Prison Custody Officer (PCO)

Job Introduction

Sodexo Justice Services is one of the leading providers of core custodial services, managing 5 prison establishments across the UK.

HMP Peterborough is the first purpose-built prison in the UK to house both men and women on the same site. This highly innovative prison is designed to a high standard of physical security. Sodexo Justice Services has ensured that the prison provides needs-based personal development services for both men and women.  January 2015 saw the completion of a new houseblock on the male estate which can house an additional 292 residents, along with an educational activities building.

Our work aims to facilitate offenders’ reintegration into the community, through the provision of education, employment and resettlement opportunities.

Recruitment process:

•Full completion of application form on Sodexo careers website by 12 August 2015.

•Psychometric testing will be emailed to you on the 13 August 2015.

•Fitness test: 21 or 22nd August - Date TBC

•Video interviews will be emailed to you 24 August 2015 and must be completed by the 27 August 2015.

•Face to face interview 3 and 4 September.

•Start Date of course: October/Novemeber 2015 TBC

Please note: initial communication will be via email, please monitor your junk and spam folders to ensure you are aware of next stage requirements.

Role Responsibility

Is this the job for you?

•The role of a PCO is fundamental in changing people’s lives for the better. You will provide and maintain a safe environment and encourage all offenders to participate in resettlement work in order to reduce the risk to others when they are released.

•No two days are the same, your standard duties may include; building and maintaining relationships with employees and prisoners, ensuring prisoners have access to purposeful activities and carrying out internal or external escorts of prisoners and hospital bed watches as required.

•You must also understand that prisons hold offenders with a wide range of personal experiences and problems. This means that you are likely to work with offenders who have experience of drug and alcohol abuse, anger management problems, mental health problems, domestic violence and abuse, people who harm themselves and those that have the potential to harm others.  You will receive training to help understand these experiences more fully, but this means you are likely to experience confrontation and challenge within your daily duties and need to be confident to be able to deal effectively with these situations.

We encourage you to truly consider your application and would ask you to review the statements below..

•I am aware that I will be working a 40 hour shift pattern, including antisocial hours, with set rest breaks. The shifts could be early, late, at night, during public holidays (Christmas and New Year) or at the weekend. I know I need to have considered an alternative mode of transport to get to work, if there are unforeseen circumstances; such as snow, my car breaks down or there is no public transport.

•I can work in a highly secure environment, wearing a uniform, under lock and key, without my mobile phone for a 12 hour shift.

•I understand that a Prisoner Custody Officer has to have a reasonable level of fitness; that the role at times may be physical and I will need to maintain a continuous level of fitness. This will be tested both during assessment, my induction training and will be refreshed yearly.

•Albeit prisons usually are calm and controlled I have considered that I may face a number of unpredictable and volatile scenarios involving often vulnerable people dealing with a variety of  issues including substance misuse and self-harm.

•I have read and empathise with the values of SJS and I understand that as a PCO my role is fundamental in changing people’s lives, I will treat all those I come into contact with, with dignity, provide a safe environment and facilitate opportunity for the resettlement of the prisoners in my care.

•I can demonstrate that I have the interpersonal and communication skills to work with a number of people from diverse backgrounds and experiences and I will on occasion be required to deal with confrontation in a professional and appropriate manner. Yes / No

•I realise my role is not to prejudge prisoners based on the crimes that have been committed or to punish further those that are in my care.

•I understand that when I start my role I will be on a mandatory Induction Training course, where I will not be given permission for time off and any module’s I may miss, could impact on whether I am able to pass the course.

•I understand that working within a prison I will need to undertake certain security checks, which will check my background and any spent or live criminal convictions.  I also understand that some convictions, whether spent or live, could have an impact on my future employment with Sodexo, these will all need to be disclosed straight away and also during my employment.

The Ideal Candidate

You will have good interpersonal and communication skills which will help you work with offenders from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Package Description

Starting salary of £19,049.94 rising to £19549.94 after successful completion of a mandatory 9 week training course. Salary then rises to £20,049.94 upon completion of 6 month probation period.

Excellent benefits including free onsite parking, shopping discounts, pension and 28 days holiday.  40 hour shift pattern working week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Please note: initial communication will be via email, please monitor your junk and spam folders to ensure you are aware of next stage requirements.

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs some 35,000 employees to deliver integrated facilities management services to clients at over 2,000 locations in the corporate, healthcare, education, leisure, defence and justice sectors. With an annual turnover of over £1bn, we provide everything from catering, cleaning and reception to security, laboratory and grounds maintenance services, enabling our clients to focus on their core business.

Sodexo and our clients are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults within a regulated activity. Certain roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/ or Disclosure Scotland.