Police Leadership Review - Advanced Practitioners Stakeholder Feedback

June 20 – July 2016

Overview:

The College of Policing published its review of Police Leadership in June 2015. An important recommendation is to develop career opportunities which allows for recognition and reward for Advanced Practitioners. The review stated that:

‘The College will design and support opportunities for professional development to ensure professional expertise and leadership are rewarded and recognised. The College will set criteria for advanced practitioners within policing as a whole, not just in ‘traditional’ specialist roles. The criteria will be equally applicable to officers and staff, providing a lateral pathway that offers reward and recognition for advanced skills and knowledge, and for those who play a substantial role in developing the evidence base of policing and who help develop others in their roles.’

A report, ‘Advanced Practitioner Police Constable Recommended Draft Model’ has been produced as a first phase of developing the model for the wider workforce. We will start with police constables in early autumn 2016 as a first step in introducing this model across the workforce.

Timescales:

Central to developing a successful model is the engagement and involvement of those within the service to shape the thinking and to be involved in research into how the model will work in practice. The timescale for developing the final model is:

Feedback from and engagement with the service: 20 June – 13 July 2016

Undertake pilot research phase: Autumn 2016 – Summer 2018

Full deployment of model: Autumn 2018

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The pilot research phase is scheduled for 2 years to allow time to establish learning networks, enable the model to mature through a long enough period so to gain a confident understanding of what works, prior to a full scale roll out. It is important to get this right as it will have the potential to make a significant impact across the service well into the future.

The pilot research phase will be informed by stakeholder feedback and include the development of a national framework and standards for the role, the appointment process, the tenure of the role, the process of identifying priority fields of practice and an understanding of the impact via robust evaluation. In addition the pilot will ensure that non-bureaucratic processes are developed to support the work.

Remuneration:

The pilot research phase will inform future decisions on remuneration and therefore it is proposed that additional payments are not awarded as part of this phase. The Advanced Practitioner role, its nature and demands, will be explored through the research phase and will inform future decisions on remuneration through a strong evidence base for the value and benefits of the model.

The stakeholder feedback questions:

The College wishes to gather stakeholder feedback on the draft model in order to plan the pilot phase of the work. Please refer to the accompanying document; ‘Advanced Practitioner Constable Recommended Draft Model’. Please use the feedback form provided.

We invite responses to the following questions:

1. Do you agree with the role and purpose? (page 10)

a. Take the lead within a practice area, providing a higher level of front line skill and expertise to meet local Policing needs

b. Improve policing practice in the Force and beyond through collaboration, networking and support

c. Ensure that Policing practices are kept up date and at the forefront of current thinking, professionalising practices, raising standards and promoting a culture of continuous improvement

d. Place structure around the recognition and promotion of excellent front line officers who may not have the desire or skills to progress through a line management career path, supporting motivation and retention

e. Support the development of a culture of continuous professional development

a. What else can be added to strengthen the areas below prior to a pilot research phase being rolled out?

a. Key characteristics and accountabilities, including expertise (page 11)

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b. Knowledge and skills (page 12)

c. The application process (page 13)

d. The management of the Advanced Practitioner model (page 14)

2. Identifying potential designated fields of practice for the Advanced Practitioner position

a. In order to develop an effective network of Advanced Practitioners in a particular field of practice a process for defining such areas should be developed. To what extent should priority areas of practice be defined nationally versus locally? (Suggested areas in the initial research included vulnerability, public protection, community policing)

b. Should Advanced Practitioners focus on a small number of priority fields of practice, building national ‘topic’ networks, or on multiple’ topics’?

3. Eligibility for the Advanced Practitioner role (page 24,25,26)

a. Other professions define specific eligibility criteria for the role and that the role is not a universal ‘threshold’ that everyone can gain. What should be considered in relation to the eligibility criteria for Advanced Practitioner Constables?

4. Tenure of an Advanced Practitioner (page 15)

a. Advanced Practitioners could be appointed in permanent posts or for a fixed term. Page 15 of the report considers pros and cons for both approaches. Please provide feedback on this issue to inform the design of the model.

b. As knowledge grows and priorities change, at what frequency should priority areas be reviewed e.g. every year, three years etc?

5. Other comments you wish to be considered

a. Please add any further comments or observations that will inform the development of the pilot research phase.

How to get involved in the pilot:

The College invites expressions of interest from across all forces with regard to the potential engagement of forces in the pilot phase of work.

Please email leadershipreview@college.pnn.police.uk to log your interest.