Protective services
Custody and detention professional
Ensuring individuals in custody and detention centres are held in a secure, safe, decent and fair environment.
Summary
This occupation is found in custody or detention environments within Detention Centres, Custodial Environments and Custodial Services in both the public and private sector and are unique and often challenging places to work.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to ensure that individuals are held in secure, safe, decent and fair environments. You will operate within secure environments undertaking a frontline role and will work as part of a wider team to ensure the safety of everyone.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with people held within environments such as a women’s unit / treatment within a prison / police custody / prisoner escort / detention centre / immigration centre, Military Corrective Training Centres or Service Custody Facilities.
The people in your care will have a variety of different needs and will display varied behaviours. It is your role to work to ensure those individuals are treated with kindness, dignity and respect and are helped by maintaining a safe, secure and structured environment. These environments rely and operate on routine, which you’ll need to be part of, however they can often be volatile challenging places to work, and Custody or Detention Professionals must be able and agile enough to respond quickly to a variety of incidents whilst maintaining professional standards throughout.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for enforcing and upholding legal decisions and following processes and procedures with integrity, honesty and professionalism. Roles in this environment will involve working a variety of shifts patterns, 365 days a year including evenings, nights, weekends and holiday periods.
Typical job titles include
- Custody detention officers | Detention custody officer | Escorting officer | Military provost staff | Police custody officer | Prison custody officers | Prison officer (public and private prisons) | Provost marshal (army) | Secure training centre officer
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
Health and safety legislation and how to reduce the risk of harm or injury to oneself, colleagues and those in one’s care
K2:
Current risk management processes and how to apply them in your role
K3:
Policies and procedures relevant to the custodial environment in which you are working and how to operate these within the remit of your role
K4:
The main and critical aspects of security and how they contribute to the overall security of custody and detention environments
K5:
Legislation for recording and reporting in custody or detention environments
K6:
Use of force procedures and processes used in custody or detention environments summarising legislation, armed persons and medical implications
K7:
The importance of undertaking searches and how this contributes to the safety of the environment
K8:
The procedures relating to the management and use of keys
K9:
Processes for locking and unlocking of doors or cellular vehicles as appropriate to own area of work
K10:
Escorting or movement procedures within your area of custody or detention
K11:
How to signpost individuals to support services
K12:
The legislative requirements relating to equality, diversity and inclusion
K13:
Effective communication, knowing when to adapt to suit varied situations
K14:
The principles of dealing with security and incidents such as ‘first on scene’ and communication procedures relevant to your organisation
K15:
The range of behaviour patterns of an individual during conflict and the key principles and theories of violence reduction
K16:
How the professional’s role interacts with other organisations, agencies and stakeholders
K17:
Rights and entitlements of those in custodial care or detention
K18:
Impact of mental health issues on individuals
K19:
The importance of caring for vulnerable people who are at risk of self-harm or violence
K20:
Recognise the signs of substance misuse and its impact on individuals and social, health and economic wellbeing
K21:
Rehabilitation procedures and processes within your own organisation
Technical Educational Products
- ST0386: Custody and detention professional (Level 3) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0386
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £28,769 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 9231 Security guards and related occupations
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 9231/03 Detention officers
- 3314/01 Operational support grades
- 3314/02 Prison officers
S1:
Undertake health and safety responsibilities in line with current legislation
S2:
Carry out risk assessment in line with organisational procedures (visual checks of areas & equipment and individuals)
S3:
Maintain and update documentation, reports, records and supporting systems in-line with local, national and organisational requirements
S4:
Apply use of force in line with organisational procedures
S5:
Utilise de-escalation techniques when dealing with inappropriate behaviours of individuals
S6:
Implement search techniques relevant to the situations (for example individuals, vehicles and illicit substances
S7:
Management and use of keys
S8:
Follow organisational security procedures
S9:
Carry out escorting or movement of individuals in custody or detention environments
S10:
Use verbal communication and interpersonal skills in your relationships with team members and others
S11:
Undertake incident management and take steps to defuse potential conflict situations in line with approved protocols
S12:
Work collaboratively with external stakeholders (escorting staff, drug/alcohol agencies, volunteers, healthcare, solicitors, members of the public)
S13:
Demonstrate processes, procedures and decisions to individuals in custody or detention so they understand what will happen to them and why
S14:
Identify individuals who may be vulnerable in custody or detention environments and signpost to the relevant support (for example drug/alcohol dependent individuals or individuals with mental health or wellbeing issues), following organisations procedures
S15:
Record and report involvement with vulnerable individuals in line with procedures
Technical Educational Products
- ST0386: Custody and detention professional (Level 3) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0386
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £28,769 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 9231 Security guards and related occupations
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 9231/03 Detention officers
- 3314/01 Operational support grades
- 3314/02 Prison officers
B1:
Adapt your personal behavioural style to suit the situation
B2:
Act with legitimate authority so that people feel safe and treated fairly
B3:
Act in a professional manner, adhere to the organisational values and be a role model to the people in your care
B4:
Behave openly and welcoming to others and challenge discrimination
B5:
Be resilient and maintain personal wellbeing
B6:
Behave openly, directly and with integrity
Technical Educational Products
- ST0386: Custody and detention professional (Level 3) Approved for delivery
- Reference:
- OCC0386
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £28,769 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 9231 Security guards and related occupations
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 9231/03 Detention officers
- 3314/01 Operational support grades
- 3314/02 Prison officers
