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Location
About the job
Job summary
Job description
Do you meet the key eligibility criteria?
In order to be eligible, you MUST meet ALL the following criteria.
- I am at least 18 years old at the time of application.
- I can undertake shift work.
- I will be able to provide all the ID documents required to complete my pre-employment screening and security clearance.
The Detention Gatekeeper (DGK) was introduced in June 2016 following Stephen Shaw’s Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons. It is a cross-departmental and independent function ensuring only suitable individuals enter the detention estate and is part of the Detention, Progression and Returns Command (DPRC).
The DGK acts as a primary safeguard to identify and protect those who fall within the parameters of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention Policy, promoting alternative removal routes, ensuring detention is the last resort (particularly for those considered vulnerable) and will make efforts to ensure any time period in detention is kept to an absolute minimum.
The DGK considers referrals for detention from all parts of the Home Office and is responsible for the admission into immigration detention for cases managed by the National Returns Command (NRC), Foreign National Offender Returns Command (FNO RC), Detained Asylum Casework (DAC), UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Border Force and Special Cases Directorate (SCD).
The DGK makes effective decisions at pace, applying the detention and adults at risk in immigration detention policies, considering the prospect of removal and balancing Home Office priorities.
The team has considered over 25,000 referrals for detention in 2021 whilst maintaining operations throughout the year, including weekends and public holidays (including Christmas and Boxing Day), operating between 07.00 and 21.00 during the week and 07.00 and 19.00 at weekends and public holidays (this may be subject to change including the possibility of a 24 hour operation). The team works on a roster/shift basis and the successful post holder will be required to adopt Annualised Hours working terms and conditions and work on a hybrid working pattern, working a minimum of 60% of shifts from the office.
Person specification
The successful post holder consider referrals for detention from Immigration Compliance Enforcement (ICE) teams, Reporting Offender Management (ROM) teams and UKVI units to ensure the right cases enter immigration detention.
You will stay up to date with immigration detention guidance and policy, as well as other stakeholders published guidance to ensure justified detention decisions are made.
You will have strong communication skills and be confident in liaising with colleagues and stakeholders, including senior managers
The post is open on level transfer and promotion.
You will be responsible for:
- Considering referrals from all sources where immigration detention has been authorised by a CIO or above, and a space in the detention estate is sought.
- Making quality, fair and immediate decisions about whether cases should enter the detention estate, relaying those decisions to referring officers effectively and calmly.
- Managing and overseeing the shift when Duty Officer, ensuring colleagues are allocated to different workflow areas to meet Service Level Agreements and all email inboxes are monitored.
- Identifying and raising barriers to removal that exist for cases being referred for detention. Escalating cases where there are complex issues.
- Identifying individuals who are potentially vulnerable and taking necessary steps to make decisions on the circumstances in which detention may or may not be appropriate.
- Completing the initial detention review and generating associated paperwork for those individuals accepted for detention.
- Contributing to and support 2-3 internal thematic areas aside of operational duties, such as performance management, Wellbeing and stakeholder engagement.
- Liaising with the Detainee Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) on a daily basis with regard to available detention space and capacities.
- Communicating effectively with internal stakeholders, ensuring that problems and complaints are resolved in a timely fashion.
- Using IT tools available as part of the referral and workflow process.
- Starting an initial removal plan prior to allocation for the caseworker concerned, taking into consideration travel documentation and any outstanding barriers.
- Allocating cases that have been accepted to the appropriate detention managing team (HUB).
- Overseeing the release of individuals where authorised by senior colleagues.
- Assisting with data gathering and analysis where required to support strategic projects being completed within the team.
Essential Criteria
Successful candidates will need to demonstrate:
- The ability to work at pace and under pressure, be proactive and prioritise key activities.
- Strong communication skills – oral, written and IT based and confident when liaising with colleagues and stakeholders, including senior managers.
- Experience of using evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice.
Desirable Criteria
- Immigration detention knowledge.
- Previous experience in an operational delivery role or equivalent.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- a statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
- provide evidence of the Lead behaviour Making Effective Decisions (250 words maximum)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours
The sift will be held on the Lead behaviour Making Effective Decisions and the statement of suitability (personal statement).
The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the Lead behaviour Making Effective Decisions will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their Lead behaviour Making Effective Decisions scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement).
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions.
Please Note:
Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours
Problems during the application process
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application (e.g. you have ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we may not be able to reopen your application.
Please note, we cannot make amendments to any part of the application.
Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us about your initial application “Please re-open my application – Vacancy Ref 344065 CLOSING DATE 25 March 2024.
For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details with reasonable adjustments section.
Tie break decisions
The strengths and/or behaviours being assessed will be ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores. Please note that the order in which behaviours are listed in the advert does not necessarily reflect the order of importance.
Sift and Interview dates
Sift is expected to take place from 27 March 2024.
Interviews are expected to take place from 17 April 2024.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good internet connection
- Microsoft Teams
Further Information
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.
Reserve List
Where a competition identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be held for up to 12 months.
Whilst on a reserve list we may offer you an alternative similar role in the Home Office. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list for the role you applied for. If you accept an alternative role, you will be withdrawn from the reserve list.
Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise in the locations you originally applied for before your time on the reserve list expires.
Candidates Please Note:
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e.: outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.
Annual Hours Working Allowance
We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance of 23.03%. This is to compensate for working shift patterns including, early morning starts, late night finishes, weekends, and public holidays (this may be subject to change including the possibility of a 24 hour operation). Shifts can vary in length and can be changed or extended according to business need. The rate payable is dependent on location and role and is indicative of the shift pattern you will be required to work.
The higher the AHA, the more flexible you will be required to be. Please note that the allowance is subject to regular review and can go down as well as up.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be at least 18 years or over to apply for this role. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/night-working-hours and Child employment: Restrictions on child employment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Part Time Working
The minimum requirement for this role would be 22.2 hours (3 days) per week.
We encourage applications from candidates who wish to work part-time however, unless specified in the advert, part-time opportunities cannot be guaranteed in frontline roles due to the 24/7 operational nature of the business. Those wishing to work part-time should notify the vacancy holder as soon as a provisional offer of employment is made to explore whether this can be accommodated. Please note that full shifts will be required even if a part time contract is sought.
Please note that not all work patterns can be supported within this role, successful candidates should discuss work patterns with the vacancy holder ahead of accepting any offer.
Flexible working
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
