Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what revised training is being provided to existing prison officers to ensure that they are equipped to support a rehabilitative approach for offenders in custody; and if he will make a statement.

Newly recruited prison officers are required to complete a 12 week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course which is reviewed every 6 months. This training provides new officers with a foundation level of training in all core skill areas of which rehabilitation is a continued theme throughout. Key topics include:

• Introduction to Rehabilitation and Building a Rehabilitate Culture
• Five Minute Intervention
• Procedural Justice Perceptions
• Prisoner Education
• Key Worker

Offender Manager Key Worker Champions deliver a training package locally within their own establishments to all operational Bands 3-5. This training is then further supported by the delivery of an ‘Offender Manager Key Worker’ skills training, which seeks to utilise the 10 skills from the ‘Five minute intervention’ training that all operational staff receive.

Additionally there is an extensive training programme for Prison Offender Managers which is a blended delivery approach of workbooks, e-learning and face to face learning of the below key topics:

• Core concepts and key skills
• Risk assessment, planning and management
• Child safeguarding and domestic abuse
• Adult safeguarding

All Prison and Probation staff have access to myLearning which provides ongoing e-learning training for staff where they are able to complete essential learning for their specific role.