Prison Custody Officer (PCO) - HMP Forest Bank

at  Sodexo

Job Introduction Secure your present, shape your future - make a difference as a Prison Custody Officer! Are you looking for a rewarding and challenging career that makes a difference in people’s lives?
HMP Forest Bank are currently seeking dedicated individuals to join our team as Prison Custody Officers (PCOs). In this role, you will play a crucial role in maintaining a safe and secure environment for staff, visitors, and prisoners, while fostering an atmosphere of decency, dignity, and respect. Working in a prison is unlike any other career. Your focus will be on escorting prisoners to their education classes, the gym, or their day job. Keeping a watchful eye and an open mind on everything that is going on. The prison environment is their home, so you’ll be able to balance authority with natural empathy and respect. Speak to any of our PCOs and they’ll tell you the same thing. The most important thing you can bring to the role isn’t previous experience in this environment; It’s having the people skills to engage with and manage the people you look after.
It’s about helping prisoners to leave with a better view of their future. Your role plays an important part in this. And through your day-to-day interactions, you’ll get to know your inmates and see their progress.

What You’ll Do:

• Work within a team of Prison Custody Officers as a collaborative unit
• Supervise prisoners at mealtimes and manage regular routines (locking and unlocking, recreation time)
• Oversee movement around the prison such as for visiting hours, education, and work placements
• Play a key part in prisoners rehabilitation journey, or offer support during their time in prison

Please see attached job description outlining all duties

What You’ll Bring:

• Reliability and be quick to notice things
• Experience not required but strong morals is a must
• Desire to treat people fairly and with respect
• Be resilient; you can move forward and start fresh after a challenging situation

What We Offer:

• Starting salary £28,892.95 rising to £30,240 after 12 months
• Free meals and parking
• Access to our on-site gym and fitness classes
• Optional overtime (subject to availability)
• Full training and uniform
• Life assurance
• BUPA healthcare
• Subsidise Total Fitness gym membership
• Pension schemes and much more!

What Next?If this sounds like the job for you, then we’d love to receive your application today! Following a review of your application, you may be invited to a 2-hour group session where we discuss the role in more detail, talk about some real life scenarios, give you a tour of the prison and there will be a basic maths and english test.
If you are successful during the assessment evening, you will be invited to a 1-2-1 interview - this date will be agreed during the assessment evening.
If you are successful in your interview, you will be offered a place on our next PCO training cohort starting in May 2024 ! About the Training
Our nine-week training program will get you up to speed and equip you with the tools to do your job. This is where you’ll develop the necessary skills to work independently as a PCO. From shadowing more experienced colleagues, to understanding how to deal with conflict, you’ll be ready and prepared for every day going forward.
This is an exciting but intensive course, and therefore no time off can be taken during this period. The training is Monday - Friday, and there will be 1 weekend and 1 night shift included.
This role is subject to a security and recruitment checks.

• Work within a team of Prison Custody Officers as a collaborative unit
• Supervise prisoners at mealtimes and manage regular routines (locking and unlocking, recreation time)
• Oversee movement around the prison such as for visiting hours, education, and work placements
• Play a key part in prisoners rehabilitation journey, or offer support during their time in priso