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General Information

Salary
£24,202
Working Pattern
Full Time
Location
Salford
Region
North West
Closing Date
07-Jan-2025
Post Type
Fixed Term
Civil Service Grade
AO
Number of jobs available
6
Job ID
1433

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going. 

 

Our Courts & Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC) Support Officers play a critical role providing excellent telephone and administrative support to court users. Our training programme provides a structured yet flexible approach to building the skills required to perform this vital role.  

 

About us 

 

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales. CTSCs provide telephone, assisted digital, case progression and court hearing support. They deliver a consistent national service which enables cases to move through to conclusion smoothly.  

 

Our roles support our court users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.  

 

Your role      

 

The CTSCs deliver their services through several Jurisdictions known as service lines. These include Social Service & Child Support, Family Public Law, Probate, Crime, Immigration & Asylum, Divorce, Online Civil Money Claims, the Single Justice Service (non-imprisonable offences e.g., no TV license / car tax), and supporting audio video hearings. 

 

As a Support Officer your role will be predominately telephone-based, taking inbound calls from the public and legal representatives and returning calls as required. Emails, webchat (for some services), and general administrative work will also form part of the role. You will work in a small team supported by a Team Leader and, alongside our in-depth training programme, will have access to our ‘knowledge bank’ (guidance document) to assist in your role.

 

You need to be a confident communicator with the self-assurance to liaise with members of the public regarding complex and sensitive matters in a calm and professional manner. Customers calling the CTSCs are often in a difficult and stressful situation and therefore great importance is placed on handling calls with empathy and understanding.  

 

This is a fast-paced position that requires attention to detail, the ability to multi-task and deal with each customer as an individual whilst managing your time effectively. You will need to be resilient, keen to learn, and have the IT skills to adapt to new systems and technologies, as we’re constantly investing in digital solutions to improve the way we deliver justice.   

Your skills and experience                       

  • Proficient in using IT - helping users navigate our online systems, updating and processing case details.
  • Have excellent customer service skills using telephone, webchat and email to ensure a professional and speedy customer experience.
  • Be able to empathise with our customers.
  • Promote and support customers to engage digitally and use online applications.
  • Be able to explain information clearly so our customers feel reassured, and they know what they need to do.
  • Be flexible and adaptive to support business needs.
  • Proactively resolve routine problems and escalate serious issues. 

For a full job description, please read supporting document 1 included below before applying. 

 

 

Further details

The office is open Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm. We can offer Saturday working as part of your weekly contracted hours. Saturday operating hours are between 8:00am and 6:00pm. All of our staff are expected to work 6 Saturdays per year on a rota basis.

To ensure our services are consistent and operated effectively, successful candidates will be required to work full-time. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week and working hours are between 8:00am and 6:00pm.

Non-contractual hybrid working is currently available. Hybrid working arrangements will be determined by the business and are relative to particular service lines and will only be available when it has been established that delivering the service from home can be done effectively. We cannot facilitate requests for a particular work from home/working in the office schedule.  

 

Training 

 

There is a 1-week induction that is full time but can be worked from home, following this a full-time 7-week training academy will commence, this is office based / in person.

Fixed term appointments (FTA) on promotion  

MoJ employees may apply for FTA opportunities in MoJ that are advertised at a higher grade than their current substantive grade. Where an employee accepts an FTA on promotion, this promotion will be temporary, and the employee will revert to their substantive grade upon return to their home business area, as per the loan policy for OGD loans. Before applying, employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures. 

 

Loans 

 

The terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return. Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis should be obtained before commencing the application process. 

 

Additional Information

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com 

Please quote the job reference 1433



Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s 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.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

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

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

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. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please see our Disability Confident Scheme Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Contact Information

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com 

Please quote the job reference 1433

Application form stage assessments

Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
Please tell us why you are suitable for this role. You will need to demonstrate your skills and experience and give ‘real-life’ examples of the abilities you are describing. Ensure that you use the full word count and that you include the result or outcome of your actions.
Evidence of Experience
Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.