Bail Information Service - Bail Information Officer (BIO) - HMP Preston

Ministry of Justice; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Working

Job summary

Ministry of Justice is recruiting for a Bail Information Officer to deliver BIS services across the North West, including HMP Preston. The role involves gathering information for bail hearings, making referrals to support services, and liaising with courts and other criminal justice partners.

The position operates within a flexible hybrid working model, requiring regular on-site presence at base locations with occasional travel. Training will be provided, and DBS Standard checks apply.

Qualifications

• Experience conducting interviews with detainees in a secure environment.
• Ability to gather information from multiple sources to build accurate reports.

Responsibilities

• Gather information to produce factual, objective reports for bail hearings at Magistrates and Crown courts.
• Prepare and suggest effective bail packages for defendants.
• Proactively refer to the Community Accommodation Service (CAS) Tier 2 and other support services.
• Conduct safeguarding enquiries as part of information gathering.
• Work with key criminal justice stakeholders across the judiciary, police, probation and other agencies.
• Regularly interact with defendants in person and remotely, as required.

Skills

Interviewing prisoners

Prison visits

Job description

MOJ is one of the largest government departments, employing around 70,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

What we do

We work to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent, and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public. We are also responsible for the following parts of the justice system:

• courts
• prisons

We also work in partnership with other government departments and agencies to reform the criminal justice system, to serve the public and support the victims of crime. We are also responsible for making new laws, strengthening democracy, and safeguarding human rights.

Priorities

• A prison and probation service that reforms offenders
• A modern courts and justice system
• A Global Britain that promotes the rule of law
• A transformed department that is simpler, smarter and more unified

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

This is an exciting opportunity to join the National Bail Information Service (BIS) as a Bail Information Officer

Additional Information

Background

This role sits within the National HMPPS Bail Information Service (BIS).

The National HMPPS Bail Information Service (BIS) is a dedicated and pro‑active service providing relevant, objective, and factual information to courts, enabling more informed decisions to be made regarding bail. BIS is currently expanding its delivery into all reception prisons and courts across England and Wales.

This vacancy is within the area of North West successful candidates will be required to deliver BIS across the following site: HMP Preston

Role Purpose

The role of a Bail Information Officer (BIO) is varied, diverse, time critical, and demand led.

Working with defendants and key criminal justice stakeholders, (including the Judiciary, legal professionals, police, probation, voluntary sector and statutory support services), BIOs gather information to produce factual and objective reports in preparation for bail hearings at Magistrates and Crown courts.

BIOs will also prepare and suggest effective bail packages, they will pro‑actively make relevant referrals to the Community Accommodation Service (CAS) Tier 2 accommodation (formerly Bail Accommodation Support Service) and any other appropriate support services, in addition to conducting necessary safeguarding enquiries.

The job holder will look to undergo additional specialised training to deliver the role.

This is a non‑operational role with no line management responsibilities. Reporting to a designated manager within a BIS Region.

The job holder will look to have regular interaction, both in person and virtually, with defendants.

BIS operates between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. The job holder will be required to work their 37 hours between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Friday, as per the flexible working policy framework.

The role is based on site at your base location and some travel to other sites may be required depending on the business need.

The role of a BIO requires the successful candidate to be on site daily.

The role also requires

• Interviewing prisoners.
• Visiting residential wings and other areas of the prison.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to aMoJoffice location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

• The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro‑rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

• You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays.

Pension

• The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service(HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

• After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer‑period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

• There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts
• All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles
• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post
• All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS
• All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

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.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
• 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

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

3118 Bail Information Officer JD v2.0 .pdf(Job Description Attachment)

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

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Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

Statement of Suitability

Evidence of Experience

Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

To Be Confirmed

Behaviours

Delivering at Pace

Communicating and Influencing

Working Together

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here .

Level of security checks required

DBS Standard

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.