ACT Corrective Services employs Custodial Officers to manage detainees at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) and provide transport for detainees between the AMC and other facilities. It is important to have robust staffing and rostering arrangements to ensure continuous delivery of services and facilitate the safe, secure and humane management of detainees.

• ACT Corrective Services has not developed and implemented effective Custodial Officer rostering arrangements that meet the needs of the organisation, its staff and detainees.
• Since 2015, there have been various attempts to reform Custodial Officer rostering arrangements. The mechanisms for changing rosters are governed by the Enterprise Agreement and there is a high bar for making any changes to a roster, irrespective of the merits or otherwise of the change.

• The current roster patterns do not provide a consistent and predictable staff base or support a team-based approach to rostering, which is important for supervision and performance management.
• The rostering of Custodial Officers has been impacted by unplanned leave. When there is a shortfall of Custodial Officers due to unplanned leave, ACT Corrective Services must make decisions to maintain the operation of the AMC and allocate Custodial Officers to priority posts.
• This results in de-manning of posts (typically education, programs and activities posts), cancelling pre-planned Custodial officer training and engaging Custodial officers to work longer shifts at overtime rates.

• The report made seven recommendations aimed at improving the governance and administrative arrangements of Custodial Officer rosters.
• Key recommendations involve identifying and documenting the minimum requirements for Custodial Officer staffing and then developing and documenting roster patterns that meet these requirements.