Northern Ireland prison service (now recruiting))

HighburyLad

Wonderful, that basically means this whole process was for nothing for us who applied for the custody officer role, and it was falsely advertised that there was vacancies for custody officers when there wasn't, thanks stones for the insight, that's all I want to know is information on what the heck is going on.

http://i.imgur.com/hsPrlXk.jpg

I have the candidates handbook saved onto my phone too and there's the part about vacancies available for CPO and PCO which so far doesn't seem to be true, the whole merit thing is kinda up the left in my opinion though, Gman12 on here got the call for a 35hr post and was a merit of 169 and stones is in a similar position merit wise and got a call for 20hr, I honestly think they may have prioritised those who have ticked each role, who knows, but it's been the most unorganised saga I have witnessed, I feel that if your placed in a merit list and there is others who have been offered a job that are lower in the merit list I feel that you should be at least offered a position, as in look custody officers were not looking for at this moment in time, however we can offer you this role, in which case I would've said hell yes, but then that makes me go why even mention custody officer recruitment and say we have vacancies for these roles when they don't

BIGD85

Im not sure what to think, as I've said before, I have heard that many story's, why transfer PCO's to CPO's and then have to recruit more PCO's??? To me it would make more sense to recruit CPO's. Give it a few more weeks and see what happens, the new financial year is approaching so who knows what might happen. Its 4 months now since I done my medical and still nothing, I have also completed all my security clearance and access NI checks so there must be something, why go to the hassle of getting someone to complete all of the above. They also contacted me 2 weeks ago regarding a form I apparently didn't reply to, which I did and must have been misplaced, the lady explained she was going through files and updating them etc so I still have some hope. Im going to give them a call in 2 or 3 weeks if I've still heard no word.

emmallow

Hello, just found this thread, I'm in the same position as a lot here, picked CO only, I'm in the 20s on the merit list so really didn't expect this.

I've called recruitment line a couple of times and whilst they've been lovely and very apologetic, they haven't given me any useful info!

Once my current job found out I had another one they hired someone to replace me (4/5months ago) and I've had to go down to part time hours. I had be expecting that the new financial year would bring a job. Really worrying now from the last few posts...

HighburyLad

emmallow wrote: »

Hello, just found this thread, I'm in the same position as a lot here, picked CO only, I'm in the 20s on the merit list so really didn't expect this.

I've called recruitment line a couple of times and whilst they've been lovely and very apologetic, they haven't given me any useful info!

Once my current job found out I had another one they hired someone to replace me (4/5months ago) and I've had to go down to part time hours. I had be expecting that the new financial year would bring a job. Really worrying now from the last few posts...

Hi Emma nice to meet you unfortunately most of us are really none the wiser, on what really is going on, I think we're all hoping that the new financial year will bring some good news, your very high in the merit list and if the merit list is to go by there is the guts of 200 people already in jobs or in training for jobs now ahead of you which to me is kinda mental, given your merit number, and the fact you as well as me and everyone else on here has put their lives on hold because we were told we'll be in touch, and still nothing is not cool on the services part.

Now the recruitment branch must be feeling the heat from us now, and I'm sure they know that this is ridiculous, the fact they have advertised for a position that potentially doesn't exist baffles me, and it's plain wrong, I really do hope for all of us that the new financial year brings us hope, because everybody on here who only ticked for the custody officer had ticked the box for PCO we would all be out of training by now, I'm still quite angry about it, and I'm hoping the prison service will make me eat my own words and prove me wrong but the more and more I learn the less and less I am confident

HighburyLad

http://i.imgur.com/uMaE8dA.jpg

There is another link to what I found on the NI assembly website last night, was posted in April 2013 about the time we would have applied, the justice minister himself states there will be more recruitment for custody officers, but that's yet to happen.

coolbond

http://www.lbc.co.uk/letter-bomb-found-at-londonderry-sorting-office-87066

some food for thought

emmallow

HighburyLad wrote: »

http://i.imgur.com/uMaE8dA.jpg

There is another link to what I found on the NI assembly website last night, was posted in April 2013 about the time we would have applied, the justice minister himself states there will be more recruitment for custody officers, but that's yet to happen.

Maybe this is too far, but is contacting the justice minister an option?
That quote explicity says his department would appoint CO's in this financial year. Desperation is kicking in big time! It's been a year ffs!

HighburyLad

emmallow wrote: »

Maybe this is too far, but is contacting the justice minister an option?
That quote explicity says his department would appoint CO's in this financial year. Desperation is kicking in big time! It's been a year ffs!

I think it may have to get to that potentially writing a letter to the prison service or justice minister, as once it's in letter form it's formal and has to be replied to, the thing that potentially could see them screwed pardon the pun is the fact that let's say there is no CPO recruitment, the fact that there is potentially PCO's transferring come 6 months to the CPO grade is were it's legally not correct, I read that the transfers of PCO's to CPO's is not done on merit, and what I'm saying is if some who scored let's say below you Emma or either one of us, is transferred after the merit list is expired, over to CPO from PCO is were it's not legal

craydon

Someone somewhere knows what the heck is going on and to have last heard from them last summer and having applied a year ago it's not acceptable! If I knew exactly where to address a letter to I'd do it tomorrow

HighburyLad

craydon wrote: »

Someone somewhere knows what the heck is going on and to have last heard from them last summer and having applied a year ago it's not acceptable! If I knew exactly where to address a letter to I'd do it tomorrow

Prison Service Headquarters
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
BELFAST
BT4 3SU

I would phone soon and then take it from there and say to them look this is not acceptable, I'm gonna do the same I think if we were all to do the same thing then it would have to be addressed even if we got offered the PCO job or something, hopefully this won't have to get to that stage and hopefully when we ring back we'll be a bit wiser, but I'm gonna phone sometime in the next couple of weeks and take it from there, we have to be more assertive not rude but say what the hell is going on I know that's what I'm gonna do

craydon

Yea good idea. Do you reckon recruitment actually genuinely know nothing or maybe have been told to tell us they know nothing?! I hate phoning as one or two really don't take kindly to my phone calls it seems..

HighburyLad

craydon wrote: »

Yea good idea. Do you reckon recruitment actually genuinely know nothing or maybe have been told to tell us they know nothing?! I hate phoning as one or two really don't take kindly to my phone calls it seems..

I think they genuinely don't know anything really, but I would say they wouldn't say anything until they got definite confirmation that they want CPO's, I hate phoning them too, but that's what they are there for and and 1 year from application to hear nothing in 8 months is an utter joke and shambolic, I'm really angry over it now and I've explained to relatives about the situation and they can't believe it, it really doesn't inspire with confidence

BIGD85

Has anyone made contact with the recruitment team this week yet?

HighburyLad

I haven't D, kinda scared to incase they say the same thing or worse lol I was planning to sometime this week, yourself?

BIGD85

I was going to leave it until the end of the month but if I've heard nothing by Friday I'm going to give them a call.

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

I was going to leave it until the end of the month but if I've heard nothing by Friday I'm going to give them a call.

Yeah ditto, I will be asking for explanations if nothing is to come to, I hope I don't have to go down this whole route of writing formal letters etc, just want an opportunity at this career, lol, probably the most frustrating experience I have been through.

emmallow

BIGD85 wrote: »

Has anyone made contact with the recruitment team this week yet?

Me! Same deal, lovely lady, very apologetic about the situation. I asked if they possibly weren't hiring CO's and she said everything is a possibility but the waiting list is still up for months yet and to call back in a few weeks. She also said if we hear anything on the grapevine to phone her to dispell any rumours, which was nice!

HighburyLad

emmallow wrote: »

Me! Same deal, lovely lady, very apologetic about the situation. I asked if they possibly weren't hiring CO's and she said everything is a possibility but the waiting list is still up for months yet and to call back in a few weeks. She also said if we hear anything on the grapevine to phone her to dispell any rumours, which was nice!

That's pretty cool, that's the most progress anyone has made in a while lol. I'm pretty certain they themselves know this is bs, as I said before I genuinely don't think the folks in recruitment branch know what the craic is, as they are sorta the middle men and point of contact. Thanks emma though for keeping us up to date too, think it's just a matter of keeping things up to date as we etch closer to the expiry date.

emmallow

I'm so glad she said to call about any rumours too, a quick google search leads us to this thread so they're probably well aware people are discussing the situation.

I'm always super pleasant on the phone to them and they've always answered my questions to the best of their ability, I just think they're told very little too!

I'm going to try again in a few weeks, come April 1st I'll start to properly panic! I just want to start my new job lol!

HighburyLad

emmallow wrote: »

I'm so glad she said to call about any rumours too, a quick google search leads us to this thread so they're probably well aware people are discussing the situation.

I'm always super pleasant on the phone to them and they've always answered my questions to the best of their ability, I just think they're told very little too!

I'm going to try again in a few weeks, come April 1st I'll start to properly panic! I just want to start my new job lol!

Yeah same here, the prison service is going through this whole reform which is being seen out til April 2015, and with all the pay reviews with the new emergency allowances being introduced to new recruits and also the new appointments of governors in prison estates such as Hydebank, I can understand why there is such a delay and why things are going at a slow pace, my issue is that we've all placed high enough within the merit list, and I don't want to be out of a job because I unknowingly handicapped myself by ticking one box and others who ticked all boxes scoring lower in merit now have jobs and will have opportunities later on to transfer over to the CPO position, if this fret and panic is all for nothing then thank god, but it has caused a few sleepless nights for myself lol, its worse when I have friends who are prison officers and are getting on with their lives and enjoying what they do for a living lol. In the most polite way too, I'm fed up with posting about it too want to be posting about a medical and ctc and then start dates and meeting board members at milisle haha

HighburyLad

Hi folks just wanted to post was speaking to the relative in the prison service, was out watching with my parents my rugby game, which I feel right now like I've been hit by a bus, but was speaking away and saying what I knew and what I had heard and he said he would be extremely surprised if they were not to take on custody officers as they have had meetings and discussions about more bodies being brought in as the current TOM, target operating model, is not working as anticipated because of numbers, he said there is at this moment in time no room for error, meaning one person is sick the whole wing or whatever it may be goes into a lock down phase, he can't guarantee anything as it's the NI civil service, he said, however he said don't lose all hope as he said he would be extremely surprised if they weren't to take more on, I know it's nothing really but thought I would share I'm trying to be optimistic and hope it pays off, positive thoughts and hopefully good things come to those that wait

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

Hi folks just wanted to post was speaking to the relative in the prison service, was out watching with my parents my rugby game, which I feel right now like I've been hit by a bus, but was speaking away and saying what I knew and what I had heard and he said he would be extremely surprised if they were not to take on custody officers as they have had meetings and discussions about more bodies being brought in as the current TOM, target operating model, is not working as anticipated because of numbers, he said there is at this moment in time no room for error, meaning one person is sick the whole wing or whatever it may be goes into a lock down phase, he can't guarantee anything as it's the NI civil service, he said, however he said don't lose all hope as he said he would be extremely surprised if they weren't to take more on, I know it's nothing really but thought I would share I'm trying to be optimistic and hope it pays off, positive thoughts and hopefully good things come to those that wait

Really hope so. Did he say anything about pco's being transferred?

HighburyLad

chantelle101 wrote: »

Really hope so. Did he say anything about pco's being transferred?

Yeah he said it's a possibility and PCOs have transferred over around the summer time there, but he said the service will have to be careful as there has been 2 advertisements for roles and one has not come to, the CPO role

chantelle101

Anyone any updates?????

emmallow

Called today, nothing new!

HighburyLad

emmallow wrote: »

Called today, nothing new!

Flip me, I have not even recieved any word back from any emails sent about 8 9 days now and nothing, this has been pretty terrible lol, my current line of work is suffering because my mind was moving on and has pretty much moved on, in thinking I was successful and was just waiting for the go ahead

BIGD85

It has been the most unprofessional recruitment process I have ever been involved in, Im wondering if its maby time to bypass the recruitment team to get some answers........but who would I contact?

HighburyLad

BIGD85 wrote: »

It has been the most unprofessional recruitment process I have ever been involved in, Im wondering if its maby time to bypass the recruitment team to get some answers........but who would I contact?

I'm afraid I would have to agree D, what I'm thinking is holding out until April, new financial year, and take it from there, if nothing comes to then I am not sure who would need to be contacted, a local MLA maybe, or the justice minister himself, but what I would suggest is wait til April, that's only really next week or so, because new funding etc would become available and hopefully this wait won't be in vain, I totally agree it has been a debacle, there is pretty much people 100 and more places in merit lower than myself who have a job, and I would be kinda miffed if nothing was to come out of it, I've pretty much put my life on hold for this career, as I'm sure we all have, it sucks but I'm praying that this pays off....

chantelle101

HighburyLad wrote: »

I'm afraid I would have to agree D, what I'm thinking is holding out until April, new financial year, and take it from there, if nothing comes to then I am not sure who would need to be contacted, a local MLA maybe, or the justice minister himself, but what I would suggest is wait til April, that's only really next week or so, because new funding etc would become available and hopefully this wait won't be in vain, I totally agree it has been a debacle, there is pretty much people 100 and more places in merit lower than myself who have a job, and I would be kinda miffed if nothing was to come out of it, I've pretty much put my life on hold for this career, as I'm sure we all have, it sucks but I'm praying that this pays off....

Thot id give it another go today....still nothing. She said still working on pcos...so mayb they r still taking more of them on :-(

BIGD85

Called today and still nothing, I was only told that they are still working through the merit list.