Job detail for Caseworker

Job description

Are you interested in working with Parole Scotland and gaining insight into a vital part of Scotland's justice system?

This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast-paced casework team that supports the Parole Board for Scotland in making informed decisions on the release and management of offenders.

The Parole Board for Scotland (PBS) is an independent Non-Departmental Public Body responsible for directing Scottish Ministers on the release and recall of certain categories of prisoners and restricted patients. PBS also considers the recall of offenders, including Short-Term Sex Offenders, where licence conditions have been breached.

The Board is made up of a Chair and a range of public appointees and is supported by Parole Scotland, which provides the administrative and operational support required to manage parole and recall processes for individuals in custody and in the community.

As a Casework Officer, you will play a key role within Parole Scotland's Casework Team by providing administrative support to Parole Board Members and ensuring they receive the information required to make informed decisions at parole hearings.

This is a varied, fast-paced and high-profile area of work, requiring excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities. Please note that this role involves reviewing case documentation that may contain distressing, sensitive or graphic details relating to criminal offences.

---

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including Parole Board Members, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service (SPS), solicitors, prisoners, prisoners’ families, victims, Community-Based Social Workers (CBSW), Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), clinical teams, senior colleagues and the Risk Management Authority.
• Respond professionally and appropriately to a variety of enquiries and requests, both verbally and in writing.
• Manage prisoner dossiers received through the Prisoner Parole Dossier Service (PPDS), ensuring records are accurate, complete and up to date.
• Review and incorporate late or supplementary information received from prisons, social work services and other stakeholders, ensuring key targets and statutory deadlines are met with minimal supervision.
• Ensure all relevant case documentation is referred to Parole Board Members in a timely manner to support parole consideration and decision-making.
• Prepare, quality assure and issue oral hearing notifications, along with witness citations, to all relevant parties, in line with agreed timescales.
• Issue decision minutes relating to all types of prisoners to relevant stakeholders.

Success profile

Success Profiles outline the combination of experience and behaviours that will be assessed during the recruitment process

Experience

• Experience of casework or administrative case management within an operational delivery environment.
• Demonstrable ability to prioritise workloads effectively, manage competing demands and meet deadlines.

Behaviours:

1. Making Effective Decisions - Level 1
2. Working Together - Level 1
3. Delivering at Pace - Level 1
4. Communicating and Influencing - Level 1

Find out more about Success Profiles.

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 750 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 19th October 2026 however this may be subject to change.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About us

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave. Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.

Equality statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

Apply before 23:59 on 1st October 2026.  This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship Organisations only (external candidates and staff from UK Other Government Departments are not eligible to apply for this vacancy).