Returners’ scheme

Eligibility

Prison officer returners

You can apply to return as a prison officer at HMPPS if you:

• left HMPPS within the last 5 years at band 3 or a higher grade
• previously worked as a prison officer at HMPPS at band 3, 4 or 5 within the last five years
• previously worked as a youth justice worker at HMPPS at band 3 or 4 within the last five years
• completed your foundation training and full probation period as a prison officer or youth justice worker at HMPPS

If you worked in another HMPPS role before becoming a prison officer or youth justice worker, you need to have:

• completed your full probation period in that role
• and have worked as a prison officer or youth justice worker for more than 12 months before leaving

If your application is successful, you’ll be re-appointed at band 3 level, pay point 2.

Youth justice worker returners

You can apply to return as a youth justice worker at HMPPS if you:

• left HMPPS within the last 5 years at band 3 or 4 or a higher grade
• previously worked as a youth justice worker at HMPPS at band 3 or 4 within the last five years
• completed your foundation training and full probation period as a youth justice worker at HMPPS

If you worked in another HMPPS role before becoming a youth justice worker, you need to have:

• completed your full probation period in that role
• and have worked as a youth justice worker for more than 12 months before leaving

Successful Band 3 applicants will be re-appointed on the band 3, pay point 2 salary. All successful band 4 applicants will be re-appointed on the band 4 salary.

If you were previously a band 3 working towards your youth justice worker specialist role, you can return to that grade and we’ll support you to complete the level 4 child-focussed qualification. Once qualified, you can become a band 4 specialist youth justice worker.

When you return to work as a band 3 youth justice worker you’ll have an agreed timeframe to complete your level 4 qualification. If you do not complete it, you’ll be offered a position as a prison officer in an adult prison.

If you were previously a band 4 youth justice worker and successfully completed either the UNITAS or level 4 child-focused qualification, you can return to that grade.

Benefits of applying

You will not have to complete a lengthy application process or repeat your prison officer or youth justice worker foundation training.

Once you have been allocated to a prison or Young Offender Institution (YOI), passed a fitness test (opens in a new tab), an occupational health assessment and pre-employment checks, you’ll be ready to start.

You will return to full-time hours (starting at 37 hours a week), unless you request other hours when you apply. The availability of part-time and work-life balance arrangements depends on local staffing needs and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

If you request part-time hours and/or a work-life balance arrangement, this will need to be agreed by the prison or YOI you will be working at once you have been allocated to a vacancy and before we are able to send your provisional offer.

If you get a Civil Service pension, or annual compensation payment (ACP) and want to avoid deductions from your pension, you’ll have an opportunity to discuss working hours with your line manager before starting in post. Find out more about pension abatement (opens in a new tab)

Choosing where you’d like to work

Simply select up to 3 prisons, or 2 YOIs, you’d like to work at.

*To be allocated to a women’s prison, you will need to have completed the additional assessment required to work with women prisoners. If you haven’t already done this assessment, you will be sent an email with further details once you are allocated. Here’s what to expect:

• You will need to give written 250 word answers to 3 behaviour-based questions. These are designed to explore your understanding of the role of a prison officer working in a women’s prison and why you are interested in this work.
• For each question you will be asked to consider a situation you may face as a prison officer in a women’s prison.
• If you don’t successfully complete the women’s prison additional assessment, you will be re-allocated to an adult male prison.

If there’s no vacancy in one of your preferred prison or YOI choices, you’ll be placed on a merit list until one is available.

Not ready to apply yet? 

Join our Prison Service Alumni Network to keep in touch and apply when the time is right for you. Receive regular updates on the prison officer and youth justice worker returners’ scheme, and be one of the first to find out when opportunities open to return to work in other roles at HMPPS.

Sign up to our Prison Service Alumni Network (opens in a new tab)