Borders and Enforcement - Detention Engagement Team - Engagement Officer West Drayton, London, England
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain.
Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement page.
Job description
Detention Engagement Teams (DETs) are a dynamic and responsive team, working as part of Detention, Progression and Returns Command (DPRC) to enhance the quality and frequency of engagements between Home Office and the people entering Immigration Removal Centres (IRC). The successful candidate will be part of an exciting initiative within the Home Office which will be both rewarding and energising.
The DET team operate within Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs), using face-to-face interaction to build relationships with those in detention and provide an important on-site link between people in detention and their case working teams; enhancing the quality and frequency of engagements between the Home Office and the people entering IRCs. Based within the centres, engaging with those in detention and on-site healthcare providers and suppliers, DETs are better placed to ensure that vulnerability issues are identified and managed at the earliest opportunity.
The DET work on a roster system with shifts generally between 7.30am and 7:30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. There will be regular requirement to work until 21:30 and occasionally beyond.
This role attracts an Annualised Hours Allowance (AHW) of 19% which includes weekend and Public Holiday working. The AHW is reviewed annually and may increase/decrease dependent on the business needs.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.
You will require excellent interpersonal skills to deal with different, and sometimes difficult situations. Self-confidence, resilience, organisation skills and personal integrity are also required within this challenging environment of a busy desk with at times, a high volume of work.
Successful candidates will be expected to be vetted at enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and undertake Personal Safety Training (PST to Level 2).
Information Events
We’ll be holding two online information events to enable you to learn more about the role, including how to apply. We’ll also try to answer any questions you might have. There’s no requirement to attend in order to apply. To register, please click on the time and date you are interested in:
Tuesday, 21st March, 1030 – 1130
Wednesday, 22nd March, 1800 – 1900
Person specification
The role of the Engagement Officer is an Operational role that is interesting and challenging, demanding high levels of co-operation from those in detention, stakeholders, and suppliers.
Engagement officers are expected to:
- Conduct face-to-face engagements with those in detention as required by caseworkers and management, this includes an initial induction engagement, service of paperwork, follow up engagements, Modern Slavery and associated assessments and Asylum Screening interviews. Officers will also discuss the options that residents have, including initiating referrals to returns schemes and building return plans, as well as outlining the consequences of non-compliance. Feeding back to caseworkers providing details and insight into resident mindset and behaviour and recording all interactions on Home Office IT systems in an accurate and timely manner.
- Identify indicators of vulnerability, ensuring that they are recorded and managed in-line with existing policy and instructions, attending case conference meetings (multi-disciplinary telecom and local strategy meetings), ACDT reviews, immigration surgeries and resident consultative committee meetings as required.
- Providing case updates to residents at their request and managing your own portfolio of residents and associated workflow.
- Flagging contract issues appropriately and in a timely manner to line manager or Compliance team.
- Actively contribute towards the compiling of management reports.
- Undertake general office administration duties as part of your role and to assist in the successful running of the Detention Engagement Team within the Centre. This includes managing resident arrival and departure lists, allocating all new arrivals to Engagement Officers, monitoring the inbox and e-faxes and dealing with telephone, personal and email queries, escalating as appropriate.
- Line management of AO Support Officers as required.
- Other ad hoc administrative duties as required.
- Work closely with the Welfare Office within the immigration removal centre, dealing appropriately with any issues that arise. The Welfare Office is run by the service provider and is a key touch-point for people to raise any concerns they may have.
- Complete asylum screening interviews remotely, when required.
Essential Criteria
Successful candidates must have:
- Strong verbal communication skills;
- Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills;
- Good attention to detail;
- Proactive, adaptable and motivated.
Desirable Criteria
- IT skills with prior experience of Microsoft Office.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- A Statement of Suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
- Provide evidence of the behaviour - Communicating and Influencing (250 words maximum)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The Statement of Suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
For guidance on how to construct your statement candidates are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement
The sift will be held on the behaviour - Communicating and Influencing and the Statement of Suitability (personal statement).
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only.
Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of Strength-based questions (no preparation necessary) and Behaviour based questions.
For guidance on how to construct your Behaviour examples candidates are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Behaviours.
Strengths are the things that candidates do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about Strength based questions click here.
Sift and Interview dates
The sift will take place from 6th April 2023 onwards.
Interviews are expected to take place from 24th April 2023 onwards.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good internet connection
- Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams
PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.
When completing your application you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.
Hybrid working
The flexible working arrangement of Hybrid working (working partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home) is not available for this role due to the requirements of the role. Successful candidates will be required to attend the office/other work location as specified in the advert at all times to carry out this role.
Personal Safety Training (PST)
These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 which develops skills in personal safety, arrest and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.
Note for Candidates
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.
Further Information
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
Further information
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission
