the Welsh Ministers setting out how the
priorities set out in the annual plan have been met, including a
statement of other activities they have undertaken during the year;
1
A “related matter” is abuse which the National Adviser considers to be related directly or indirectly to
inequality of any kind between people of a different gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
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providing an expert perspective to the development and
implementation of the National Strategy and supporting indicators,
ensuring their experience and expertise is brought to bear across the
Welsh Government and so help the development of more coherent and
consistent policy and decision-making;
working with Public Services across Wales and beyond to ensure best
practice, and support the high quality and standards required by the
Welsh Government;
reviewing the actions being taken by persons in exercising their
functions under the Act, and advising the Welsh Ministers of the
findings;
encouraging all services and agencies to perform to a quality standard,
including the coordination of services, performance monitoring, multiagency working, information sharing and data collection;
providing a focus to ensure tackling gender-based violence, domestic
abuse and sexual violence is a priority across the Public Sector;
addressing the issues of strategic incoherence, inconsistency of
approach and lack of leadership at both a Local and a National level in
Wales;
working with the specialist third sector and charitable organisations that
provide services in Wales supporting victims and survivors of violence
against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence to seek their input
to the development of policy, strategy and service delivery;
working with victims and survivors, to gain an understanding of their
experiences and views and to consider how these could influence the
development of policy and delivery of services;
supporting the Welsh Ministers in raising awareness of the issues
associated with tackling gender-based violence, domestic abuse and
sexual violence including through national campaigns;
providing expert advice to the wider Welsh Government VAWDA Team
on a range of policy issues including education and training; and
participating in Ministerial and official level meetings to discuss their
work and input to wider policy development
Person Specification
All candidates will be required to demonstrate in their written application and
at interview how they meet the requirements of the post, including examples
of how, in previous activity, you have demonstrated each of the requirements.
The criteria used to assess whether candidates have the necessary qualities,
skills and experience are listed below.
The successful candidate will have the profile to command respect and
credibility with the Welsh Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales and
external stakeholders and be able to demonstrate:
(i) Broad experience at a senior level in public, private or third sectors, as well
as a strong understanding of public policy and interest in the areas of gender6
based violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
(ii) Objectivity and independence from Government and specific interest
groups (where there could be potential conflicts of interest).
(iii) Track record in scrutiny (private, public or voluntary sector experience).
(iv) Experience in the development and implementation of strategic and
operational priorities and the development of workable recommendations to
improve the impact and effectiveness of public service and third sector
delivery.
.
(v) Adherence to the Seven Principles of Public Life and the highest levels of
professional integrity and propriety
Skills, Knowledge and Experience Required
Essential
Professional expertise in the field of violence against women and other
forms of gender-based violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence,
including an understanding of equality issues and the vulnerabilities and
challenges faced by victims and the support they should receive.
Recent experience at a senior level in public, private or third sectors, of
facilitating successful change management.
Strategic perspective, leadership, influencing and negotiating skills to bring
together a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders with a wide
and varied range of views and priorities.
A successful track record in developing policy and services and a clear
understanding of commissioning services within tight budgetary
constraints.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, particularly on complex
and/or sensitive issues.
Political awareness.
Given the high profile of the role, experience of working with the media is
essential.
Desirable
The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh is desirable but
not essential. However, all candidates will be expected to display an
empathy towards the language and support decision making to strengthen
bilingual service provision.
Understanding of the Welsh Government’s policies on gender-based
violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
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The Adviser will provide an independent, balanced input, offering expertise
and advice where required as part of a range of ongoing work feeding into the
shaping of policy development and legislation. The post-holder will be
required to have frequent dialogue with the wider policy team, as well as the
Welsh Ministers.
The position is situated within the Welsh Government’s Community Safety
Division offering a unique opportunity for the successful candidate to apply
their knowledge and experience by providing practical advice to inform the
strategy and policy development that will underpin the legislation.
The Act prevents the Adviser appointing staff or acquiring and renting
property; instead the postholder will be supported by Welsh Government staff
and accommodated in offices provided by the Welsh Ministers.
The Welsh Government already has an established policy team covering
these issues. This team includes seconded experts dealing with domestic
abuse, FGM, so-called honour based violence and anti-slavery. The National
Adviser will be supported by officials within the Violence against Women and
Domestic Abuse team.
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Terms of Appointment
Appointment Term:
Your appointment will be made by the 1st August.
The Adviser’s term of office will be three years. There is a possibility of reappointment for a further three-year term at the discretion of the Welsh
Ministers, subject to a satisfactory appraisal of performance and mutual
agreement. However, the maximum service will, be six years and the postholder will not be re-appointed further.
This role is a public appointment; the post holder will not be an employee of
the Welsh Government. Accordingly, the terms of appointment will not create
a contract of employment between the Adviser and the Welsh Government.
Time Commitment: The hours expected to fulfil this role will be part-time,
negotiable depending upon the successful candidate.
Remuneration:
The role is remunerated at circa £58,000 per annum (part-time, negotiable
depending upon the successful candidate).
The post holder can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and
subsistence costs necessarily incurred during the course of their duties at
rates set centrally by the Welsh Government.
Pension arrangements
The Adviser will become a member of the Principal Civil Service Pension
Scheme.
Location: The location of the office holder is flexible within Wales but will
need to be agreed by the Welsh Government.
Availability: The successful candidate will be encouraged to take up this
appointment as soon as possible, subject to the successful completion of preappointment checks and security clearance.
Security clearance: The successful candidate will be required to have or be
willing to obtain security clearance to Security Check (SC) level. Preappointment checks will also be undertaken on immigration and criminal
convictions. It usually takes between 4-6 weeks to obtain the security
clearance. The role will be offered on a conditional basis until the successful
candidate has passed all checks.
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Nationality: This is a non reserved post and therefore open to UK Nationals,
British Nationals Overseas, British Protected Persons, Commonwealth
Citizens, EEA Nationals of other member states and certain non EEA family
members and Swiss Nationals under the Swiss EU Agreement. There must
be no employment restriction or time limit on your permitted stay in the UK. In
order to confirm your eligibility for this post, please complete the Nationality
form found at the end of this candidate pack. You will not be asked to produce
the evidence stated at the application stage but you will be required to do so
should you be invited to the final panel interview.
Standards in public life: You will be expected to demonstrate high standards
of corporate and personal conduct. All successful candidates will be asked to
subscribe to the Review Body’s “Codes of Practice”. Candidates must abide
by the “Seven Principles of Public Life” set out by the Committee on
Standards in Public Life (Appendix A).
Confidentiality: You will be subject to the provisions of the Official Secrets
Act 1911 to 1989. Unauthorised disclosure of any information gained in the
course of the appointment, or its use by the Adviser or others for personal
gain or advancement, could result in an appointment being terminated early,
or even criminal prosecution.
Registration of interests: The purpose of these provisions is to avoid any
danger of the post holder being influenced, or appearing to be influenced, by
their private interests in the exercise of their public duties.
Public appointments require the highest standards of propriety, involving
impartiality, integrity and objectivity, in relation to the stewardship of public
funds and the oversight and management of all related activities. This means
that any private, voluntary, charitable, or political interest which might be
material and relevant to the work of the body concerned should be declared. It
is important, therefore, that you consider your circumstances when applying
for a public appointment and identify any potential conflicts of interest,
whether real or perceived.
There is a requirement to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest
you may have in being appointed as Independent Adviser in a separate form.
Any actual or perceived conflicts of interest will be fully explored by the Panel
at interview stage.
Political activity: Members will need to show political impartiality during their
time as Independent Adviser and must declare any party political activity they
undertake in the period of their appointment. Details of the successful
candidate’s declared political activity must be published by appointing
departments when the appointments are publicised.
The (online) Political Activity Declaration will be kept separate from your
application and will only be seen by the Panel prior to interview – the Panel
may at that stage explore with candidates any potential for conflict of interest.
It is appreciated that political activities may have given you relevant skills,
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including experience gained from committee work, collective decision making,
resolving conflict and public speaking. If, therefore, you have had such
experience and you consider it relevant to your application for this post, you
may if you choose include it separately in the main body of your application.
How to apply
For further information on the application process and to apply, please visit
http://wales.gov.uk/publicappointments or for queries contact the Shared
Service
Helpdesk
on
029
2082
5454
/
[email protected].
To register on the site, click on the National Adviser on Violence against
Women and other forms of Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and
Sexual Violence vacancy and click on ‘apply’ at the bottom left hand corner.
Then click on the register button. Complete all of the fields; accept the terms
and conditions and click submit.
To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first a full CV
and the second a personal statement (no more than two sides of A4),
detailing your experience, how you meet the role description and person
specification and how you could contribute to the role of National Adviser.
The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Attach Supplementary
Document(s)’ section of the online application form.
Following application, you will receive an automated acknowledgement from
us. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please call the Shared
Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 who will be able to confirm receipt of
your application.
The closing date for this position is Friday 29 May 2015 at 23:59hrs.
Further Information:
If you would like to discuss this role in more detail please contact Lynne
Schofield, Head of the VAWDA Team [email protected]
If you have any questions about the application or selection process, please
contact the Shared Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 or email Shared
[email protected]
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Equal Opportunities Monitoring: It is the policy of the Welsh Government to
promote and integrate equality of opportunity into all aspects of its business
including appointments to public bodies. Applications are welcomed and
encouraged from all groups and we ensure that no eligible candidate for
public office receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age,
disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment,
race, religion or belief, or pregnancy and maternity. The principles of fair and
open competition will apply and appointments will be made on merit.
As part of the application process we ask candidates to complete equal
opportunities monitoring information (Annex B). This will help us to monitor
selection decisions to assess whether equality of opportunity is being
achieved. The information on the form will be treated as confidential, and
used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of your
application.
Interview Access Scheme for Disabled Persons: The Welsh Government
is committed to actively encouraging applications from people with disabilities.
Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview if they meet the
minimum criteria for the appointment, as outlined in the relevant role
description. Declaring a disability for the purposes of a guaranteed interview is
your decision and is entirely voluntary. A copy of the form can be found at
Annex B.
Whether you choose to apply under the Interview Access Scheme or not you
can still ask us to make particular arrangements for you when attending an
interview. You can also contact us if you want to discuss the criteria for the
role or have questions regarding your application.
Data Protection
The Welsh Government takes its obligations under the Data Protection Act
1998 seriously. Any data about you will be held in secure conditions with
access restricted to those who need it in connection with dealing with your
application and the selection process. Data may also be used for the
purposes of monitoring the effectiveness of the recruitment process, but in
these circumstances will be kept anonymous. The ethnic monitoring form is
used for monitoring the selection process only. If you do not wish to have
these details recorded please return the form uncompleted.
The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates and monitors
appointments to public bodies to ensure procedures are fair. We are required
by the Commissioner for Public Appointments to retain information about the
people who apply for public appointments within his remit, and make this
information available to him for audit purposes, if requested to do so.
Information you provide in your application may therefore be made available
to the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the Commissioner’s
auditors on a confidential basis in order to help fulfil the Commissioner’s
formal complaints investigation role and for audit purposes.
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Our data protection policy is in line with the requirements of the Data
Protection Act and the requirements of the Commissioner’s Code of Practice.
The Commissioner’s requirements relating to the information we collect about
applicants are set out below:
Your initial contact details, including your name and address will be
held by the Welsh Government for a period of at least 2 years.
If you submit an application form, the form and any supporting
documentation will be retained for at least 2 years.
Information held electronically, including your contact details and the
monitoring information which you provide will also be held for at least 2
years.
If you would like these details to be removed from our records as soon as this
recruitment
exercise
is
complete,
please
contact:
[email protected]
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Timetable
Please let us know in your application if you are unable to meet these
timeframes:
Advert Closing Date
29th May
Shortlist Meeting
5th June
Final Panel Interviews
25th June
Meeting with First Minister (if required)
Post Interview – TBC
Selection Process
The role is being competed in accordance with the Public Appointments
Commissioner’s Code of Practice which sets out the regulatory framework for
public appointment processes. The Code is based on three core principles –
merit, openness and fairness.
The competition will be chaired by Sir Peter Spencer, Public Appointments
Assessor. The selection panel will include Karin Phillips, Director of the
Welsh Government’s Community Safety Division; Reg Kilpatrick, Director of
Local Government, Welsh Government; and Joy Kent, Chief Executive of
Chwarae Teg.
The Welsh Government Public Appointments Team will acknowledge your
application and advise you of the outcome of the sift meeting. Depending on
the number of applications received there may be a second stage sift. At the
sift meeting the selection panel will assess each application against the
essential criteria and decide who to invite for interview.
Interview are expected to take place in Cardiff and to last for approximately 45
minutes. Further details of the format will be provided in advance.
The decision to appoint to this role rests with the First Minister. Appointable
candidates may be invited to meet the First Minister before a final decision is
made.
Complaints
If you are not completely satisfied with the way your application is handled at
any stage of the process, please raise any complaint in the first instance with:
The Public Appointments Unit
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3NQ
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We will reply to your complaint within 20 days.
If, after receiving our response, you are still not satisfied, you may contact the
Commissioner for Public Appointments:
The Commissioner for Public Appointments
Room G/8, Ground Floor
1 Horse Guards Road
London SW1A 2HQ
The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates and monitors
appointments to public bodies to ensure procedures are fair.
More
information on the role and the Code of Practice is available at:
http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/
Information about the Commissioner’s policy and manner in which complaints
are investigated are set out in the Commissioner’s leaflet Your Guide to
Making a Complaint about a Public Appointments Process at:
http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/contact
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ANNEX A
Seven Principles of Public Life
The principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public officeholder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office,
nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the civil service,
local government, the police, courts and probation services, NDPBs, and in
the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are
both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles
also have application to all those in other sectors delivering public services.
1. Selflessness Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the
public interest.
2. Integrity Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any
obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence
them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain
financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.
They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
3. Objectivity Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially,
fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. Accountability Holders of public office are accountable to the public for
their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny
necessary to ensure this.
5. Openness Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an
open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the
public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
6. Honesty Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. Leadership Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their
own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the
principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.
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