Vacancy Information
Division / Department - West Sussex Division
Grade - Grade 10
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - £28,023 - £30,951
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role
West Sussex Division is recruiting for a full-time Coroners Officer to join the team in the Coroners Office based at Centenary House in Worthing. Some of the working day may be outside normal office hours and some ‘call out' cover will be required on a rota basis, which includes weekends.
The main purpose of the Coroner Officer's role is to gather all of the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual. Therefore, you will be required to visit friends, relatives and associates of the bereaved to obtain and record factual information for HM Coroner. Applicants must display the ability to work with a professional approach to deal with the families of victims of sudden, violent or unexpected death in obtaining precise details with compassion and understanding so that the cause of death can be ascertained.
Although this role is based in Worthing, you will need to travel throughout the Coronial Jurisdiction of West Sussex.
Key Responsibilities
You will be expected:-
• To attend scenes of sudden deaths in accordance with existing Sussex Police policies and as requested by the Coroner. To liaise with the investigation team providing expert advice in the field. Recording and reporting tissue and organ donation requests on behalf of HM Coroner.
• To attend both Forensic and Local Post Mortem Examinations on behalf of the Coroner. Recording and formalising family wishes of disposal of histology samples in line with the Human Tissue Act 2004.
• To act as a single point of contact providing immediate support and guidance to bereaved families following sudden and unexpected death ensuring that families, interested persons and witnesses are updated with the progress of the investigation and are provided with any necessary support.
• To prepare for and undertake formal investigative interviews, write statements and conduct related investigative enquiries where appropriate of families, professionals and witnesses in compliance with Coroner’s and Justice Act 2009, Coroner’s (Investigations) Regulations 2013, Coroner’s (Inquests) Rules 2013 and the Chief Coroner’s Guidance. Preparing and delivering relevant disclosure material
throughout the process as necessary and required by the Coroner
• To perform the role of Officer in the Case (OIC) at court hearings. Acting as a single point of contact for the Coroner and all interested parties. Additionally responsible for the formation of a jury inquest as guided by the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013.
• The post holder will be required to be capable of working in all forms of operational environment including advising at scenes of unexpected and / or traumatic death, attending Mortuaries (attendance at Post Mortems), leading as the single point of contact at Coroner’s Court
• There is a requirement to work an on-call rota
Skills & Experience
Qualifications
Educational qualification to ‘A’ level standard or equivalent experience within the Coronial environment
Must hold a full UK driving licence
This role requires an individual with highly developed interpersonal skills to deal with the stress and emotion arising from delicate and sometimes distressing situations. You must be able to obtain essential information as early as possible. Good written communication skills are also essential.
You will have
• A working knowledge of medical terminologies and drugs / medication
• Proven and well evidenced experience in some form of investigations which may include conducting interviews, case building and case management. The ability to work as an OIC and analyse problems, make sound operational decisions and have a high level of persistence and self-motivation to see an investigation through to conclusion
• The ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, at all levels of the organisation and with external customers such as defence lawyers;
• Prepare and deliver presentations to third party agencies
• The ability to manage varying enquiries from families, legal teams, colleagues and third party agencies working as a single point of contact and must be capable of absolute discretion in handling matters of a personal, sensitive and confidential nature
• Ability to independently exercise own judgement in a consistent manner, within confines of legislation and agreed procedures and policies
• The ability to operate multiple computer database systems and be willing to undertake training in order to become proficient in all relevant Coroners and Sussex Police systems
• To have or obtain a Sussex Police Basic Driving Authority permit
Contact Details
For further information please contact Maggie Short, Coroners Office Supervisor on 07771812942 or by e-mail at Margaret.short@sussex.pnn.police.uk
Additional Information
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
If you are an internal candidate looking to apply for this role, please ensure that you discuss your application with your line manager before submitting an application. If you are conditionally offered the role your attendance record and any reasonable adjustments already in place will be discussed with yourself and your current line manager.
Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;
- vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
- vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally. If the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is success it will result in a transfer of employment.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
Applications will only be accepted by clicking the 'Apply Now' button. CVs are not accepted as part of our recruitment process.
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important to us that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we believe that as an organisation we'll benefit from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity can bring; all of which helps us to deliver a better policing service.
We have worked really hard to create a safe, open and inclusive culture. We have a range of staff networking groups to provide specific support and advice and we are proud to be members of Stonewall and Disability Confident, and to be aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities so, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
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