Criminal Justice Assistant - Low Moss Prison

Job Summary

Criminal Justice Assistant - HMP Low Moss

Prison-Based Social Work Team

Be part of a new chapter in Prison-Based Social Work

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Prison-Based Social Work Team at HMP Low Moss as we embark on a significant expansion of our service.

Recent collaboration between the Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Government, Social Work Scotland and Local Authorities has reaffirmed the vital role that Prison-Based Social Work plays in supporting individuals throughout their custodial sentence and preparing them for successful reintegration into communities. As a result of this national recognition and investment, we are recruiting:

• 1 x Criminal Justice Assistant

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a specialist team working within a busy prison environment, supporting the delivery of high-quality social work services to individuals in custody. The postholder will play an important role in assisting the team with a range of practical, administrative and service-user focused tasks that contribute to assessment, case management, risk management and pre-release planning.

The Prison-Based Social Work Team works with individuals serving a range of sentences. The team has a key role in supporting rehabilitation, public protection and effective throughcare, and this post will help ensure the smooth and efficient delivery of that work.

Why Choose Prison-Based Social Work Team?

The Prison-Based Social Work team offers a unique opportunity to work with people during some of the most significant periods of change in their lives.

As part of our team, you will:

• Assisting with the coordination and administration of prison-based social work processes
• Supporting social workers with case-related tasks, information gathering and recording
• Contribute to meetings and case discussions, including liaison with prison staff and partner agencies
• Assisting with practical aspects of service delivery such as arranging appointments, tracking paperwork and maintaining accurate records
• Supporting pre-release planning and throughcare activity, including the collation of relevant information
• Contributing to the monitoring of workflows, outstanding tasks and service demands across the team
• Undertaking direct work with individuals in custody where appropriate and under the guidance of qualified social work staff
• Promoting a professional, respectful and person-centred approach in all interactions

Job Summary continued

What Makes This Role Different?

Unlike many social work settings, prison-based practice offers the opportunity to work intensively with individuals over extended periods of time, allowing practitioners to:

• Build sustained professional relationships.
• Witness progress and change over time.
• Engage in purposeful interventions.
• Influence sentence progression and reintegration planning.
• Contribute directly to community safety and reducing reoffending.

 

This is challenging, rewarding and highly skilled social work.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking enthusiastic, motivated and resilient Criminal Justice Assistant who:

• Has experience of working in a social care setting
• Has strong organisational and administrative skills, with the ability to manage competing demands
• Can communicate effectively with a wide range of people, including individuals in custody, prison staff, social work colleagues and partner agencies
• Is able to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Has sound IT skills and experience of maintaining accurate case records
• Understands the importance of confidentiality, professional boundaries and risk awareness
• Can demonstrate a calm, reliable and resilient approach within a challenging but rewarding environment

Experience within criminal justice or public protection is welcomed but not essential.

What we offer

This is an opportunity to work in a unique and rewarding environment where you can make a genuine contribution to rehabilitation, reintegration and public protection. You will be part of an experienced and supportive team committed to delivering a high standard of service in a complex and fast-paced setting. If you are organised, adaptable and committed to working with people in a way that is respectful, professional and hopeful, we would welcome your application.

Join us and make a difference where it matters most.

Charter of Commitment

The commitment by East Dunbartonshire Council to job applicants is as follows:

• Individuals will be treated in a polite, friendly and welcoming manner.
• Equalities monitoring will be conducted to ensure a fair and equitable process with screening being carried out to anonymise sensitive information such as age, gender and disability.
• The information that we receive will be treated in confidence and with discretion. Only the relevant HR representative/team and the relevant service will see the application form.
• We will encourage and welcome applications from applicants under the disability symbol. Where the essential criteria are met an interview will be offered to those applying under the disability symbol.
• We will be pleased to make any reasonable adjustments to ensure accessibility at the interview.
• We will advise you within reasonable time after the closing date if you have not met the interview criteria. (Normally within 4 weeks)
• We will advise you of meeting the criteria for interview normally within 3 weeks.
• We will advise you if you have been successful or unsuccessful at the interview stage as soon as practically possible.

PVG / Disclosure Scotland

The following criteria applies to all roles within East Dunbartonshire Council where PVG/Disclosure checks are essential criteria.

Where the post you are applying for is considered a Regulated Role under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020, successful candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme Update check, prior to confirmation of employment being made by East Dunbartonshire Council.

Please note, successful candidates will be expected to meet the cost of the relevant check which will be deducted from the successful candidate’s first salary payment. Successful candidates who withdraw their application after the check process has started will be invoiced for the cost of the check.

In specific circumstances the payment could be deducted in instalments from an employee’s wages following commencement of employment. Approval in such circumstances will be made by the HR &OD Manager.

Should an employee leave in advance of the payment being deducted, the full amount will be deducted from the employee’s final salary.

The criteria outlined above will apply to existing employees of East Dunbartonshire Council who apply for roles for which a PVG/Disclosure check is required.

 

East Dunbartonshire Council