Greater
Manchester
Probation Service
COMMUNITY PAYBACK -
SUPERVISOR
BAND 3
Credit and thanks to Emma Hunter and Yorkshire and the Humber Probation Service, who created the original
version of this pack.
Welcome from Chris Edwards-
Greater Manchester Regional Probation Director
Hello,
My name is Chris Edwards, and I am the Regional Probation Director for Greater Manchester. We are one of twelve probation
regions across England and Wales which provide Probation provision, as part of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service
(HMPPS).
In Greater Manchester we pride ourselves in working together to make a real and tangible difference. We strive for
excellence and are united in our purpose of preventing victims by changing lives.
I am delighted that you are considering joining our team as a Community Payback Supervisor. If you want a varied, interesting
job, that is makes a meaningful impact, helps protect the public and supports positive change, then look no further. It’s
exciting. It’s rewarding. It’s challenging. But it’s never, ever boring.
To assist you with your application we have created this short information pack to provide you with some background
information about the Probation Service, the services we provide and, importantly, what we can offer you. This pack explains
how we recruit and gives some handy tips to support you should you decide to apply.
Finally, I would like to wish you the best of luck with your application for Community Payback Supervisor and your future
career within the Greater Manchester Probation Region. We all look forward to working with you.
You would
The Probation Service works with
be based
around 230,000 people on
here
probation. Our staff have an
important role to play - helping
protect communities by supporting
people to get back on track and
make better life choices
Interventions
Sentence Management
Community Payback (CP) isn’t
The Probation Service forms part of His
Probation officers work
just an alternative to custody,
Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service
Our Probation Service
with people on probation in
it’s a way of helping to create
(HMPPS), along with the Prison Service
Assess-Protect-Change
better outcomes for people on
and Youth Custody Service. In turn,
the community and in
probation and better
HMPPS is part of the Ministry of Justice
prisons, supporting them to
communities.
(MOJ), the Government’s ministerial
get back on track and turn
Our priority is to protect the public by the
department at the heart of the justice
their lives around.
effective rehabilitation of offenders, by
system, working together to bring the
reducing the causes which contribute to
principles of justice to life for everyone in
offending and enabling offenders to turn
society.
their lives around.
The Probation Service oversees
probation delivery in England and Wales
to support the rehabilitation of our
Support Courts
Victim Support
service users, encouraging them to turn
around their lives and become law-
abiding citizens, ultimately keeping the
Probation practitioners collaborate with the court
Victim Liaison Officers help
public safe
service to provide judiciary support, by producing
support victims of crime
reports. These help the court to set appropriate
within our region.
conditions that protect the public and victims and
support successful rehabilitation.
The Community Payback Supervisor Role
Community Payback (CP),is an alternative to a prison sentence for
As a CP Supervisor you may be required to undertake weekend
people who have committed a crime. CP supervisors play a key part
working as part of their normal pattern of working. The work may
in supporting people on probation to do unpaid work to improve local
involve working alongside volunteers or staff from partner
communities and get their lives back on track. Working on varied
organisations.
projects that involve practical tasks that should be seen by the public
For us, your personal qualities are just as important as your skills and
to be a credible punishment providing reparation to the community.
experience.
As a supervisor you will exercise appropriate authority to maintain
discipline and good behaviour within working groups, alerting the
You should:
relevant staff to any infringement of discipline or behavior.
• Be able to communicate with all kinds of individuals, including people
in crisis
As a CP Supervisor, you will ensure:
• Have basic knowledge of safety at work, public protection and risk of
• Pre-placement induction are conducted
harm on all aspects of work
• Health & Safety procedures are followed
• Basic Knowledge of First Aid and willingness to undertake further
training
• Risk assessments are conducted
• Hold a Full Driving Licence
• All service users understand the task at hand and demonstrate safe
working practice
• Willing to achieve and maintain L3 certificate in Assessing Vocational
Achievement (CAVA) or equivalent
• Motivate and support people on probation
In your first months you’ll receive work-based training. You’ll be
supported by your team throughout, and you’ll be there for them in turn.
A Day in the Life of a Community Payback Supervisor
Lisa, who’s been a Community Payback supervisor for 3 years, tells us why she loves her role.
I like a challenge and my job as a taxi driver wasn’t challenging enough. When I read the CP supervisor ad, I thought the work sounded
interesting. I was used to dealing with people from all walks of life - including some exhibiting difficult behaviours - so I thought my
experiences would give me a bit of a head start. In this job, you need to be able to assess situations and make quick decisions before they
potentially escalate. We work with people who’ve committed offences, but they’re not necessarily bad people. Many have troubled
backgrounds, mental health issues, or struggle to express themselves and get easily frustrated. As supervisors, we get training to help us
deal with a range of challenging behaviours.
CP is a punishment, but it’s also got a really powerful rehabilitation element. And it’s great to see individuals get something out of it. Often,
people on my groups have never done a particular task or even worked before, and I love to see them learn new skills and grow in
confidence. It could be as simple as learning how to use a hedge trimmer or woodworking skills. It’s massively rewarding when people tell me
how they’ve used what I’ve taught them in their private lives or gone on to find paid work as a result.
My job is so rewarding. I’ve finally found something I absolutely love doing. It’s so much more than just a job for me. I care about the people
in my CP groups. I love to see the positive changes they’re making in their attitudes and behaviours. And I’m passionate about the impact CP
can have on people turning their lives around, and the communities we work in.
Application Process
Complete your online application and, if successful, you will be invited to an assessment day. Details of the exact day
Application
including start time and what to bring will be shared with you once you have completed your application and passed
the initial online stage. During the day you will be asked to complete a face-to-face interview where we will test
behaviours and strengths. Your natural strengths are assessed to find out what motivates and energises you. We will
also assess your spoken English abilities.
Shortlist
You will be advised whether you have been successful or not on the same day. You will then receive a provisional offer
through your emails, please ensure you regularly check you mailbox including your junk folder. If you are offered and
accept a role we will then commence the vetting process. This can take up to 12 weeks. You may be placed on a merit
list and can be contacted up to 12 months after the interview to be offered an alternative position.
Interview
Please note that this role requires successful completion of pre-employment checks including basic vetting
checks. You will be asked to provide further details by SSCL. We advise that you complete this as accurately as
possible to avoid any delays in employment. When completing the vetting form, we advise you to use a laptop or PC
and not a mobile phone or tablet.
Offer
Once all checks have been completed, a formal offer of employment will be sent via email for you to accept the terms
and conditions of employment. At this point you will be contacted by your line manager, to discuss a start date to join
Greater Manchester
How you will be Assessed
Experience
In your application you will be asked to provide evidence of how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria.
• Have strong communication skills both verbal and written and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of
individuals, including those who may present difficult or aggressive behavior
• Use and work on own initiative
Behaviours
The Probation Service uses the Civil Service Success Profiles framework. The Probation service uses the Civil Service Success Profiles framework.
A combination of these Behaviours will be tested at the application and interview stage. You will be asked questions based on these Behaviours and
you should provide an example of how you have achieved these Behaviours using The STAR method ( Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Strengths
At interview you will be asked questions that will allow us to gauge your personal strengths, your natural reactions are a good indicator of what these are
or potentially can be.
You can find further information and support in completing your application here: Information for Candidates applying to work in the Civil Service
Diversity & Inclusion
Our Values
Greater Manchester Probation Service is committed to building a
more inclusive workplace where staff are encouraged to be
themselves and deliver their best work.
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to providing
everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent
and abilities, by adjusting 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.
Further information please follow this Link