programme facilitator

Ministry of Justice; Bicester; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Training provided

Career progression

Job summary

Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom is seeking a Programme Facilitator for Probation Services in the South Central region, including Bicester. You will deliver Accredited Programmes to diverse groups, manage group dynamics, and support offenders toward constructive change while liaising with probation practitioners and safeguarding colleagues.

Training is provided, with evening/weekend delivery expected.

Qualifications

• Training in the delivery of groupwork programmes as outlined in the Accredited Programme and Structured Interventions Manuals.
• Delivering programme sessions to groups or individuals.
• Monitoring group participants' progress, providing feedback, and recording outcomes.
• Working as a team to support performance targets and programme integrity requirements.
• Collaborating with Treatment Managers to assess risk, protective factors and targets.
• Undertaking regular training, feedback and development sessions.
• Liaising with Probation Practitioners and partner agencies to share information on progress, risk and needs.
• Identifying and taking action to protect children and vulnerable adults per safeguarding policies.
• Delivering groups from venues across the South Central Region, including Bicester.

Responsibilities

• Deliver group and one-to-one sessions in Accredited Programmes and Structured Interventions.
• Monitor progress and wellbeing, provide feedback, and record findings.
• Work with Probation Practitioners and agencies to share progress and needs.
• Travel across the South Central region to deliver sessions, including evenings and weekends.
• Support a safe, inclusive environment and manage group dynamics to promote change.

Skills

Group facilitation

Group work delivery

Team collaboration

Monitoring & feedback

Risk assessment

Safeguarding

Training participation

Job description

Are you a confident communicator? Are you passionate about rehabilitation and the benefits of group work? Could you help people make meaningful and sustained changes in their lives? If so, then a career as a Programmes Facilitator in the Probation Service in South Central could be for you. If this sounds like you, apply now. Providing interventions to people who engage in harmful behaviour to help reduce their likelihood of reoffending is an important part of our work in HMPPS. Accredited Programmes aim to support people in our care to strengthen and develop skills and behaviour to enable greater choice and capacity to lead a more constructive, meaningful and crime free future. As a Programmes Facilitator, you will be responsible for delivering these Accredited Programmes to individuals from a range of backgrounds and with different offending histories. You will plan, deliver and debrief a range of sessions to diverse groups of individuals on key areas of need, such as emotional management, problem solving, assertive communication, thinking skills, and social and relationship skills. You will use your keen understanding and awareness of group dynamics and the complex needs of people on probation to inform how you manage the sessions, and use your prosocial modelling skills to reinforce positive behaviour and challenge anti-social behaviour and attitudes. Our team is made up of a strong and inclusive group of colleagues, from all walks of life, who are passionate about helping and motivating people on probation. You will work alongside your fellow team members to ensure that people on probation receive the highest quality input and support, as well as sharing information and providing guidance to members of the wider Probation Service, such as Probation Practitioners and Domestic Abuse Safety Officers. The South Central Intervention Team is committed to learning and development, and full training for the role of Facilitator is provided. This is alongside regular support and reflective supervision provided throughout your journey by Programme Managers, as well as regular feedback and input from experienced Treatment Manager colleagues. The work is varied, challenging and meaningful and comes with job security, great benefits and career progression opportunities - not to mention the chance to make a real difference to people's lives and our communities.

Requirements of the Programme Facilitator Role Include:

• Training in the delivery of groupwork programmes as outlined in the Accredited Programme and Structured Interventions Manuals and in keeping with the core concepts of group work delivery.
• Delivering programme sessions to groups or individuals
• Monitoring group participants' progress, providing participants with feedback, and ensuring this is recorded on relevant systems.
• Working as a team to support performance targets and programme integrity requirements.
• Working alongside Treatment Managers to contribute to the assessment of risk, protective factors and treatment targets of those attending groups.
• Undertaking regular training, feedback and development sessions and workshops.
• Liaising with Probation Practitioners, Domestic Abuse Safety Officers and partner agencies to share information on progress, risk and needs.
• Identifying and taking the necessary action to protect children and vulnerable adults and promote their welfare in accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Required to work up to 3 'unsociable' sessions per week (evenings and/or Saturday)
• Delivering groups from various delivery venues across the South Central Region Including: Bicester, The job holder will deliver a range of rehabilitation interventions aimed at changing the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour of people on probation with a full range of offence types and a full range of levels of risks (including those convicted of sexual and domestic abuse offences), as determined by sentences of the Courts and on the recommendation of Probation Practitioners.

The main objectives of this role are to reduce re-offending, protect the public, prevent future victims and rehabilitation to help people to build constructive and meaningful lives in the community, through the delivery of effective evidence based Accredited Programmes and Structured Interventions. The post holder will be Regionally based and sit in the Interventions Team and report to the Programme Manager. They will deliver interventions across a large regional area where travel will be required. There will be no line management responsibility in this role. There will be a requirement to regularly work unsocial hours (including evenings and weekends). 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 programme facilitator 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 programme facilitator 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. Civil Service recruitment: nationality rules Civil Service This guide is intended to assist departments with managing their responsibilities on nationality rules related to Civil Service recruitment. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here (https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa) About us: The work is varied, challenging and meaningful and comes with job security, great benefits and career progression opportunities - not to mention the chance to make a real difference to people's lives and our communities. About the Recruitment Process To apply to this role you will be required to complete a short application form and detail responses to two Civil Service Behaviour and one Experience based questions. Your application will be sifted once the application deadline has closed. You will then receive further instruction on the outcome of your application. If successful at sift you will be invited to an interview which will include a facilitation exercise. The purpose of the assessment process is to assess the right behaviours and strengths required for the programme facilitator role and to assess your suitability for the training programme that is required for the role. The assessment will consist of two activities: A facilitation exercise with some follow up questions (topic will be emailed to you once interview booked) and an interview relating to the role of a programme facilitator For the facilitation exercise you will need to prepare a presentation, the topic of which will be shared with you once you book an interview slot. The facilitation exercise will be measuring you against the behaviours of Communicating and Influencing, Developing Self and Others and Managing a Quality Service. You will have up to 10 minutes to deliver the exercise. If we receive a high volume of applications, we may assess and progress candidates through the recruitment process in stages (tranches). Candidates who meet the required standard at sift may be held pending future assessment stages rather than progressing immediately. Interview invitations and subsequent offers will be managed in line with the tranche in which candidates are assessed and their position in merit order If you apply for multiple vacancies for the same role, only one of your applications will be progressed. Any assessment scores achieved will be applied consistently across all applications for that role, this will be valid for 6 months. Candidates who do not meet the minimum benchmark at either the Sift or Interview stage will not be eligible to reapply for the same role for six months from the date their assessment scores are progressed. There is also no guarantee that you will progress to the next stages of the recruitment process; however, we will keep you informed at each stage. About the role Helping offenders turn their lives around isn't without its challenges. But you'll play a key role in supporting them through interventions that encourage positive change. As a programme facilitator, you'll deliver group and one-to-one sessions, creating a safe and structured environment that meets different learning styles and needs. You'll manage group dynamics, address challenging behaviour, and ensure sessions remain effective. Our team is made up of a strong and inclusive group of colleagues, from all walks of life, who are passionate about helping and motivating people on probation. You will work alongside your fellow team members to ensure that people on probation receive the highest quality input and support, as well as sharing information and providing guidance to members of the wider Probation Service, such as Probation Practitioners and Domestic Abuse Safety Officers. You'll also: Monitor progress, risk, and wellbeing throughout the intervention Keep accurate records and share insights with relevant teams Work closely with courts and criminal justice agencies to support sentence management Provide workshops and briefings to probation staff and external stakeholders Use pro-social modelling to reinforce positive behaviours With regular feedback and professional development, you'll have the support you need to grow in your role while making a real difference in people's lives. Due to the nature of the role extensive training and support is provided to ensure that all Programme Facilitators are confident and competent to succeed. Through the training programme you will learn about all aspects of programme delivery, including the theory behind the interventions we deliver. It is a requirement to successfully complete a 6-month probationary period, including undertaking an assessment centre and passing assessed training. The majority of our programmes are delivered in the evening and therefore evening work is essential in this role. You will also travel to different locations to your office base to deliver these programmes. Travel expenses can be claimed. Additional Information Where applicants provide multiple location preferences, reserve lists will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, as indicated in your application. We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months. Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work. If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences. All offers of employment will be made strictly in merit order, based on your performance throughout the recruitment process. Candidates at the top of the merit list will be offered vacancies as they arise in their chosen locations. Once you have accepted an offer for a role, you will be withdrawn from any other live applications for the same role and will no longer be considered for those vacancies. The addresses listed in the job advertisement are not an exhaustive list of potential base locations, they give an indication of some of the potential locations you could be based at. We will therefore endeavour to offer you a vacancy within a 60-minute commute of your home location. New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join at the entry point salary for the advertised band. Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Departments pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules. Due to the length of this recruitment campaign, we will endeavour to inform you of your outcome following the interview. Successful candidates will be placed on a reserve list and will be allocated or offered roles once the campaign has fully concluded. 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 a MoJ office 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. The pading content includes sections on communication and development, security, salary details and benefits, and diversity and inclusion. The document also contains references to relocation, redeployment, and candidate support channels. The content retains protected content such as salary information, benefits, eligibility terms, and equal opportunity statements. It also references a 6-month probationary period and assessment processes. The MoJ and HMPPS emphasise diversity and inclusion and veteran support initiatives. The document ends with guidance on redeployment and eligibility considerations for civil service roles.