Job Description (JD)
Band 3
Group Profile - Prison Officer
Job Description - PO: Youth Justice Worker
Document Ref.
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
Document Type
Management
Version
4.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
2 December 2019
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
Job Description
Job Title
PO : Youth Justice Worker
Group Profile
Prison Officer
Organisation Level
Delivery 3
Band
3
Overview of the job
This is an operational job within the prison officer role profile but specific to a youth
secure accommodation establishment. This is a progressive role towards
qualification as a specialist youth justice worker.
The Youth Custody Service (YCS) delivers a caring, rehabilitative culture that focuses
on the individual needs of young people (aged 18 and under). It uses its expert
understanding of the causes of offending behaviour in young people to support
them to turn their lives around and reduce the risk of reoffending, both by
developing intervention strategies within and outside the secure estate and by
modelling rehabilitative behaviours in every interaction.
The YCS uses young people’s time in custody to improve their health, education and
rehabilitation outcomes as well as making the most of opportunities to develop into
healthy adults and able to make a positive contribution to society upon release.
A well-trained workforce, motivated to work with young people in custody and able
to affect positive change through individual, encouraging relationships with young
people, is key to creating a culture where young people are supported, cared for and
motivated to engage, develop and change, in line with rehabilitative principles.
We value the specialist skills of those working in the youth estate in caring for young
people and we will invest in developing a high-performing and inspiring workforce
through ongoing professional development and establishing a distinct career path
for those working to rehabilitate young people.
Summary
The youth justice worker role is a rewarding and challenging position, which
combines the essential elements of caring for young people within custody ensuring
security is retained within a safe and secure environment and reducing risk of
reoffending. Youth justice workers will also facilitate the personal, social and
emotional development of the young people in their care, many of whom are
particularly vulnerable or have complex and challenging needs.
Youth justice workers will complete vocational training alongside their role, to
develop the knowledge, skills and experience required to address the complex needs
of the young people in custody. They will also be expected to complete modules as
part of a level four qualification in youth justice, which builds on a number of these
practice areas including behavioural management, mental health care, and
substance misuse. Successful completion of the qualification and meeting required
selection and assessment criteria is intended to result in the opportunity for
progression to the role of a Band 4 youth justice specialist worker.
All youth justice workers are expected to build constructive and motivational
relationships, ensuring:
•
Young people feel safe and supported.
•
Young people’s individual needs are met.
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
•
Young people engage in learning and training to build a positive and
productive pathway into communities.
•
Young people are better able to build positive and pro-social relationships
with peers and appropriate adults.
•
Young people have access to high-quality services that address their
offending behaviour, remove barriers to learning and engagement and
provide appropriate support during custody and on return to the wider
community.
Young people in custody face diverse and complex issues. To support them to turn
their lives around, the job holder will be required to deliver a safe and decent
regime, including use of restraint techniques where necessary.
This is an operational job with no line management responsibilities.
Responsibilities,
Activities and Duties within the Prison Officer role profile
Activities and Duties
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
and duties:
? Supervise, manage and control children and young people decently,
lawfully, safely and securely whilst carrying out all activities.
? Exercise power of the constable.
? Carry out searches on children, young people, staff and visitors.
? Undertake external escorts.
? Undertake first on scene.
? Understand and comply with legalisation, national and local policies.
Specifically, within the YCS
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
and duties:
? Help young people to settle, feel safe and calm with the ability to identify
and resolve issues and concerns and effectively manage interpersonal
conflict.
? Use engagement skills and understanding of the causes behind offending to
work in a pro-social manner that challenges young people’s anti-social
attitudes and behaviour, and reinforces positive change.
? Support the work in the individualised goal-oriented plans which will help
young people to engage in constructive activities, to prepare for education,
work, or training upon release, and to desist from crime.
? Support where applicable multi-disciplinary meetings to understand the
causes of individual young people’s offending behaviour.
? As part of Custody Support Plans working with Young People on a regular
basis to progress their personalised support plan and act as their named
point of contact to resolve any concerns or challenges they may have.
? Carry out patrols, external escorts, roll checks, searches and resolve young
people’s complaints.
? Understanding that young people spend much of their sentence in the
community, work with caseworkers and community services partners to
ensure effective sentence completion as described in sentence plans, and
support young people’s effective progression to education, training or
employment on release.
? Work closely with other disciplines (e.g. education, health and psychology)
using knowledge of young people’s development to assist in promoting
learning and progression beyond custody.
? Support young peoples’ engagement with activities, community/
environmental projects, residential activities, outdoor education and
sporting activities.
? Manage the welfare of young people including health and safety, security,
and safeguarding, reporting concerns to your line manager and making
referrals to appropriate agencies, facilitated by effective data sharing.
? Support the development of assessments of young people throughout their
stay in an establishment.
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
? Implement delivery of self-harm and violence reduction strategies.
? Understand and support the embedding of rehabilitative culture change
across youth establishments.
? Engage with other staff including peers, health and psychology staff, to
reflect on practice, discuss incidents and share promising practice.
? Maintain cleanliness of the living units and meet the day-to-day needs of the
young people.
? Maintain effective recording systems and respond to queries.
? Ensure that all applicable legislation, guidance and instruction relating to
young people in custody is adhered to.
? Compliance with local and national instructions including local security tasks.
? Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become a specialist youth
justice worker.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not
intended to be exhaustive. Job holders within this Group Profile will carry out a
range of activities across key areas to support efficient running of the establishment.
Duties may be administrative or operational and will be commensurate of this grade
as and when required. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under
the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job
holder.
An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium
of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.
Behaviours
? Communicating and Influencing
? Managing a Quality Service
? Making Effective Decisions
? Working Together
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Essential Experience
Technical
All candidates are required to pass an on line application and numeracy assessment,
Requirements
attend and pass a variety of assessments at Recruitment Assessment Centre; these
include a written assessment, role plays, medical assessment and a fitness test.
If successful in your application, your continuation in this role is dependent on
passing all modules within the initial Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT),
which is a pathway to becoming a fully competent Prison Officer. Failure to
successfully complete and pass POELT course could result in your removal from this
role and may result in the termination of your employment. Following completion of
the POELT course you will be subject to a 12 month probationary period.
If applying via the FAST TRACK ROUTE the job holder must hold a level four or
equivalent qualification as listed below.
FAST TRACK ONLY
? Youth Justice, Psychology, Sociology
? Teaching and learning support, youth work, childcare and parenting service
? Social work - counselling, mental health, drug abuse, working with vulnerable
people
? Probation practice
? Mental health/nursing/healthcare
? Coaching
? Therapeutic practice
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
ALL CANDIDATES
Essential
? All candidates will be expected to complete training, including modules towards a
level four youth justice qualification, which will be funded as part of their role, to
develop specialist skills required to work with the young people in custody.
? All candidates will also be expected to complete additional vocational youth
custody training prior to working with young people, including courses on
minimising and managing physical restraint.
? A desire and ability to care for complex and challenging young people to help
them turn their lives around.
Desirable
? An understanding of offending, child and adolescent development and the
impact of trauma on development.
Ability
? Fitness Standard
? Medical Standard
? Numerical Ability
Minimum Eligibility
? All candidates are required to pass YP SIMS.
? All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post
including DBS security clearance.
? All external candidates are subject to 12 months’ probation. Internal candidates are
subject to probation if they have not already served a probation period within
HMPPS.
? All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or
organisation which HMPPS considers to be racist.
Hours of Work
Unsocial Hours Working
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
This role requires working regular unsocial hours and a 17% payment will be paid in
addition to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside
0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include working evenings, nights, weekends
and Bank/Public holidays.
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
Success Profile
Strengths
Behaviours
It is advised strengths
Ability
Experience
Technical
are chosen locally,
recommended 4-8
Communicating and Influencing
Fitness Standard
All candidates are required to pass an on line
application and numeracy assessment, attend
and pass a variety of assessments at
Recruitment Assessment Centre; these include
a written assessment, role plays, medical
assessment and a fitness test.
Managing a Quality Service
Medical Standard
If successful in your application, your
continuation in this role is dependent on
passing all modules within the initial Prison
Officer Entry Level Training (POELT), which is a
pathway to becoming a fully competent Prison
Officer. Failure to successfully complete and
pass POELT course could result in your removal
from this role and may result in the termination
of your employment. Following completion of
the POELT course you will be subject to a 12
month probationary period.
Making Effective Decisions
Numerical Ability
If applying via the FAST TRACK ROUTE the job
holder must hold a level four or equivalent
qualification as listed below.
FAST TRACK ONLY
? Youth Justice, Psychology, Sociology
? Teaching and learning support, youth
work, childcare and parenting service
? Social work - counselling, mental health,
drug abuse, working with vulnerable
people
? Probation practice
? Mental health/nursing/healthcare
? Coaching
? Therapeutic practice
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0
Working Together
ALL CANDIDATES
Essential
? All candidates will be expected to complete
training, including modules towards a level
four youth justice qualification, which will
be funded as part of their role, to develop
specialist skills required to work with the
young people in custody.
? All candidates will also be expected to
complete additional vocational youth
custody training prior to working with
young people, including courses on
minimising and managing physical
restraint.
? A desire and ability to care for complex and
challenging young people to help them
turn their lives around.
Desirable
? An understanding of offending, child and
adolescent development and the impact of
trauma on development.
OR-JES-2448-JD-B3 : PO : Youth Justice Worker v4.0