The impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Prison Officer and Youth Justice Worker recruitment – updated Monday 20^th July.

It is our prime focus to keep our staff and applicants as safe as possible through the HMPPS recruitment process. Following government guidelines, we are beginning to assess a small number of applicants, based on which prisons are a priority. We hope to increase this number in due course and will keep this page updated as often as we can. Please bear with us while we work hard to do this.

In the meantime, we would encourage anyone thinking about starting their career with us to register your interest for a Prison Officer role.

If you have already started your application, we will be in touch with you and keep you up to date. Our expectation is to reopen our centres as soon as it is safe to do so.

For more information on prison officer and youth justice worker recruitment, please read our updated Frequently Asked Questions below.

Is the prison service continuing to recruit?

We are now accepting applications in a few of our establishments across the country. If we are not recruiting in your area but you are considering applying for a role as Prison Officer we would encourage you to register your interest. We will then contact you as soon as application are open. Please do continue to check this page regularly for updates.

I am currently on a merit list. Will this be extended in light of the current situation?

For those candidates that are currently on a reserve/merit list which is due to expire before 30^th September 2020, we have received dispensation to extend ARC accreditation to 31^st December 2020.  Should a role become available during this time we will contact you to discuss further.

When will I be able to attend my assessment?

Following government guidelines, we are beginning to assess a small number of applicants, based on which prisons are a priority. We hope to increase this number in due course.

If you have not yet been contacted with an assessment date, we will be in touch soon with your new date.

I have accepted a formal offer but I am waiting for my vetting. How long do I have to wait?

We intend to continue with your pre-employment checks, so that we can welcome you on board at the earliest possible opportunity once our training resumes.

I am due to start my training, is that going ahead?

We are now starting to reopen our training colleges and get our training back underway. If you have not yet heard about your training restarting, someone will be in touch soon.