Life in Community Payback

Community Payback supervisor

Community Payback is not just an alternative to custody, it’s a way of helping to create better outcomes for people on probation and better communities.

As a Community Payback supervisor, you’ll be at the heart of this work, leading small teams to complete their unpaid work hours.

You’ll supervise and motivate them to complete a range of manual tasks to pay back for the harm they’ve caused. These tasks could include clearing overgrowth to make public spaces safer, restoring community facilities such as sports halls and playgrounds, planting trees or laying flowerbeds, and litter picking and graffiti removal.

You’ll support and motivate people from different backgrounds to get the most out of their time on Community Payback. You’ll be helping them to:

• make positive changes to local communities
• access training and development to learn new skills
• improve their chances of employment as they make positive changes in their own lives.

On a typical day, you’ll spend up to 7 hours supervising a group at a Community Payback unpaid work placement.

Working pattern

The Community Payback supervisor role is accommodated to people on probation who work or have caring responsibilities. Community Payback projects run 7 days a week and some during the evening, therefore you will:

• work frequent weekends, and you may be asked to cover some evenings
• be paid a higher rate for any evening and weekend days you do work

There may be a chance to work part-time in some regions. You can discuss this at your interview.

Community Payback placement coordinator

As a Community Payback placement coordinator, you’ll be responsible for establishing and maintaining working relationships with a range of stakeholders – including local authorities and charities – to make sure there are sufficient numbers of Community Payback work placements.

This will include exploring opportunities for people to access on-the-job training and education to develop their skills and increase their chances of employment while they complete their unpaid work hours.

You’ll support your Community Payback operations manager to ensure all the placements comply with health and safety legislation. This will include conducting on-site placement assessments, occasionally at weekends or during the evening.

In this busy and varied role, you’ll also be responsible for planning rotas to ensure Community Payback supervisors and people sentenced to Community Payback are allocated to projects and have the necessary equipment.

Working pattern

As a Community Payback placement coordinator you will:

• be expected to work weekends when needed to cover for Community Payback supervisors or to visit project sites – such as schools which are not accessible on weekdays
• get paid a higher rate for any weekend days you do work

Community Payback operations manager

As a Community Payback operations manager, you’ll have overall responsibility for managing the logistics of Community Payback delivery in your region.

Managing a team of placement coordinators and supervisors, you’ll make sure Community Payback is delivered effectively, efficiently and to a high standard in your region – as well as monitoring performance.

You’ll oversee the development and assessment of suitable Community Payback work placements, taking the lead on sourcing new large-scale projects with major community stakeholders such as local authorities and charities.

Wherever possible, you’ll look to ensure work placements provide training and development or future employment opportunities.

Working pattern

As Community Payback runs 7 days a week, as a Community Payback operations manager, you’ll:

• be required on occasional weekend or on-call work
• get paid an enhancement for any additional hours you work