Trainee Probation Officer – Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) Kent, Surrey and Sussex

£23,174
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Probation Service
South East
Various
Band 3
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time
Trainee Probation Officer

By investing in your future 
You could transform countless lives

Train to be a Probation Officer

Salary: £23,174 p.a. 

Where applicable for the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes, East Kent, West Kent, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Delivery Units only, a Market Force Allowance of £1,100 per annum applies; and for London Probation Delivery Units there is an allowance of £3,889 per annum.

What the role involves  

By managing people on probation in the community, our Probation Officers protect the public from the effects of crime and give people on probation the chance to turn their lives around. By earning your Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP), you have the chance to join them. 

Even as you’re learning, you’ll make a positive impact as you encounter different situations over the course of a 15 or 21-month programme. The decisions and actions you take can be the turning point for people on probation and instead of being part of the system for years to come, you can help them leave criminal behaviour behind for good.  

Day to day, you’ll handle everything from visiting hostels, prisons and courts – all to make interventions with people on probation that enable them to understand their behaviour and want to change it. Throughout, you’ll be working with people to help them recognise the benefit of education, skills, treatment or maybe counselling to prevent reoffending.  You will be working in an environment that supports a range of flexible working options, including the ability to use technology to work remotely, to enhance your work-life balance and support the needs of the business.

You will be allocated some study time toward the required learning components; however, some study will need to be undertaken in your own time and the amount of own-time study varies between individuals depending on learning styles.

What you’ll need  

As part of the Probation Service, we support people on their road to rehabilitation. It involves working closely with all kinds of people on probation often with complex needs, including those who’ve committed violent and sexual offences, or struggling with their mental health or substance misuse. As a Probation Officer, you need to be resilient as this can often make their behaviour challenging. Not everyone is ready to change, and you will experience setbacks. However, through our PQiP training programme, you will learn the tools needed to address such behaviours, engage with people and support them to make positive changes.

You’ll also work with victims of crime, colleagues across the criminal justice system, charities and the wider community.

To be eligible to apply to the PQiP programme, you must hold a valid Level 5 qualification, or above, such as an honours degree, a foundation degree, a diploma of higher education, a Level 5 vocational qualification or a higher apprenticeship. It doesn’t matter what subject your Level 5 qualification is in.

If you are successful in reaching the online assessment centre (OAC) stage of the application process, you must be able to provide evidence that you have successfully passed a Level 5 (or above) qualification by producing a valid certificate when asked at the start of your OAC.  If you have not yet undergone your graduation ceremony or have still not received your certificate at the time of the OAC, you can instead produce a valid transcript from the university as evidence, or a letter of confirmation of your pass mark from your education provider. The OACs are scheduled to take place in September/October. Please note: If you are unable to produce evidence of a Level 5 qualification your application will be withdrawn.

If your application is successful you will need to undergo and clear pre-employment checks. This will include Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Enhanced Level 2 vetting.

For pre-employment checks, including vetting and health checks, the onus is on candidates to provide correct and up to date documentation promptly when requested during the application process. Candidates who fail to engage with the pre-employment checks process early on, may not clear in time to join on the fixed start date.

 

All of our positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which means all spent and unspent convictions are examined as part of the vetting process. As part of this, you must declare all convictions, cautions and absolute or conditional discharges – however long ago they occurred. More information is available here. This should not deter candidates with any criminal history from applying as all cases are always considered on their individual merits before a decision is reached.  

The Probation Service encourages applications from people with lived experience and we believe this can make a difference to our service user outcomes. A conviction does not necessarily mean you cannot become a Probation Officer. However, failure to disclose information will put an end to your application, as we expect a high level of integrity from all those who we employ.

 

What we offer  

In return, you’ll receive a competitive salary and benefits package. We offer a generous annual leave allowance of 25 days plus eight public holidays and Local Government Pension Scheme. You’ll also be part of a supportive, diverse and friendly team environment – the perfect place to study towards your Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP). We will sponsor and guide you through your studies, and we’ll give you the opportunity to make the most of your career as a Probation Officer.

If necessary, you can complete the following 4 required knowledge modules within the first 6 months of the course, followed by a 15-month PQiP qualification.

  • The Criminal Justice System
  • Understanding Crime and Criminal Behaviour
  • Penal Policy and the Punishment of Offenders
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders

Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be eligible to apply for a position as a qualified Probation Officer on a starting salary of £30,208 p.a. plus London Weighting Allowance or Market Forces Allowance, where this applies.

During the PQiP application process, you will be asked to rank your preference of Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) within your chosen Probation region. This is the geographical area where your office will be located. Please ensure you are happy with the PDU preference you select, as once your training begins, we may not be able to facilitate moves to other PDUs or regions. Upon successful completion of your PQiP training, you will qualify as a Probation Officer, and your office location will be allocated to you by the business.

 

Talks are ongoing between the Probation Service and recognised trade unions on proposals to introduce a business need requirement which, subject to the outcome of those forthcoming talks, may result in a requirement for new PQiPs to remain within the region in which they have trained for at least two years post-qualification. As part of these proposals, we would ensure that compassionate or reasonable adjustment transfers continue to be considered in accordance with Probation Service policy. If implemented, such criteria would not affect your right to apply for promotions during the period outside of your region.

 

Who we are  

As part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), The Probation Service plays a vital role in the criminal justice system working with over 230,000 people on probation, serving community sentences and pre/post-release from custodial sentences. As well as the management of people on probation we’re responsible for taking preventative measures that protect the public, support victims and reduce the risk of reoffending. Together with the police, prisons and courts, we help people turn their lives around and help our communities feel safer.

To find out more, visit www.traintobeaprobationofficer.com

We abide by the Civil Service Code’s standards of behaviour.

Our recruitment processes are driven by the principle of a fair and open competition leading to appointments based on merit (as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles).  If you have any questions about the Civil Service Commission or our Recruitment Principles, we recommend contacting the Civil Service Commission directly.

If you feel we haven’t upheld those principles throughout your application and want to make a complaint, first contact the Ministry of Justice. If their response is unsatisfactory, contact the Civil Service Commission

 

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

 

Additional Information  

 

  • Disability support - As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. Tell us if you have a disability when you apply. We can offer reasonable adjustments to help with the online tests and online assessment centre. Online assessments centres (OACs) will be running throughout September/October.  If you require reasonable adjustments to undergo your OAC, these must be requested when prompted during the application process and agreed by the Reasonable Adjustment Team.  Assessors are unable to grant reasonable adjustments on the OAC day.

 

  • If you are successful, you’ll be included in the allocations to vacancies for the next intake. Allocations are based on merit from your assessment scores in conjunction with your PDU choices. Vacancies are based on business need and if there are insufficient vacancies to allocate you for the next intake, your application will be carried forward to the following intake.  Your application remains live on the merit list for 12 months from the date of your assessment. For those who are successful but are not allocated a PQiP placement in the current cohort and are therefore placed on the merit list, there may be the opportunity to join the Probation Service in an alternative role in the interim.

 

  • Please note that the Technical Requirements section of the attached JD is not applicable in this case, as this campaign is for PQiP trainee probation officers. Please refer to www.traintobeaprobationofficer.com for minimum eligibility requirements

 

  • Please note this is a full-time post (37 hrs per week) although there may be some part-time learning placements available in your region. Please note for the part-time option there is a minimum hours requirement that learners will need to commit to weekly.

 

 

  • The location you are originally based at when you join the service may not be your final base due to transition work that our estates are undertaking over the next four years. As part of the Probation Reform Programme the Estates Programme is delivering a 4-year modernisation strategy. This will create sites which will be modern and create the right atmosphere for staff and service users and enable smarter working.

 

  •  For applicants who would consider a permanent move to Kent, Surrey and Sussex region there is an option of a Bespoke Public Interest Transfer (PIT) scheme. This covers certain costs involved in relocating, up to a defined amount.

  • We are aware that there are websites in operation offering assistance to candidates with PQiP assessments – please note that these are not official websites, nor are they endorsed by the Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service. Plagiarised applications will not be progressed.

  • Feedback can only be provided for candidates who reach the online assessment centre stage and is contained within the results letter.
The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) or e-mail MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com. Please quote the job reference 62606.

Closing date: 11.55pm on Monday 29th August 2022.

The online assessment centres are scheduled to take place in September 2022.

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 Vacancy is closed to applications.