33636 - Prison Officer Level Transfer

£19,054 - £21,183
20
12 Months
West Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent
HMYOI WERRINGTON STOKE ON TRENT, ST9 0DX
AO
Band 3
Permanent
Full Time
Operational Delivery

Overview of the job

This is an operational job within the prison officer role profile but specific to a youth secure accommodation establishment. This is a progressive role towards qualification as a specialist youth justice worker.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) delivers a caring, rehabilitative culture that focuses on the individual needs of young people (aged 18 and under). It uses its expert understanding of the causes of offending behaviour in young people to support them to turn their lives around and reduce the risk of reoffending, both by developing intervention strategies within and outside the secure estate and by modelling rehabilitative behaviours in every interaction.

The YCS uses young people’s time in custody to improve their health, education and rehabilitation outcomes as well as making the most of opportunities to develop into healthy adults and able to make a positive contribution to society upon release.

A well-trained workforce, motivated to work with young people in custody and able to affect positive change through individual, encouraging relationships with young people, is key to creating a culture where young people are supported, cared for and motivated to engage, develop and change, in line with rehabilitative principles.

We value the specialist skills of those working in the youth estate in caring for young people and we will invest in developing a high-performing and inspiring workforce through ongoing professional development and establishing a distinct career path for those working to rehabilitate young people.

Summary

The youth justice worker role is a rewarding and challenging position, which combines the essential elements of caring for young people within custody ensuring security is retained within a safe and secure environment and reducing risk of reoffending. Youth justice workers will also facilitate the personal, social and emotional development of the young people in their care, many of whom are particularly vulnerable or have complex and challenging needs.

Youth justice workers will complete vocational training alongside their role, to develop the knowledge, skills and experience required to address the complex needs of the young people in custody. They will also be expected to complete modules as part of a level four qualification in youth justice, which builds on a number of these practice areas including behavioural management, mental health care, and substance misuse. Successful completion of the qualification and meeting required selection and assessment criteria is intended to result in the opportunity for progression to the role of a Band 4 youth justice specialist worker.

All youth justice workers are expected to build constructive and motivational relationships, ensuring:

  • Young people feel safe and supported.
  • Young people’s individual needs are met.
  • Young people engage in learning and training to build a positive and productive pathway into communities.
  • Young people are better able to build positive and pro-social relationships with peers and appropriate adults.
  • Young people have access to high-quality services that address their offending behaviour, remove barriers to learning and engagement and provide appropriate support during custody and on return to the wider community.

Young people in custody face diverse and complex issues. To support them to turn their lives around, the job holder will be required to deliver a safe and decent regime, including use of restraint techniques where necessary.

This is an operational job with no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

Activities and Duties within the Prison Officer role profile

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

  • Supervise, manage and control children and young people decently, lawfully, safely and securely whilst carrying out all activities.
  • Exercise power of the constable.
  • Carry out searches on children, young people, staff and visitors.
  • Undertake external escorts.
  • Undertake first on scene.
  • Understand and comply with legalisation, national and local policies.

Specifically, within the YCS

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

  • Help young people to settle, feel safe and calm with the ability to identify and resolve issues and concerns and effectively manage interpersonal conflict.
  • Use engagement skills and understanding of the causes behind offending to work in a pro-social manner that challenges young people’s anti-social attitudes and behaviour, and reinforces positive change.
  • Support the work in the individualised goal-oriented plans which will help young people to engage in constructive activities, to prepare for education, work, or training upon release, and to desist from crime.
  • Support where applicable multi-disciplinary meetings to understand the causes of individual young people’s offending behaviour.
  • As part of Custody Support Plans working with Young People on a regular basis to progress their personalised support plan and act as their named point of contact to resolve any concerns or challenges they may have.
  • Carry out patrols, external escorts, roll checks, searches and resolve young people’s complaints.
  • Understanding that young people spend much of their sentence in the community, work with caseworkers and community services partners to ensure effective sentence completion as described in sentence plans, and support young people’s effective progression to education, training or employment on release.
  • Work closely with other disciplines (e.g. education, health and psychology) using knowledge of young people’s development to assist in promoting learning and progression beyond custody.
  • Support young peoples’ engagement with activities, community/ environmental projects, residential activities, outdoor education and sporting activities.
  • Manage the welfare of young people including health and safety, security, and safeguarding, reporting concerns to your line manager and making referrals to appropriate agencies, facilitated by effective data sharing.
  • Support the development of assessments of young people throughout their stay in an establishment.
  • Implement delivery of self-harm and violence reduction strategies.
  • Understand and support the embedding of rehabilitative culture change across youth establishments.
  • Engage with other staff including peers, health and psychology staff, to reflect on practice, discuss incidents and share promising practice.
  • Maintain cleanliness of the living units and meet the day-to-day needs of the young people.
  • Maintain effective recording systems and respond to queries.
  • Ensure that all applicable legislation, guidance and instruction relating to young people in custody is adhered to.
  • Compliance with local and national instructions including local security tasks.
  • Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become a specialist youth justice worker.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive.   Job holders within this Group Profile will carry out a range of activities across key areas to support efficient running of the establishment. Duties may be administrative or operational and will be commensurate of this grade as and when required. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours

  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Working Together

Technical Requirements

All candidates are required to pass an on line application and numeracy assessment, attend and pass a variety of assessments at Recruitment Assessment Centre; these include a written assessment, role plays, medical assessment and a fitness test.

If successful in your application, your continuation in this role is dependent on passing all modules within the initial Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT), which is a pathway to becoming a fully competent Prison Officer. Failure to successfully complete and pass POELT course could result in your removal from this role and may result in the termination of your employment. Following completion of the POELT course you will be subject to a 12 month probationary period.

If applying via the FAST TRACK ROUTE the job holder must hold a level four or equivalent qualification as listed below.

Fast Track Only

  • Youth Justice, Psychology, Sociology  
  • Teaching and learning support, youth work, childcare and parenting service
  • Social work – counselling, mental health, drug abuse, working with vulnerable   people
  • Probation practice
  • Mental health/nursing/healthcare
  • Coaching
  • Therapeutic practice

All Candidates

Essential

  • All candidates will be expected to complete training, including modules towards a level four youth justice qualification, which will be funded as part of their role, to develop specialist skills required to work with the young people in custody.
  • All candidates will also be expected to complete additional vocational youth custody training prior to working with young people, including courses on minimising and managing physical restraint.
  • A desire and ability to care for complex and challenging young people to help them turn their lives around.

Desirable

  • An understanding of offending, child and adolescent development and the impact of trauma on development.

Ability

  • Fitness Standard
  • Medical Standard
  • Numerical Ability

Allowances (Unsocial Hours)  

Unsocial Hours Working

This role requires working regular unsocial hours and a 17% payment will be paid in addition to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside 0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include working evenings, nights, weekends and Bank/Public holidays.

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
Excess fares
Excess Fares

We are offering this exciting opportunity to join YCS (Werrington). We are seeking people from the wider estate who have passion, drive and enthusiasm to work with children in our care, however this opportunity is only open to those who are not currently part of the YCS.

If you would like to apply we will require you to agree to undertake by 2023 the UNITAS foundation degree, once completed this will allow progression to a Band 4 Youth Justice Worker in YCS.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s, including HMPPS, terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard working hours for this post are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

Annual Leave

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

-All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

-All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

-All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

See HMPPS competency framework to learn more about the competencies we are looking for.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497684/NOMS_competency_framework.pdf

And you can download positive Competency writing samples for Band 2 and Band 3 applications.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/500804/Competency_writing_samples.pdf

Expected end April beginning of May 2020

10/04/2020, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 33636.
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing - word limit
Managing a Quality Service - word limit
Making Effective Decisions - word limit
Working Together - word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.