Programme Facilitator; Probation Service Officer

Ministry of Justice

Starting salary of £26,475, plus a London weighting allowance of £4,249 where this applies

As a programme facilitator for the Probation Service, you will deliver a range of rehabilitation interventions aimed at changing the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour of offenders. You’ll be working with a full range of offence types and a full range of levels of risks (including those convicted of sexual and domestic abuse offences), as determined by sentences of the Courts and on the recommendation of Probation Practitioners.

The main objectives of this role are to reduce re‑offending, protect the public, prevent future victims and rehabilitation to help people to build constructive and meaningful lives in the community, through the delivery of effective evidence based Accredited Programmes and Structured Interventions.

As a programme facilitator, you’ll deliver group and one-to-one sessions, creating a safe and structured environment that meets different learning styles and needs. You’ll manage group dynamics, address challenging behaviour, and ensure sessions remain effective.

• Monitor progress, risk, and wellbeing throughout the intervention
• Keep accurate records and share insights with relevant teams
• Work closely with courts and criminal justice agencies to support sentence management
• Provide workshops and briefings to probation staff and external stakeholders
• Use pro‑social modelling to reinforce positive behaviours

With regular feedback and professional development, you’ll have the support you need to grow in your role while making a real difference in people’s lives.

The majority of our programmes are delivered in the evening and therefore evening work is essential in this role. You will also travel to different locations to your office base to deliver these programmes. Travel expenses can be claimed.

• Experience of dealing with challenging behaviour, including from individuals who have experienced a range of social/ personal difficulties, within a professional or personal setting.
• Experience of working collaboratively, maintaining effective team relationships.
• An awareness and some understanding of the criminal justice system, safeguarding principles and types of sentences given to People on Probation.
• Experience of assessing and analysing information from different sources and situations to make decisions.
• An understanding of and commitment to promoting equality and valuing diversity.
• Experience of using a range of IT software applications such as Microsoft.
• Experience of implementing new learning to improve performance.
• Experience of planning and prioritising tasks effectively in response to changing demands.

Candidates will be required to become an accredited programme facilitator by:

• Undertaking and successfully passing Core Skills (1 week) to evidence their competence in delivering group work interventions (within 6 months).
• Undertaking and successfully passing Programme specific training for each programme and intervention the service delivers (1 week per programme).