Youth Justice Worker Returners Scheme

If you are a former youth justice worker with less than 5 years gap in service and completed foundation training and probation before leaving HMPPS, we would like you to consider re-joining us to support your former colleagues to keep prisons and the public safe. If you are not yet ready to return, join our Prison Service Alumni Network to receive regular updates so you can apply when the time is right for you.

We can offer you a simplified return with no need to repeat the online assessment centre or foundation training. You can be allocated straight to an available vacancy and then invited to the medical and fitness assessment, and pre-employment checks will be initiated. If there are no immediate vacancies where you would like to return, you will be placed on a merit list and be prioritised over candidates applying via the external route when vacancies arise.

To be eligible for the Youth Justice Worker Returners’ Scheme, you must be a former youth justice worker who left HMPPS through resignation or retirement within the last 5 years and who, before leaving, had successfully completed training and the probationary year. If your probation was completed in another HMPPS role, then you must have worked as a youth justice worker for more than 12 months before leaving. The scheme is also open to former youth justice workers who are currently working within the MoJ (excluding HMPPS) or other government departments.

HMPPS reserves the right to refuse reappointment to former youth justice workers on grounds of previous poor attendance or performance.

To be a youth justice worker you must:

• be at least 18 years old at the point you commence employment
• meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements
• pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process
• meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes (both with and without corrective lenses)
• have a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)

Whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

Application Process

You will be asked to provide up to two YOIs where you would be willing to return to the youth justice worker role. When you have been allocated to a vacancy, you will then need to attend the medical and fitness assessment and pre-employment checks (which includes occupational health) will be completed. You will return to full-time hours unless you request other hours when you apply. The availability of part-time and work-life balance arrangements depends on local staffing needs therefore cannot be guaranteed. Your request will need to be agreed with the YOI you will be returning to once you have been allocated and before being given a provisional offer.

Travel to Work

Some YOIs are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options; therefore, a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Please note that shift start, and finish times are fixed, and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options before applying.

Pay

Successful Band 3 applicants will be re-appointed on the Band 3, pay point 2 salary. Successful Band 4 applicants will be re-appointed on the Band 4 salary. If returning full-time, you will be given a contract for 37 hours a week. Once in post you can choose to increase to 39 or 41 hours a week as a Band 3. You can only work 37 hours as a Band 4. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.

Werrington and Wetherby – Band 3: 37 hours a week (pay point 2) = £33,583 a year, 39 hours a week (pay point 2) = £35,701 a year, 41 hours a week (pay point 2) = £37,819 a year.

Feltham – Band 3: 37 hours a week (pay point 2) = £37,343 a year, 39 hours a week (pay point 2) = £39,698 a year, 41 hours a week (pay point 2) = £42,053 a year.

Werrington and Wetherby – Band 4: 37 hours a week = £38,394 a year.

Feltham – Band 4: 37 hours a week = £42,218 a year.

All salary figures quoted are for 2024/25 and include the 20% unsocial hours allowance. Prisons operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means you will have to cover various shift patterns that will include evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays (these days are added to your holiday allowance). The standard working week of a youth justice worker is based on a 39 hours per week shift pattern. You may also have opportunities to work additional paid hours.

Level 4 Child-Focused Qualification

If you were previously a Band 3 working towards your youth justice worker specialist role, you can return to that grade and we will support you to complete the level 4 child-focused qualification. Once qualified, you can become a Band 4 specialist youth justice worker. When you return to work as a Band 3 youth justice worker you will have an agreed timeframe to complete your level 4 qualification. If you do not complete it, you will be offered a position as a prison officer in an adult prison. If you were previously a Band 4 youth justice worker and successfully completed either the UNITAS or level 4 child-focused qualification, you can return to that grade.

25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service), paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day, Civil Service pension of up to 20% of your salary, cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits.

The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Closing date: This campaign is due to close on 25th June 2025 but may be extended.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'. MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• 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)
• 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

Please refer to additional job description attachment.