Prisoner Custody Officer (PCO)

Job Introduction

Sodexo Justice Services is a custodial services company with a reputation for delivering high quality services through its philosophy that everyone can develop and make changes for the better.  We manage 5 prisons across the UK.  HMP Addiewell is a learning prison, with a strong and concerted focus on learning not to reoffend, relevant skills training and employability and we work with all areas of the wider community to ensure prisoners have the best possible chance of leading positive lives following release.

HMP Addiewell opened in 2008 and has become an integral part of the Scottish Prison Service estate earning much praise from (amongst others) HMCIP, for its innovation, use of technology, strong partnership working as well as its “can do” culture.  We are now recruiting for Prison Custody Officers (PCOs) who share our values and beliefs to work with prisoners in a secure environment focusing on meeting both their immediate and resettlement needs.

Recruitment process:

• Full completion of application form on Sodexo careers website by Monday 19th October 2015. (You must have completed the online security questionnaire and have a CV uploaded or your application will automatically be rejected)
• Psychometric testing will be emailed to you on Tuesday 20th October 2015.
• Fitness test: Friday 30th October 2015.
• Competency based interview: Tuesday 3rd November - Friday 6th November.
• Start Date of course: Monday 14th December 2015

If there are any dates during the recruitment process outlined or if you have holidays booked between 14 December and 12 February 2016 – other than Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, please don’t apply as we are not able to amend timeframes or release you during training.  We are planning another recruitment campaign for Spring 2016.

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

£17,514 rising to £19,937 within 9 months plus excellent benefits including free meals and parking, group discount schemes and pension with 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.