Prison Library Assistant | Part time | Wymott Prison Library | Leyland, Lancashire

Salary £25,949 - £25,989 per annum | 22.5 hours per week | Permanent | Part Time | Wymott Prison Library | Leyland, Lancashire

As a prison library assistant, you will work as part of a team including prisoners, who as orderlies will work alongside you to deliver high quality library and information services, enable the delivery of activities and events to the prison community, assist prisoners and staff to access information and resources and encourage use by the prison community. A prison library assistant is a unique, inspiring, customer service role that offers an opportunity to make a difference; it is challenging but rewarding. You will work with library staff, education and reducing and reoffending teams to help prisoners to improve their situation whilst in custody and for future release.

Are you:

• Able to help, support & engage with prisoners, staff & colleagues
• Able to work as part of a team
• Customer focused
• Confident in using digital resources
• Interested in libraries and the benefit to their prison communities
• Organised, calm & practical
• Accurate and have good attention to detail?

You will:

• Have demonstrable teamwork skills
• Contribute towards an excellent service for your users
• Have a love for reading and be passionate & proactive about sharing this
• Have excellent communication and digital skills
• Be able to work with a range of partners, volunteers & orderlies
• Be able to deliver a customer focused service in a prison environment

This is a permanent post based at HMP Preston Prison library. HMP Preston Prison is a category B Remand adult male prison. The library is a branch of Lancashire County Council Libraries, and the staff work closely with Lancashire Library staff, other prison library staff, prison staff and partners. The role may require you to work evenings and weekends and at other locations and may also involve lone working. The hours are 28 hours per week and the annual salary quoted will be pro rata.

Why join us?

At Lancashire County Council, you’ll have the opportunity to shape a career path that suits you, with access to personal and professional qualifications, coaching, and mentoring. This is the place to build the career you’ve always wanted. In return for your passion and expertise, we offer a generous benefits package, including:

• A competitive salary and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions.
• 26 days of annual leave (rising with length of service), plus 8 bank holidays and 2 additional statutory days. You’ll also have the option to purchase additional leave each year.
• Access to our staff discount scheme in partnership with Vivup, offering savings with a wide range of UK retailers—from weekly groceries to white goods and vehicles.

How to apply:

Applications must be submitted online via the Lancashire County Council website. If you require any further information about this role, please contact CS.businesssupport@lancashire.gov.uk. Before submitting your application, please make sure you have given good examples of how you meet the criteria detailed on the job description and person specification (see attached at the bottom of the advert). If you would like an informal discussion or any further information, please contact Sarah Dyson, 01772675465. All shortlisted candidates will be expected via arrangement to attend a pre-interview, to visit HMP Wymott and the library.

Pre-employment checks:

As a Prison Library Assistant, you will be working in a position of trust and will be required to undergo pre-employment screening, which includes security vetting as part of their application process. Security vetting plays a key role in assessing an individual’s integrity and so has a strong link to public trust and confidence within HMPPS. The vetting process considers several other factors. If you're in doubt about whether you need to disclose something or not, it’s best to include it. You’ll be asked to provide information on:

• Yourself (personal information, financial information, police information, criminal history)
• Your family (parents, parents’ partners, siblings, partner(s), children)
• Co-residents
• Associations that may cause a conflict of interest with your role or the prison service.

Prison staff vetting also includes:

• Background checks across police information systems on you, your family and other associates
• Credit reference checks (to make sure money problems don't make you vulnerable to blackmail or corruption)
• Social media and Open-Source checks (these are checks on content about you that's publicly available on the internet to ensure there's nothing linked to you that could undermine public trust and confidence in the prison service)
• Other government and overseas agency checks.

You may also be required to complete a National Security Vetting application with the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) depending on the prison(s) you will be visiting. Due to the security status of some prisons a Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC vetting) may need to be undertaken. Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is needed to complete the CTC vetting process. Applicants who do not meet the residency requirement will not be able to take up post at this prison.

High Security Prisons Requiring CTC Vetting:

If your application is successful, you will need to undergo and clear pre-employment checks. This will include His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Enhanced Level 2 vetting, and due to the security status of the establishment Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC vetting) is also required. Proof that you have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years is needed to complete the CTC vetting process. The residency requirements refer to the period immediately before an application is made, and not any other three-year period, or any other accumulation of time spent in the UK.

Nationality Requirements:

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements can be found on the UK government website. If you have been out of the country for a significant period (usually up to one year) and maintained your UK residency you may still be considered for vetting clearance.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.