On Thursday 7 October 2021, the POVB State Executive met with Directors of HR and Senior Management in relation to Corrective Services NSW’s (CSNSW’s) proposal to change its recruitment strategy. For many years, the pathway to an ongoing Correctional Officer role was via casual recruitment.
HR proposed that moving forward, CSNSW will have two separate recruitment processes:
- Direct Ongoing Recruitment; and
- Casual Recruitment.
CSNSW will fill substantive base grade Correctional Officer roles by advertising externally (iworkfor.nsw.gov.au) for ongoing Correctional Officers. New recruits who successfully apply for ongoing roles will progress into an ongoing role as a Probationary Correctional Officer after completing primary training at the Academy.
Applicants who apply for a Casual Correctional Officer role will go through a separate process to the ongoing applicants. After Casual applicants complete primary training, they will be placed in the Casual Pool for a Correctional Centre, CESU location or cluster. Casual Correctional Officers must apply via the external ongoing recruitment process to be considered for an ongoing Correctional Officer role.
HR will commence this process within the next three months and has proposed that the 2019 and 2020 Casual to Ongoing Talent Pools be scrapped and replaced with ONE final expression of interest (EOI) to create a talent pool to fill all remaining substantive Correctional Officer positions in CSNSW. This process is expected be completed by the end of January 2022, after which CSNSW will move to the new processes outlined above.
An undertaking was given that ALL Casual Correctional Officers, even those with fewer than 50 shifts in service, will be eligible to apply for the final EOI for Casual to Ongoing recruitment. That also includes new recruits currently in primary training at the Academy.
HR was clear in its message to all staff and potential applicants; Casual employment is no longer a pathway to an ongoing Correctional Officer role. Please ensure you pass this information onto any family members or friends who are considering applying to be a Correctional Officer with CSNSW.
Before applying for the final casual to ongoing EOI, the POVB State Executive strongly encourages all Casual Correctional Officers to familiarise yourself with:
- the current EOI application process;
- Capability Frameworks;
- CSNSW values of Service/Trust/Accountability/Integrity/Respect; and
- CSNSW’s vision of reducing inmates from reoffending.
We encourage all Casual Correctional Officers to also apply for the externally (iworkfor.nsw.gov.au) advertised ongoing Correctional Officer recruitment process as a back-up plan, in case they are unsuccessful in being selected from the talent pool by the end of January 2022.
HR advised it will provide the POVB its proposal in writing within the next three weeks and has set further consultation for Thursday 28 October 2021.
Contact details
Nicole Jess Chairperson 0427 609 199
Jason Charlton Vice Chairperson 0401 500 976
Natalie Howes Secretary 0407 011 441
Mark Hutchinson Assistant Secretary 0410 031 963
Darren King Country Vice Chair 0407 935 039
Joshua Hamade Country Vice Chair 0456 249 991
Clinton Lamb Vice Chair Overseer 0400 709 144
David McCauley POVB Industrial Officer 0419 022 767
David Bartle POVB Industrial Officer 0418 425 976
Trish O’Brien Welfare Officer 0412 120 391