Appointment of a Programme Assistant
The schoolThe School of Applied Social Science is inter-disciplinary with over 75 staff and researchers, and approximately 1000 students based on the Falmer campus in Brighton. Teaching is also offered at the Hastings Campus.The School has grown rapidly in the last 10 years by developing innovative joint honours courses based on research-led curricula and has established itself as an increasingly internationally recognised centre for applied research in the social sciences. The School is now expanding its undergraduate provision to offer single honours degrees. It has also recently restructured into four divisions that cluster together our growing expertise in programmes of delivery in, Criminology, Psychology and Psychotherapy, Social Work and Social Policy, and Sociology and Politics.
DivisionsDivision of Criminology
The Criminology division offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in criminology and substance misuse interventions including:
BA (Hons) Criminology
BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy
BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology
BA (Hons) Criminology and Substance Misuse Interventions
MA Criminology and Criminal Justice
We also contribute a half-degree to LLB Law with Criminology.
Division of Psychology and Psychotherapy
The Division offers a range of BPS accredited undergraduate degrees and BACP and UKCP accredited postgraduate professional training programmes including:
BSc (Hons) Applied Psychology (from 2015)
BA (Hons) Applied Psychology and Criminology
BA (Hons) Applied Psychology and Sociology
MA Community Psychology
Postgraduate Diploma in Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling Postgraduate Diploma in Psycho-dynamic Therapeutic Counselling MSc Psychotherapy
Division of Social Work and Social Policy
The Division offers undergraduate and postgraduate College of Social Work endorsed and Health and Care Professions Council approved social work training courses; undergraduate social policy and social science degrees and postgraduate and post registration professional development courses including:
BA (Hons) Applied Social Science (Hastings)
BA (Hons) Social Science
BSc (Hons) Social Work
BA (Hons) Sociology and Social Policy
MPA (Masters in Public Administration)
MSc in Social Work
MSc Advanced Social Work
PGDip Approved Mental Health Practice
PGDIp/PGCert Professional Social Work Practice
MSc Mental Health
Division of Sociology and Politics
The Division offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses including:
BA (Hons) Sociology
BA (Hons) Politics and Social Policy
BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology
MRes (Social Research)
We also contribute a half degree in sociology to a range of courses to theHastings Campus Joint Honours programme (see
Research
The School’s research mission is to enable better futures through adopting critical research approaches to concerns, policies and practices in three main areas: Care, Crime, and Culture and Identity. We achieve this through undertaking research with service providers and users that both advances understanding and helps shape policy and practice developments in these key areas internationally, nationally and locally.
We are particularly committed to community-engaged and participative forms of research that develop knowledge and understanding based in the experience of marginalised and disadvantaged individuals and communities, and on making this new knowledge available to help shape future directions in policy and service provision. We work closely with the University’s distinctive and award-winning Community-University Partnership Programme (CUPP) to achieve this. Notable examples of community-engaged research include research with older people, LGBT communities, Afghan migrants, Roma communities and those affected by domestic violence. Research into emotional and mental health is undertaken in collaboration with Sussex Partnership Trust and work on digital healthcare with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Research is funded by the EU, the UK Research Councils (particularly the ESRC, AHRC), The Wellcome Trust, the National Institute of Health Research(NIHR), as well as a range of national charitable organisations and national and local government agencies.
Research in the School is led by Professors Gillian Bendelow (Sociology of Health and Illness), Phil Haynes (Public Policy), Flis Henwood, (Social Informatics) and Peter Squires (Criminology and Public Policy). Marian Barnes is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy and the Dean of the College of Social Sciences works closely with the School as Professor of Social Theory and Social Policy. Readers include: Dr Katherine Johnson (Psychology), Dr Jayne Raisborough (Sociology), Dr Julia Stroud (Social Work), Dr Paula Wilcox (Criminology) Dr Michael Cahill (Social Policy), Dr Mark Erickson (Sociology), Mr Mark Bhatti (Sociology) and Dr Lynda Measor (Applied Social Science).
In the latest national assessment of our research (the 2014 Research Excellence Framework-REF), submitted to the Social Work and Social Policy sub-panel (C22), over 50% of our published work was assessed as either ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ and 80% of our research making an impact beyond academia was judged to be in these categories.
Research within the School is organised through the Social Science Policy and Research Centre (SSPARC). The SSPARC runs regular seminars and conferences as well as a regular seminar series (Social Science Forum), an Annual ‘Festival of Social Science’, celebrating social science research across the university, and an Annual Social Science Public Lecture, run as part of the Brighton Festival. Full details of all our recent and current projects can be found on our website at:
Partnerships and links
The school has close associations with local and regional agencies through teaching and research. Staff research links complement international student exchanges in sociology, criminology, social policy, social work and community psychology and staff regularly deliver papers at international conferences. The school works closely with a number of other schools across the university, including delivering the LLB Law with Criminology in partnership with Brighton Business School. We are also committed to a local and regional role in community development and regeneration and, as a result, are expanding our work at the Hastings Campus.
Staff Development
The university’s staff development policy encourages staff to develop their academic, technical and professional expertise. The school currently awards two one-semester sabbaticals each year for scholarly research, and shorter periods of teaching relief to support specific research outputs. It also supports staff to enhance their teaching and learning expertise and professional practice. All teaching staff are encouraged to continuously review and improve their teaching methods. A wide range of development opportunities, which are continuously reviewed to meet new demands, are available to all staff including, computing short courses, management training, learning and teaching qualifications and research supervision. Academic staff are encouraged to attend conferences where appropriate and all staff are able to apply for a tuition fee waiver in order to attend part-time courses at the universities of Brighton and Sussex and City College Brighton and Hove.
Location
The school is based at the Falmer campus of the university, approximately five miles from the centre of Brighton and Hove linked to frequent train and bus services. Falmer is a site of outstanding natural beauty on the edge of the South Downs.
Job sharing The University of Brighton welcomes job sharers. Job sharing is a way of working where two people share one full-time job, dividing the work, responsibilities, pay, holidays and other benefits between them proportionate to the hours each works, thereby increasing access to a wide range of jobs on a part-time basis.
Potential job sharers do not have to apply with a partner. However, if a post is to be operated as a job share there must be at least two suitable applicants who wish to share the job.
A job share appointment will only be made if it has been demonstrated that both shortlisted applicants can do the job to the required standards and within a working pattern of hours that is agreeable to all parties. If one applicant is unsuitable, neither can be appointed unless an alternative potential job sharer has been shortlisted.
When applying as a job sharer please indicate this on your application form. Please also indicate on the additional information tab whether you are applying with a job share partner and the name of that person. It would also be useful if you could indicate whether you would be interested in the post on a full-time basis if no suitable partner can be found. If you have indicated that you would be willing to take up the position on a full-time basis then the normal recruitment procedure will be followed.
If you are interested in appointment on a job share basis, please contact Human Resources for a copy of the university's policy, procedure and guidelines for job sharing. Alternatively staff in Human Resources will be happy to answer any queries you may have.
The jobDetails of the job are described in the attached job description.
The salarySalaries are paid monthly in arrears through the BACS System directly into the bank or building society account of each member of staff.
Salary payments for staff that work less than 52 weeks per year are spread evenly over twelve months of the year so that they continue to receive payment during the times they are not contracted to work. This means that, when they leave the employment of the university, they may have received either an over or underpayment for that year, according to the date of leaving in relation to the anniversary of the start date. In such cases, the adjustment would be made in the final salary payment, as a deduction or lump sum payment, as applicable.
Working weekThe hours of work for this post are 37 hours per week, excluding meal breaks (these are unpaid), 52 weeks per year and hours of attendance will be from 8.30am to 5.00pm on Mondays to Thursdays and from 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays.
Duration of the jobThe appointment is fixed term until 25 August 2017 pending a review of staffing needs.
Holiday For each full-year worked you are entitled to annual leavedependent on your grade of pay (see table below). The entitlement increases after five years’ continuous service, pro rata for part-time staff. Annual leave entitlement for part-time staff and staff on shift patterns will be calculated in hours. New members of staff are entitled to annual leave proportionate to their completed calendar months of service. In addition to the eight Bank and Public Holidays each year, discretionary days are granted in late December to allow the university to remain closed between Christmas and the New Year.
Grades / Basic entitlement per year / Grades / Basic entitlement after 5 years’ service1-3 / 23 days / 1-3 / 28 days
4-7 / 25 days / 4-7 / 30 days
8-9 / 27 days / 8-9 / 30 days
Terms & conditionsIn determining terms and conditions of employment, the university has regard to recommendations made through the appropriate national negotiating framework. These terms and conditions of service can be varied by local agreements reached through the university’s local negotiating framework which comprises a Joint Negotiating Committee supported by two Common Interest Groups. These groups bring together representatives of the university and its recognised trade unions, which are:
•UCUUniversity and Colleges Union
•UNISON
Strategic planDetails of our Strategic Plan can be found at: