Youth Custody Officer (Youth Justice Worker): Role and Pay

In shortThe youth justice worker is the front-line Band 3 role supporting young people aged 15 to 18 in custody; "youth custody officer" is only a search phrase.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) has run the secure estate for children and young people in England and Wales as part of HMPPS since April 2017. The HMPPS careers site describes the youth justice worker as the person who supports young people aged 15 to 18 in custody day to day.

The role is closer to the prison officer's than a care worker's, and the training reflects that.

But the young people are children, so the framework around the job is child-focused: safeguarding, child protection and a development route through a Level 4 qualification, which the HMPPS page says is "child-focused" and fully funded on completion of initial training.

• Ensuring security and safety.
• Helping manage behaviour.
• Encouraging attendance at education, training and activities.
• Acting as a mentor and an authority figure.
• Making decisions in complex or fast-moving situations.

In shortA small estate of a few sites and a few hundred young people, so travel can be a problem.

• YCS staff (FTE)1,333At 30 June 2026, out of 65,945 FTE across HMPPS
• Youth custody population273Weekly bulletin, 28 September 2026
• Useable operational capacity384Same bulletin

The sites listed for the role on the careers page are young offender institutions in England including HMYOI Feltham in outer London, HMYOI Wetherby and HMYOI Werrington.

The wider estate includes the Parc YOI unit inside the privately run HMP and YOI Parc, the privately operated Oakhill Secure Training Centre and secure children's homes that the YCS oversees. Our youth custody estate guide maps all of them.

There are very few sites, so travel can be a problem and the careers site says training is likely to take place away from home.

A single site's staffing picture can also shift quickly: the HMPPS staffing annex for 30 June 2026 listed Wetherby among the larger gaps to target, at 51 FTE below, though that is a staffing-against-target measure, not a count of open posts.

In shortYouth justice workers are on the same Band 3 structure as prison officers; Feltham is higher because of outer London pay and a £2,000 market supplement.

• Most locations£36,816HMPPS figure: 39-hour week including 20% unsocial hours allowance
• National Band 3 start, 37 hours£34,928Including unsocial hours (our pay bands page, 2026/27)
• Outer London equivalent£38,84037-hour figure (our pay bands page, 2026/27)

HMPPS quotes a higher figure for Feltham that includes a £2,000 market supplement. The initial contract is 37 hours a week, with the option of 39 or 41 hours after training. Overtime is available.

Our pay bands page and guide to Band 3 prison officer pay show how the 37, 39 and 41-hour versions work. Nothing in what we read suggests that youth justice workers receive a different Band 3 pay scale from prison officers.

If you move between roles, you would compare the same elements: contract hours, supplement, location and any local arrangements.

In shortNine paid weeks, usually away from home, with MMPR restraint training rather than adult control and restraint.

• Initial training9 weeksFull wage from day one, with expenses
• QualificationLevel 4Child-focused, fully funded on completing initial training

HMPPS says the training specialises in working with children and young people in custody. Training is likely to take place away from your home unless a centre is near you.

MMPR

Managing and Minimising Physical Restraint: the technique used in the children's secure estate. It is not the control and restraint (C&R) curriculum taught to adult prison officers, which is why the adult control and restraint training guide does not apply directly to this role.

• De-escalation and restraint techniques.
• Youth custody operations, including security and policy.
• Practical skills.
• Specialist interventions such as motivational interviewing, restorative justice and trauma-informed approaches.

In shortNo qualifications are needed, but you must be at least 18, meet the eyesight and hearing standards and pass enhanced vetting and a DBS check.

HMPPS says no qualifications are needed. The page asks for the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, patience and resilience, team working, reasonable fitness, good eyesight and good hearing.

A physical or mental health condition will not necessarily prevent you from doing the job, with relevant adjustments recommended where appropriate. Declare conditions honestly at the medical stage.

• The required eyesight standard in both eyes, and a suitable standard of hearing without hearing aids.
• At least 18 at the start of the role.
• The right to work under Civil Service nationality rules, and passing pre-employment checks.
• Enhanced Check Level 2 plus a DBS check for those working with under-18s (HMPPS vetting policy). Our prison officer vetting guide covers the process.

1. Check you can be at least 18 on the start date and have the right to work.
2. Check the eyesight and hearing standards against your own, including without aids.
3. Apply through the HMPPS jobs portal for a YOI vacancy (Feltham, Wetherby or Werrington).
4. Complete the tests and the online assessment centre.
5. Complete pre-employment checks and the medical, then agree start and training dates.

In shortUnder-18 sites use different restraint and equipment rules: the adult Use of Force Policy Framework does not cover them.

The adult Use of Force Policy Framework (re-issued 11 September 2025) is written for the adult estate; its action-required box does not list under-18 YOIs.

That does not mean there are no rules for force with children: the framework simply is not the document that governs them. The careers site names MMPR as the technique taught to youth justice workers.

In shortThe day is about supporting young people through the regime; there is a qualification route but no published progression scale.

The careers site says the day involves supporting young people through the regime, helping them attend education and activities, keeping the unit safe and building relationships.

HMPPS describes ongoing development and a qualification route rather than a fixed ladder; the page we read does not give a progression scale for youth justice workers, so we do not set one out.

The shift patterns are likely to resemble the adult estate: rolling shifts including nights, weekends and bank holidays on a 37, 39 or 41-hour contract, though we have not seen a published YJW shift table. The training and secure environment are demanding, and wellbeing support matters; see prison officer stress and wellbeing.

In shortIt suits people who can hold authority and warmth together; ask about site, shifts, MMPR refreshers and the Level 4 qualification before applying.

Be honest with yourself about three things: whether you are comfortable working with children who may have experienced trauma, whether you can cope with physical intervention, and whether you can travel for training and a small number of sites.