End-Point Assessment for Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) is a vital part of the development for the policing workforce. With the Government focus on recruitment into the Policing sector, PCSO Apprentices could form a valuable part of your ongoing workforce strategy, with EPA a crucial point that contributes to Police Services achieving their staffing goals.
The role of an Apprentice Police
Community Support Officer
Apprentice Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are community-based. The role is very distinct from Police Constables, who are bestowed with PCSO-specific powers to enable them to perform their duties. Working under the overall direction of line managers and Police Constables colleagues, PCSOs are expected to act independently and autonomously.
The primary function of the PCSO is to be the visible and uniformed presence of the service in the community, fostering and promoting positive relationships, regularly attend community and neighbourhood meetings, liaising with schools and other inter-community partnership working. The role includes gathering relevant information and intelligence from the community to help steer ongoing and future policing investigations.
Talk to the experts
Take the hassle out of End-Point Assessment, talk to our dedicated team who will support your organisation through EPA.
Get in touchWhat does the EPA involve?
Download our Police Community Support Officer EPA Guide.
Start your EPA Strategy
Our hands-on EPA team will support you on your road to successfully deliver a highly skilled police workforce.
SFJ Awards is the leading Police Service EPAO
As the Police Community Support Officer EPAO (End-Point Assessment Organisation) in England, and with a tried and tested approach to police sector apprenticeships, we offer impartial, robust, and supportive solutions to help employers guide their apprentices through EPA.
- Our expert assessors have significant sector experience and take a customer-focussed approach, helping us to deliver a first-class End-Point Assessment (EPA) service. The comprehensive support we provide to all of our EPA customers includes a virtual information session for your staff, delivered by sector specialists, to bring the EPA to life, answer any queries and to support them when preparing apprentices for EPA.
- To enable the EPA to run smoothly, apprentices are registered with us using Odyssey Online, our online learner management system. Using Odyssey, you will be able to register apprentices one at a time or in bulk, and the system will provide real time management reports, which include information on an apprentice’s progress and achievements.
Extra guidance for EPA when you work with SFJ Awards
We want to make sure that, as an employer, you receive the best possible guidance and support throughout your EPA journey, to make sure that you have the best experience in readiness for the assessment of your apprentices. Our dedicated team help employers planning EPA by going the extra mile with:
- Ongoing guidance before your EPA, including unlimited access to speak to our EPA team, and an on-site visit from our EPA Service Manager.
- Access to an e-portal that enables you to carefully track your apprentices’ goals and achievements, from registration and gateway through to certification.
- Qualified and recommended Independent Assessors who conduct the EPA Observation and EPA Professional Discussion.
- Access to online or paper-based knowledge tests to help ensure your apprentices have gained the right level of expertise to do their role.
- Robust quality assurance processes give our EPA customers complete peace of mind.
- Results and detailed feedback for your apprentices, irrespective of the outcome of their EPA.
- An EPA checklist that helps you throughout the process, making sure you’ve covered all the essentials to be ready for EPA.
