Probation services officers

Ministry of Justice; Scarborough; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Leave: 25 days + holidays

LGPS pension via GMPF

Paid paternity, adoption and maternity

Free sight tests

Flexible benefits

Childcare support

LGPS retirement scheme

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is seeking a Probation Service Officer to manage offender caseloads before and after sentence, conduct assessments, and provide reports to courts. The role involves collaboration with multiple agencies across the justice system, offering practical support on housing and employment, and delivering a range of probation services.

Candidates should have strong writing skills and resilience; a degree is not required.

Qualifications

• Experience working with people who have social or personal difficulties.
• Empathy, patience and resilience are essential.
• Good writing skills to produce clear and accurate reports under tight deadlines.
• No degree required.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day assessment and management of offender caseloads before and after sentence.
• Provide risk assessment, support and information to courts and collaborate with agencies throughout the justice system.
• Offer practical support to offenders, including housing and employment advice and emotional support.

Skills

Empathy

Patience

Writing skills

Report writing

Job description

About the role

The job holder will undertake the full range of work with people on probation before and after sentence. This will include assessment, sentence implementation, offender management and producing reports. The job holder will provide case management support to a full range of people on probation utilising service procedures and practice directions that underpin professional judgement. For further information on the summary, responsibilities, activities, duties of the role and the Civil Service Success Profile Criteria which will be used in the assessment process, please refer to the full Job Description Attachment.

Right to work in the UK You must have the right to work in the UK and Civil Service (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules). Skilled Worker visa changes from 22 July 2025 In accordance with current immigration rules, this role is not eligible for a new Skilled Worker visa. From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the eligibility criteria for Skilled Worker visas. As a result: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot consider sponsoring you to work as a probation services officer unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your pre‑employment checks and your eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place. If you apply to be a probation services officer and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to 22 July 2025, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. If your application is successful, you will need to ensure that you have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom. HMPPS will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.

About us

By managing offenders in the community, the Probation Service protects the public from the effect of crime and gives offenders the chance to turn their lives around. Join us and you'll be part of a supportive team that thrives on sharing knowledge and expertise. Successful applicants may be based a wide variety of office, court, team, or prison locations within the Probation Service region. Allocations will be made according to business need.

To find out more about working as a Probation Service Officer.

Recruitment process

Steps for application: submit a short application form with responses to Civil Service Behaviours and Experience based questions. Sit the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT), a two‑part test that evaluates decision making in relation to specific civil service behaviours. A practice test may be taken immediately before the full test. After the application deadline closes, the application will be sifted. Candidates will be informed of their progress and outcome.

If a high volume of applications is received, candidates may be assessed in stages (tranches). Candidates who meet the required standard at sift may be held pending future assessment rather than progressing immediately. Interview invitations and subsequent offers will follow the tranche in which candidates were assessed and their position in merit order. If multiple vacancies for the same role are applied for, only one application will progress. Assessment scores are valid for six months across all applications for that role. Candidates not meeting the minimum benchmark at either the sift or interview stage cannot reapply for six months from the date their assessment scores were progressed. No guarantee of progression to later stages, but applicants will be informed at each stage.

Key responsibilities

Day‑to‑day assessment and management of offender caseloads before and after sentence. Provide risk assessment, support and information to courts and collaborate with agencies throughout the justice system. Offer practical support to offenders, including housing and employment advice and emotional support.

Location opportunities

• Accredited Programmes
• Structured Interventions & Attendance Centres
• Community Accommodation Services
• Community Integration and Contracts
• Contracts
• Courts
• Integrated Offender Management
• Performance & Quality
• Personality Disorder Projects
• Prisons
• Public Protection (Custody)
• Public Protection (Community)
• The Homeless Prevention Taskforce
• Service Centre
• Unpaid Work (community payback)

About you

You need not have a degree. Experience working with people who have social or personal difficulties, empathy, patience and resilience are essential. Good writing skills are also essential to produce clear and accurate reports under tight deadlines.

Salary and working hours

New entrants will be paid at entry point salary for the advertised band. Existing Civil Servants will receive salary calculated in accordance with the Department's pay on transfer or promotion rules. Your starting salary will be £28,064. The MoJ offers a range of benefits and annual pay progression through a Competency Based Framework (CBF) if eligible.

Benefits

• Annual Leave: 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years' service, plus public holidays. Leave for part‑time and job share posts calculated on a pro‑rate basis.
• Pension: National Probation Service covered by Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) via Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF). Current civil servantsOpted out of PCSPS auto enrolled in LGPS.
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
• Family Friendly policies: opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Flexible benefits: voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• Childcare support: eligibility for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. (Information at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/).
• Retirement and pension scheme as per LGPS.

Training and development

Ministry of Justice offers extensive training and development opportunities, including on‑the‑job training and career advancement within the Probation Service.

Diversity & Inclusion

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 can offer interview to disabled candidates meeting the minimum selection criteria, except in certain campaigns. If you need reasonable adjustments, request them within the application form.

MoJ offers employee‑run networks for minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, allowing their views to be expressed directly to senior management.

Eligibility and checks

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.

Complaints and contact

Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles, raise a formal complaint in the following order: To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5358 Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email moj‑recruitment‑vetting‑[e-mail]; To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing‑management‑[e-mail]); To the Civil Service Commission (details available here).

Veterans

The Civil Service has an initiative to provide a guaranteed interview scheme for eligible former armed forces members, offering rewarding job opportunities.

Redeployment Scheme

Deprecation interview scheme provides opportunities for those at risk of redundancy.