Area Coroner

Leicester City & South Leicestershire Jurisdiction Relevant Authority:

Leicester City Council

Recruitment and Assessment Proposal

CONTENTS

AREA CORONER FOR LEICESTER CITY & SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE AREA

INFORMATION PACK

1. Advert

2. Job Description

3. Person Specification

4. Recruitment and Selection Process

5. Recruitment Timetable

1. ADVERT

AREA CORONER FOR LEICESTER CITY & SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE SALARY: £102,000 PER ANNUM

Leicester City Council is the Lead Authority for Leicester City & South Leicestershire Coronial Area. We are seeking to appoint a full time Area Coroner for the first time. The Area Coroner will work closely with the Senior Coroner to provide judicial leadership to the coroner team as well as conducting your own coroner investigations and inquests. You will be the nominated deputy for the Senior Coroner.

You Will:

Carry out the statutory functions of the coroner in accordance with the requirements of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the associated guidance and rules from the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor

Investigate the circumstances of the deaths of all persons whose bodies are lying within the coroner’s area

where there is a legal requirement under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Assist the Senior Coroner in organising and co-ordinating the delivery of the Service, having regard to the statutory requirements of the Service and the financial constraints faced by public sector agencies.

Deal with claims for treasure in accordance with statutory regulations

Requirements of the post: You will be under the age of 70, have experience of working as an assistant coroner or area coroner and be

subject to the appointment and eligibility conditions within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (s.23 and Schedule 3). You must be a barrister, solicitor or fellow of CILEX and satisfy the judicial appointment eligibility condition on a 5 year basis. Due to the nature of the post, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore any conviction, whether spent or unspent, must be declared. Applicants invited to interview will be required to complete a declaration form. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check Applicants must specify in their application if they are subject of any disciplinary or complaint proceedings by any professional body to which they belong and clearly the outcome. The candidate should declare any other matters which they believe should be brought to the attention of the Local Authority, particularly bearing in mind the basic set of guiding principles in the Guide to Judicial Conduct

You must have: Experience of working as a Senior Coroner, Area Coroner or Assistant Coroner Experience of conducting investigative enquiries including demonstrating clarity of thought in identifying issues relevant to the investigation. Experience of operational management including caseload management Experience of using, updating, developing spreadsheet, e-mail, presentations, web, database applications for own/other peoples’ use. In depth knowledge and experience in Coronial Law

1. Area information

The Leicester City & South Leicestershire coroner area includes an area with a current population of around 570000.

The number of deaths registered annually averages 7000 with approximately 2500 cases referred to the senior coroner. The casework details are shown below

2015 2016 2017 2018

Deaths reported 3661 3488 2487 2219

Post Mortems 873 787 744 773

Non-invasive Post-Mortems - 27 100 262

Inquests without Post Mortem 292 333 222 142

Inquests opened 515 510 374 347

Deaths investigated where it is still unknown if there will be an inquest

51 63 42 37

Inquests concluded (including inquests opened before this period)

532 528 406 336

Medical knowledge in relation to coronial legislation, guidelines and policy sufficient to give sound advice to support colleagues, staff and the public. Awareness of current issues affecting the Coronial Service You will need to live within commuting distance of the City of Leicester Additional Information: If you wish to have an informal discussion about this post, please contact: Kevin Lewis, Head of Registration and Coronial Service by email at: kevin.lewis@leicester.gov.uk

Closing Date: 11 August 2019

Interview dates: Monday 23 September 2019

Tuesday 24 September 2019

Tuesday 1 October 2019

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to apply online and submit their application form detailing how they meet the person specification requirements.

Treasure Inquests 1 3 2 1

Jury Inquests 6 14 13 6

Cases more than 12 months old (not including suspended cases)

3 0 5 2

Suspended cases 13 24 28 36

The coroner area contains sections of the M1 motorway as well as several major A-roads, main rail lines to/from London, Birmingham and Nottingham / Sheffield. There is an adult male prison and an enlarged young offender’s prison is under construction.

There are 3 acute hospitals, as well as a hospice

Office and court accommodation The service is located in dedicated accommodation, including offices and court in Leicester Town Hall. The service is co-located with the Registration Service. The 2 coroner’s courts are available Monday-Friday allowing inquests to be opened quickly with dates set for inquest hearings, usually within the required six months. The timeliness of concluding investigations is shown below

2015 2016 2017 2018

The number of deaths where certificates were 2730 2594 1803 1572 issued within one week or less

2730 2594 1803 1572

The number of inquests concluded within 3 months or less

299 349 253 139

The number of inquests concluded within 6 months or

less

450 469 342 270

The number of inquests concluded within 12 months or

less

517 524 393 283

Staff

There is a Coronial Service Team Manager (who is the Senior Coroner’s Officer), 7 coroner’s officers together with 2 Inquest Officers and 1 Admin Assistant. All are employed by the Leicester City Council.

All staff are co-located with the Senior Coroner and Area Coroner

Management The Coroner’s Officers, Inquest Officers and support staff are managed by the Coroner’s Service Team manager,

The Coroner’s Service Team Manager works closely with the Senior Coroner on the delivery of the service to ensure those affected by the work of the coroner team receive a high-quality service.

Daily operations The Area Coroner will usually be expected to work Monday-Friday between 8:00am and 4:00pm at the office and court accommodation. This arrangement allows the service to provide a high level of service and performance to meet the requirements of the Coroners & Justice Act 2009 and the Chief Coroner’s guidance.

The Area Coroner will be expected on occasion to be available out of hours on a rota basis.

The administrative support staff are responsible for answering incoming calls from the public on weekdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm [or as applicable].

The coroner team

The Area Coroner, who is an independent judicial-office holder works as part of the coroner team led by the Senior Coroner, alongside the Assistant Coroners, The Area Coroner is expected to be the nominated deputy in line with the Chief Coroner’s guidance. The Area Coroner will provide cover when the Senior Coroner is unavailable due to leave, sickness, training etc and as additional support (by agreement with the local authority) in office and case work.

2. Job Description

Post Title: Area Coroner Post Number: A0631

Department: City Barrister

Division / Branch: City Barrister

Section: Coronial Service

Responsible to: Senior Coroner for Leicester City & South Leicestershire

Overall Purpose of this Post: To assist the Senior Coroner for Leicester City & South Leicestershire in the delivery of a high-quality coronial service

Main Duties/Key Tasks:

- Investigates the circumstances of the deaths of all persons whose bodies are lying within the coroner’s area where there is a legal requirement under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

- Assists the Senior Coroner in organising and co-ordinating the delivery of the Service

- Gives directions for post mortem examinations

- Determines the holding of an inquest

- Provides reports in accordance with Coroners and Justice Act 2009 following an inquest

- Provide mentoring and assistance to the Assistant Coroners

- Other miscellaneous tasks associated with the role.

Key Contacts & Purpose:

Coroner’s Officers: case management, death investigations

Public: discuss death of a family member, evidence at inquest hearing

Legal representatives: presenting evidence at inquest hearing

Medical professionals: presenting evidence at inquest hearing

Police Officers: death investigations, presenting evidence at inquest hearing

Ambulance & Fire Service Officers: death investigations, presenting evidence at inquest hearing

Council Officers: presenting evidence at inquest hearing

Responsibilities & Objectives:

1. To carry out the statutory functions of the coroner in accordance with the requirements of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the associated guidance and rules from the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor

2. To investigate the circumstances of the deaths of all persons whose bodies are lying within the coroner’s area where there is a legal requirement under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

3. To assist the Senior Coroner in organising and co-ordinating the delivery of the Service, having regard to the

statutory requirements of the Service and the financial constraints faced by public sector agencies.

4. To be sensitive to the needs and requirements of properly interested persons who engage with the Coronial Service.

5. To give directions for post mortem examinations and /or hold an inquest in accordance with the Coroners and

Justice Act 2009

6. To deal with claims for treasure in accordance with statutory regulations

7. To keep up to date with current legislation, guidelines and best practice applying to the role.

8. Must follow, implement and promote the council's policies and procedures relating to all areas of employment and service delivery.

9. Able to deal with people professionally at all levels and from a variety of backgrounds.

10. Able to recognise and deal with discrimination in its many forms and willing to actively put the council’s equality policies into practice.

Is this post classified as “politically restricted”, because the post holder is required to advise the council and its committees or communicates with the media on behalf of the council? NO

Is this post subject to exemption from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 ? NO

3. Person Specification

Area Coroner Leicester City & South Leicestershire jurisdiction – A0631

Please use this person specification to understand what knowledge, skills and qualifications

you will be required to demonstrate for this role with us.

Hints and Tips

MEASURED BY APPLICATION FORM

Examples should be provided on your application form of how you meet each individual

criterion, this is what the recruiting manager will use to determine whether you have the

required experience and knowledge for this role.

Tip - list each criterion in your application form and provide evidence under

each heading.

MEASURED BY TEST

You will be required to undertake a test which will require you to demonstrate some or all

these skills - this will usually be in the form of a job-related test. For managerial roles, we will

ask you to complete online situational judgement tests and an Occupational Personality

Profile (OPQ).

Tip - practice online tests on the SHL website.

MEASURED BY INTERVIEW

The panel will ask you to provide examples of your knowledge and experience at interview.

Tip - prepare by gathering examples you can talk through against each of the

criteria, by using the STAR method:

Situation

Task

Action

Result

MEASURED BY APPLICATION FORM

Experience Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Experience of working as a Senior Coroner, Area Coroner or Assistant Coroner E

Experience of conducting investigative enquiries including demonstrating clarity of thought in identifying issues relevant to the investigation.

E

Experience of operational management including caseload management E

Experience of using, updating, developing spreadsheet, e-mail, presentations, web, database applications for own/other peoples’ use.

E

Knowledge Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

In depth knowledge and experience in Coronial Law E

Medical knowledge in relation to coronial legislation, guidelines and policy sufficient to give sound advice to support colleagues, staff and the public.

E

Awareness of current issues affecting the Coronial Service E

MEASURED BY TEST -

NONE

MEASURED AT INTERVIEW

Leadership / people qualities Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Experience of operational management including caseload management E

Experience of being tactful and diplomatic when dealing complaints from violent, irate, distressed customers, clients, members of the public or partner agencies

E

Experience of working under pressure and prioritise tasks to meet set objectives/ statutory & local timescales/ targets/ deadlines

E

Experience of dealing with and adapting to changes and setbacks in the work environment.

E

Skills Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Conducting investigative enquiries including demonstrating clarity of thought in identifying issues relevant to the investigation

E

In depth knowledge & experience in Coronial Law E

Experience in analytical, decision making E

The skill set to deal with emotionally charged situations that require sensitive handling and confident judgement

E

Excellent interpersonal skills demonstrating ability to deal with the bereaved and those under great stress with tact, diplomacy and compassion.

E

Ability to work in and manage conflict/sensitive situations involving competing personnel and organisational priorities, with a wide range of stakeholders.

E

Excellent presentation and communication skills to demonstrate authority whilst ensuring the audience understand and remain engaged in complex process

E

High level of English language communication skills sufficient to deal with customers, clients face to face, on the telephone, via e-mail, letter and to verbally present new ideas and proposals.

E

MEASURED BY DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

Document Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Applicants must be a barrister, solicitor or fellow of CILEX and satisfy the judicial appointment eligibility condition on a 5 year basis and be under the age of 70

E

Living within commuting distance of the City of Leicester E

4. Recruitment & Selection Process

Applications

You are required to apply online using our application form which may be accompanied by a

full supporting statement. It is important that your application and/or supporting statement

fully addresses the following criteria:

1. Experience of working as a Senior Coroner, Area Coroner or Assistant Coroner

2. Experience of conducting investigative enquiries including demonstrating clarity of

thought in identifying issues relevant to the investigation.

3. Experience of operational management including caseload management

4. Experience of using, updating, developing spreadsheet, e-mail, presentations, web,

database applications for own/other peoples’ use.

5. In depth knowledge and experience in Coronial Law

6. Medical knowledge in relation to coronial legislation, guidelines and policy sufficient

to give sound advice to support colleagues, staff and the public.

7. Awareness of current issues affecting the Coronial Service

8. Applicants must be a barrister, solicitor or fellow of CILEX and satisfy the judicial

appointment eligibility condition on a 5 year basis and be under the age of 70

Interview Process: Town Hall, Leicester

Chief Coroner’s Role in the Process: The Chief Coroner or his nominee will be providing advice to the Council throughout the recruitment process, in particular so as to ensure that the process is fully transparent and fair. Although the Chief Coroner or his nominee may be at the interviews they are not a member of the panel and as such have no role in scoring candidates or voting for a candidate. No appointment may be made unless the Chief Coroner and the Lord Chancellor consent to it. Local authorities appoint coroners but do not employ them. Once appointed a Coroner

becomes and remains an independent judicial officer holder.

Pre-Employment Checks

The successful candidate will be required to undertake the Council’s pre-employment check process

such as; employment references, medical check, eligibility to work in the UK, relevant qualifications,

Enhanced DBS check.

The candidate should declare any other matters which they believe should be brought to the

attention of the Local Authority, particularly bearing in mind the basic set of guiding principles in the

Guide to Judicial Conduct

Due to the nature of the post, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore any conviction, whether spent or unspent, must be declared. Applicants invited to interview will be required to complete a declaration form. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check Applicants must specify in their application if they are subject of any disciplinary or complaint proceedings by any professional body to which they belong and clearly the outcome.

5. Recruitment Timetable:

Closing Date: 11 August 2019

Interview dates: Monday 23 September 2019

Tuesday 24 September 2019

Tuesday 1 October 2019

The interview panel will be:

1. Kevin Lewis (Head of Registration & Coronial Services)

2. Kamal Adatia (City Barrister & Head of Standards

3. Catherine Mason (Senior Coroner for Leicester City & South Leicestershire)

The Chief Coroner or his nominee will be in attendance.