**Detention Gatekeeper Caseworker

Job description

About the job

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government's immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. We also aim to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.

Job description

The Detention Gatekeeper (DGK) was introduced in June 2016 following Stephen Shaw's Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons. As a cross-departmental and independent function within the Detention, Progression and Returns Command (DPRC), the DGK ensures that only suitable individuals enter the immigration detention estate.

Acting as a key safeguard, the DGK identifies and protects individuals who fall within the scope of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention Policy. The team promotes alternative removal routes wherever appropriate, ensuring that detention is used only as a last resort, particularly for those considered vulnerable. Where detention is necessary, the DGK seeks to ensure that any period of detention is kept to an absolute minimum.

The DGK considers referrals for detention from across the Home Office and is responsible for authorising admission into immigration detention for cases managed by the National Returns Command (NRC), Foreign National Offender Returns Command (FNO RC), Detained Asylum Casework (DAC), UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Border Force and Special Cases Directorate (SCD).

Working in a fast-paced environment, the DGK makes effective, evidence-based decisions by applying detention and Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policies, considering the prospect of removal, and balancing Home Office priorities.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidates will be responsible for:

• Considering referrals from all sources where immigration detention has been authorised by a senior manager or above, and a space in the detention estate is sought.
• Making quality, fair and immediate decisions about whether cases should enter the detention estate, relaying those decisions to referring officers effectively and calmly.
• Manage and oversee the shift when Duty Officer, ensuring colleagues are allocated to different workflow areas to meet Service Level Agreements and all email inboxes are monitored.
• Identifying and raising barriers to removal that exist for cases being referred for detention. Escalating cases where there are complex issues.
• Identifying individuals who are potentially vulnerable and taking necessary steps to make decisions on the circumstances in which detention may or may not be appropriate.
• Completing the initial detention review and generating associated paperwork for those individuals accepted for detention.
• Contributing to and support 2-3 internal thematic areas aside of operational duties, such as performance management, Wellbeing and stakeholder engagement.
• Liaising with the Detainee Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) on a daily basis with regard to available detention space and capacities.
• Communicating effectively with internal stakeholders, ensuring that problems and complaints are resolved in a timely fashion.
• Using IT tools available as part of the referral and workflow process.
• Starting an initial removal plan prior to allocation for the caseworker concerned, taking into consideration travel documentation and any outstanding barriers.
• Allocating cases that have been accepted to the appropriate detention managing team (HUB).
• Overseeing the release of individuals where authorised by senior colleagues.
• Assisting with data gathering and analysis where required to support strategic projects being completed within the team.
• Reporting Offender Management (ROM) teams and UKVI units to ensure the right cases enter immigration detention.
• You will stay up to date with immigration detention guidance and policy, as well as other stakeholders published guidance to ensure justified detention decisions are made.

You will have strong communication skills and be confident in liaising with colleagues and stakeholders, including senior managers.

You may be required to undertake the same or a similar role within a different team or teams (where possible, at your base location or within reasonable travel distance), depending on business priorities. With appropriate training and support, this will provide opportunities to broaden both your experience and skill set.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.

Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.

The team has maintained operations throughout the year, weekends and public holidays (including Christmas and Boxing Day), currently operating between 07.00 and 21.00 during the week and 07.00 and 19.00 at weekends and public holidays (this may be subject to change including the possibility of a 24-hour operation). The team works on a roster/shift basis and the successful post holder will be required to adopt Annualised Hours working terms and conditions and work on a hybrid working pattern, working a minimum of 60% of shifts from the office.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Successful candidates will need to demonstrate:

• The ability to work at pace and under pressure, be proactive and prioritise key activities.
• Strong communication skills - oral, written and IT based and confident when liaising with colleagues and stakeholders, including senior managers.
• Experience of using evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice.

Desirable criteria

• Immigration detention knowledge
• Previous experience in an operational delivery role or equivalent

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of approximately 23% of salary, which equates to an additional £8,835 per annum based on salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application - by 24th August 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift - 26th August 2026

The sift will be held on Personal Statement and Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions, as listed in the advert.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the CV and Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview - 17th September 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place MS Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you've made a mistake on an initial application, please contact [email protected], including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Integrity Check

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Border Force or Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.

Further Information

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the "Assistance Required" section in the "Additional Requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.