Custody and detention professional

Key information

  1. Status: Approved for delivery (available for starts)
  2. Reference: ST0386
  3. Version: 1.1
  4. Level: 3
  5. Minimum duration to gateway: 12 months
  6. Typical EPA period: 3 months
  7. Route: Protective services
  8. Maximum funding: £4500
  9. Date updated: 06/01/2023
  10. Approved for delivery: 8 May 2018
  11. Lars code: 269
  12. EQA provider: Ofqual
  13. Example progression routes:
  14. Review: this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.

Contents

Contents

Apprenticeship summary

Overview of the role

Ensuring individuals in custody and detention centres are held in a secure, safe, decent and fair environment.

Occupation 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

End-point assessment summary

ST0386, Custody and detention professional level 3

This is a summary of the key things that you – the apprentice and your employer need to know about your end-point assessment (EPA). You and your employer should read the EPA plan for the full details. It has information on assessment method requirements, roles and responsibilities, and re-sits and re-takes.

What is an end-point assessment and why it happens

An EPA is an assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. It will assess you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) in the occupational standard. Your training will cover the KSBs. The EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how well you can carry out the occupation you have been trained for.

Your employer will choose an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) to deliver the EPA. Your employer and training provider should tell you what to expect and how to prepare for your EPA.

The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 12 months. The EPA period is typically 3 months.

The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:

  • fail
  • pass
  • distinction


EPA gateway

The EPA gateway is when the EPAO checks and confirms that you have met any requirements required before you start the EPA. You will only enter the gateway when your employer says you are ready.

The gateway requirements for your EPA are:

  • achieved English and mathematics qualifications in line with the apprenticeship funding rules
  • for the professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence, you must submit a portfolio of evidence

Assessment methods


Long written test

You will complete a test requiring long written answers. It will be closed book, meaning you will not have access to any books or reference materials.

The test will have 10 long response written questions. You will have 90 minutes to complete it.


Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence

You will have a professional discussion with an independent assessor. It will last 90 minutes. They will ask you at least 10 questions. The questions will be about certain aspects of your occupation. You need to compile a portfolio of evidence before the EPA gateway. You can use it to help answer the questions.


Who to contact for help or more information

You should speak to your employer if you have a query that relates to your job.

You should speak to your training provider if you have any questions about your training or EPA before it starts.

You should receive detailed information and support from the EPAO before the EPA starts. You should speak to them if you have any questions about your EPA once it has started.Reasonable adjustments

If you have a disability, a physical or mental health condition or other special considerations, you may be able to have a reasonable adjustment that takes this into account. You should speak to your employer, training provider and EPAO and ask them what support you can get. The EPAO will decide if an adjustment is appropriate.

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Version log

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
Employers involved in creating the standard: HMPPS, Serco, Sodexo, MOD, GEO AMEY, Mitie, G4S, West Midlands Police, MTC, MOJ

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