10 weeks pregnant & new job as prison officer

[Loukate29]

Hello!

I applied to be a prison officer in December last year, the process is so long, fitness tests, interviews, vetting, uniform, my start date now isn't til June but I'm now 10 weeks pregnant.

It's catch 22 because this is my dream job, does anybody have any advice and do you think they can withdraw the offer from me once I tell them in pregnant? I'll be 17 weeks by the time the training starts.

Thank you

I wouldn't work as a prison officer when pregnant personally. Would you be working in a prison before going on maternity leave or would you still be on the training?

I expect you'd be covered by discrimination laws if they tried to withdraw the offer.

I doubt they could withdraw the offer but it’s not a job I would do while pg unless you can be sure of your safety

Did you get pregnant before or after they offered you the job?

What do the Health and Safety rules say?

Do they allow prison officers to work throughout pregnancy or are they put onto other duties?

Don't tell them until you start training but do tell them as soon as you do.

You wont be allowed to be in contact with prisoners if you are pregnant. And you should be put in other duties. It is a pain for everyone though, esp for the other prison officers who have to then cover for the person off duty.

You can, as someone says, try to not say anything and then spur that on them at the last minute. BUT I would think carefully about the impact it will have on you. I’m thinking about how management and colleagues are going to react to you being employed but not able to do the job and then going away in ML...

Join a union as soon as you start. Then tell them during training. You should be entitled to complete your classroom based training but restricted duties for the rest of your pregnancy and then be entitled to a job when you return. Maternity discrimination is very real and everywhere though hence join the union.

They can't withdraw your offer just because you are pregnant. Tell them and you will be given the option of no prisoner contact (do take this). It will be annoying for others but if you are going to return and have a career there it's only a small period of time.

Think about if/How you can return to work - ime you need supportive friends and family, not least for childcare at unusual hours. It's a tough job to do at the best of times but really difficult with a baby.

You need to tell them before training starts. The first training week is usually a shadow week, you’ll be on the wings. You’ll need to be placed on restricted duties, you can’t have prisoner contact while you’re pregnant it just isn’t safe. You won’t be able to do the full training while pregnant (the C&R training is INCREDIBLY physical, you’ll be putting yourself and your baby at risk. But they might be able to defer this part until you return to work (you need to do a refresher every year anyway, so you’d be due that by the time you return from mat leave).

Good luck, but please don’t put yours and your baby’s safety at risk by not telling them

Oh what a shame regarding timing. The prison service has an excelent enhanced maternity package but you have to have 52 weeks service to qualify
I've worked for them for 15 years, and found balancing work and family life OK. If it's a job you really want, go for it. You will be training for quite a bit of it, and non-prisoner contact at your establishment so safety wise no issues although I did still see prisoners right up until birth all 4 times but my role allows for discretion

Thank you everybody. I applied in December and conceived February during the long process.. silly me. Oh well! I'll reapply in future. Again, thanks for replying!

Why would you need to reapply in future?

I just don't know if they'll want me I guess

If you've been offered the job, it's yours to take. There is a reason that pregnancy and maternity discrimination is banned.

Yeah I get that. Just because I still will need to go through 10 weeks training I feel like it's going to be a massive inconvenience to them to find me a post after too!! Seen as I'm going to be 19 weeks when I start the training and it lasts for 10 weeks. Real difficult situation

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/employment_issues/3037590-Working-with-prisoners-while-pregnant

This thread rang a bell - might be worth reading?

I've actually already read that! Googled it quite a few times. Thank you though!