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.
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Prepare and update records and reports as required in line with agreed requirements |
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Duty 2 Apply use of force techniques required in the context of your role |
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Duty 3 Carry out searches as relevant to your role in custody or detention environments |
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Duty 4 Access and manage keys |
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Duty 5 Escort or move individuals safely |
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Duty 6 Communicate and use interpersonal skills in your relationships with others |
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Duty 7 Identify risks and carry out risk assessments as part of your role |
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Duty 8 Participate in first on scene and incident management activities when required to do so as part of your role |
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Duty 9 Recognise and defuse potential conflict situations in custody or detention environments |
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Duty 10 Receive individuals into custody and undertake relevant duties as part of your role |
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Duty 11 Recognise and provide relevant support to vulnerable individuals within the context of the role |
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Duty 12 Liaise with other agencies relevant to your role |
K1: Health and safety legislation and how to reduce the risk of harm or injury to oneself, colleagues and those in one’s care
Back to Duty
K2: Current risk management processes and how to apply them in your role
Back to Duty
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
Back to Duty
K4: The main and critical aspects of security and how they contribute to the overall security of custody and detention environments
Back to Duty
K5: Legislation for recording and reporting in custody or detention environments
Back to Duty
K6: Use of force procedures and processes used in custody or detention environments summarising legislation, armed persons and medical implications
Back to Duty
K7: The importance of undertaking searches and how this contributes to the safety of the environment
Back to Duty
K8: The procedures relating to the management and use of keys
Back to Duty
K9: Processes for locking and unlocking of doors or cellular vehicles as appropriate to own area of work
Back to Duty
K10: Escorting or movement procedures within your area of custody or detention
Back to Duty
K11: How to signpost individuals to support services
Back to Duty
K12: The legislative requirements relating to equality, diversity and inclusion
Back to Duty
K13: Effective communication, knowing when to adapt to suit varied situations
Back to Duty
K14: The principles of dealing with security and incidents such as ‘first on scene’ and communication procedures relevant to your organisation
Back to Duty
K15: The range of behaviour patterns of an individual during conflict and the key principles and theories of violence reduction
Back to Duty
K16: How the professional’s role interacts with other organisations, agencies and stakeholders
Back to Duty
K17: Rights and entitlements of those in custodial care or detention
Back to Duty
K18: Impact of mental health issues on individuals
Back to Duty
K19: The importance of caring for vulnerable people who are at risk of self-harm or violence
Back to Duty
K20: Recognise the signs of substance misuse and its impact on individuals and social, health and economic wellbeing
Back to Duty
K21: Rehabilitation procedures and processes within your own organisation
Back to Duty
S1: Undertake health and safety responsibilities in line with current legislation
Back to Duty
S2: Carry out risk assessment in line with organisational procedures (visual checks of areas & equipment and individuals)
Back to Duty
S3: Maintain and update documentation, reports, records and supporting systems in-line with local, national and organisational requirements
Back to Duty
S4: Apply use of force in line with organisational procedures
Back to Duty
S5: Utilise de-escalation techniques when dealing with inappropriate behaviours of individuals
Back to Duty
S6: Implement search techniques relevant to the situations (for example individuals, vehicles and illicit substances
Back to Duty
S7: Management and use of keys
Back to Duty
S8: Follow organisational security procedures
Back to Duty
S9: Carry out escorting or movement of individuals in custody or detention environments
Back to Duty
S10: Use verbal communication and interpersonal skills in your relationships with team members and others
Back to Duty
S11: Undertake incident management and take steps to defuse potential conflict situations in line with approved protocols
Back to Duty
S12: Work collaboratively with external stakeholders (escorting staff, drug/alcohol agencies, volunteers, healthcare, solicitors, members of the public)
Back to Duty
S13: Demonstrate processes, procedures and decisions to individuals in custody or detention so they understand what will happen to them and why
Back to Duty
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
Back to Duty
S15: Record and report involvement with vulnerable individuals in line with procedures
Back to Duty
B1: Adapt your personal behavioural style to suit the situation
Back to Duty
B2: Act with legitimate authority so that people feel safe and treated fairly
Back to Duty
B3: Act in a professional manner, adhere to the organisational values and be a role model to the people in your care
Back to Duty
B4: Behave openly and welcoming to others and challenge discrimination
Back to Duty
B5: Be resilient and maintain personal wellbeing
Back to Duty
B6: Behave openly, directly and with integrity
Back to Duty
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | End-point assessment plan, standard and funding revised. | 06/04/2023 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 08/05/2018 | 05/04/2023 |
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