Information about the role of a force disclosure champion (national), including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A force disclosure champion (national) is a disclosure role within the business support sector of policing. It's a manager role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The force disclosure champion (national) drives disclosure awareness and performance within force and promotes best practice across all phases of the investigative process, as well as representing the force at national meetings. They have significant awareness of local and national issues regarding disclosure and act as a disclosure lead for their force. They can recognise areas that need improvement and adapt national good practice within their own force to drive improvement.
This role ensures compliance with the Criminal Procedures Investigations Act (CPIA), the Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure, and the National Disclosure Manual as part of the fair and transparent administration of justice.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Ensuring force leads receive national updates, to enable them to plan effectively and ensure their force is prepared for any new legislation or national-level change.
- Maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills, sharing methodologies, and keeping pace with changes to policy and good practice to ensure that the force is informed, prepared, and compliant.
- Ensuring force leads receive national-level guidance and support content, to aid them in managing their disclosure portfolio locally.
- Maintaining an up-to-date and advanced understanding of national disclosure legislation and criminal justice reforms to ensure that the force is informed, prepared, and compliant.
- Providing up-to-date and ongoing subject matter expertise on disclosure policies, procedures, and principles to all individuals, to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Working to resolve any local disclosure issues as soon as they are identified (working regionally or jointly if necessary) and escalating issues locally and appropriately where it has not been possible to resolve, to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Being the point of contact for force leads to escalate issues to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) nationally, where it has not been possible to resolve them through local strategic level criminal justice partnerships to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Providing force leads with an opportunity to provide feedback on national content or new draft national content to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Encouraging force leads to participate within the local disclosure champions network, where they can share good practice and discuss issues or ask questions to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Tracking and taking responsibility for the force’s disclosure performance and actively identifying any areas for improvement to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Leading the local disclosure champions network, including providing local disclosure champions with CPD opportunities to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
- Representing the force, discussing and addressing any local concern, following and understanding any proposed national changes and implementing agreed changes locally to deliver the highest quality of investigations and ensure compliance with the CPIA.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We take ownership – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We collaborate – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We support and inspire – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We analyse critically – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 3
- Problem solving – Level 3
- Performance management – Level 3
- Relationship management – Level 3
- Change management – Level 3
- Managing people – Level 3
- Managing resources – Level 3
- Planning – Level 3
- Use of IT – Level 3
Education, qualifications and experience
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following standards should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Chief inspector rank or police staff equivalent.
- Experience in managing cases with complex disclosure requirements.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining an up-to-date and advanced understanding of national disclosure policy, legislation, and criminal justice reforms, ensuring the force is informed, prepared and compliant
- engaging consistently with NPCC disclosure portfolio communications, network meetings, newsletters, and joint police and CPS events, ensuring relevant updates are translated into local practice
- where requested, supporting national workstreams to influence the development of future policy, practice, or guidance, sharing learning back into the force
- developing and maintaining specialist expertise in risk management, organisational learning and assurance relating to disclosure
- maintaining a detailed awareness of evidence-based policing research, judicial commentary and national inspection themes relating to disclosure and criminal justice
- engaging proactively with cross-agency learning, including CPS disclosure leads, defence representatives and local and regional criminal justice boards
- undertaking refresher learning relating to leadership, strategic influence, ethical decision-making, and change management, consistent with the expectations of a senior leader
- maintaining and updating knowledge of digital evidence, emerging technologies and information management practices that impact disclosure
- ensuring knowledge of any College of Policing and cross-agency content relevant to CPIA
- reviewing and ensuring understanding of any new guidance or processes published on Knowledge Hub and Chiefs Net
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