Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what band of seniority (1) family services leads and (2) family engagement leads typically occupy in prisons; and what assessment they have made of how this compares with education and employment leads.

The Head of Reducing Re-offending (HoRR) – typically at Band 7 or 8 in His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) – is responsible for family services, together with other areas such as housing, finance/benefit/debt, faith, health/drug strategy and offending behaviour.

Unlike the HoRR role, there is no requirement at present to employ a Family Engagement Lead. In prisons where a member of HMPPS staff undertakes this role, it is normally in the range Band 3 – 5. These are predominately non-operational roles.

A Head of Education Skills & Work in an establishment is typically at Band 7. This is a functional management job, with responsibility for setting the strategic direction for all of education, skills and work within the prison.

Prisons Employment Leads, at Band 6, oversee Employment Hubs in prisons and support prisoners with employability, matching them to jobs in advance of their release.