23892 - HMP Cookham Wood and Rochester - Mentor Instructor

Ministry of Justice • Rochester, NY

4d

About The Position

This is a non-operational, rotational role in a prison establishment. The Mentor Instructor provides supervision, knowledge and practical skills to prisoners in non-specialist workshops where qualifications are not delivered. The role does not require specialist-area qualifications or training prisoners to qualification level. Although there are no line-management responsibilities, the post carries workshop and prisoner-management responsibilities.

The postholder helps make workshops structured and disciplined environments that provide work experience reflecting employment outside prison, while ensuring services are delivered to a high standard and security and control are maintained. On an exceptional, short-term basis, the postholder may supervise prisoners in specialist workshops to address an emergency or a temporary staffing problem.

The standard working week is 37 hours. The role is based at HMP Cookham Wood and Rochester, in Kent, Surrey & Sussex. The salary is £29,107–£30,648, and the post is permanent and full time.

Requirements

• Ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English.

Responsibilities

• Participate in selecting prisoners for the workshop.
• Induct prisoners into the workshop or work area and train them in health and safety, COSHH, and the use of machinery and tools.
• Ensure tools, equipment and raw materials are safe, secure and properly accounted for.
• Support prisoners and tailor learning and training to individual needs.
• Set work schedules, manage targets and quality standards, and maintain contractual delivery arrangements.
• Supervise, manage and control prisoners decently, safely and securely, with responsibility for their performance, motivation, discipline, appraisal and development.
• Conduct metal-detector scans or rub-down searches of prisoners entering or leaving their workshops.
• Initiate product-development reviews to maintain output levels and provide prisoners with varied work and experience.
• Contribute to risk and health-and-safety assessments covering consumables, the workshop or work area, and specialist areas.
• Provide information to case managers and contribute to prisoner reports, parole and sentence planning, regime monitoring, ACCT, SIRs and IEP reports.
• Open and complete ACCT forms, VRIRs and SIRs when required.
• Update prisoner training records.
• Maintain regular radio-net communications in accordance with the Local Security Strategy.
• Request materials and estimate usage to meet work targets, while ensuring quality against product specifications.
• Log attendance and approve prisoner hours and wages, including recording piecework where appropriate.
• Attend and contribute to relevant meetings.
• Provide administrative support for workshop activities, prepare documentation for managers' verification or quality checks, and maintain and update systems in line with local agreements.
• Undertake reasonable additional or altered tasks of a similar level when necessary.

Benefits

• Annual leave, calculated on a pro-rata basis.
• Nine days (66 hours and 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays, added to annual leave allowance.
• Choice of two Civil Service pension schemes.
• Flexible working arrangements, subject to operational needs and completion of a satisfactory probationary period.
• Eligibility to apply for a season-ticket advance after two months' service.
• Training and development opportunities, including equality and diversity, challenging behaviour, suicide prevention and anti-bullying programmes.
• Access to promotion programmes and training appropriate to individual posts.
• Security and diversity training and an individual induction programme.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed