NOMS North West strategic commissioning plan 2010-2013 · Commissioning Plan . 2010-2013. Strategic Commissioning Plan 2010-2013 Foreword . I am pleased to introduce the first commissioning

Strategic Commissioning Plan 2010-2013

NOMS South West



Foreword

I am pleased to introduce the first commissioning plan from the

National Offender Management Service South West (NOMS SW)

since I was appointed as Director of Offender Management in 2009.

It builds on our reducing reoffending action plan published in July

2009 and represents a major step in ensuring effective and efficient

delivery of the services for which we are responsible. It also

acknowledges the vital role that our partners play in reducing

reoffending and protecting the public.

I recognise that commissioning within a reducing budget is difficult. The decommissioning

decisions that we will make this year are influenced by the priorities set out in this plan.

All 5 probation areas will be operating as Trusts from April 2010. A benefit of Trust status will be

an ability to act as local commissioners, bring together joint commissioning and develop local

partnership arrangements. Trusts will be the lead provider of offender management.

I support local commissioning as a way of stimulating innovation and ensuring that service delivery

meets the needs and priorities of local populations. I am determined that by 2013 NOMS SW,

together with our partners, will have contributed to protecting the public and achieving the

Government’s target to reduce reoffending by ten percent. To do this we will focus on ensuring that

good quality offender management effectively links offenders to the right intervention.

I am grateful for the comments received on our consultation document that means that this plan

reflects the view of a broad range of partners and demonstrates the contribution that you make to

reducing reoffending and protecting the public in our region.

COLLIN ALLARS

Director of Offender Management, NOMS South West

Contents

Foreword

Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................. 1

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4 Purpose of the Commissioning Plan................................................................................... 4 National and Local Contexts ............................................................................................... 4 Our Values .......................................................................................................................... 8 Equality and Diversity ......................................................................................................... 8 Resource Assumptions ..................................................................................................... 10 Consultation Process ........................................................................................................ 11

DEVELOPING SERVICES....................................................................................... 12 Community Services ......................................................................................................... 12 Probation Trusts................................................................................................................ 13 Custodial Services ............................................................................................................ 15 Offender Management ...................................................................................................... 17 Indeterminate Sentenced Offenders ................................................................................. 20 Attendance Centres .......................................................................................................... 23 Electronic Monitoring ........................................................................................................ 24 Partnerships...................................................................................................................... 24 Commissioning for Women............................................................................................... 25 Mental and Physical Health of Offenders.......................................................................... 28 Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour .................................................................................... 29 Accommodation ................................................................................................................ 31 Bail Accommodation and Support Service (BASS)........................................................... 34 Children and Families ....................................................................................................... 34 Finance, Benefit and Debt ................................................................................................ 36 Employment and skills ...................................................................................................... 38 Drugs ................................................................................................................................ 41 Alcohol .............................................................................................................................. 42

Action Plan ............................................................................................................. 45

Appendices............................................................................................................. 46 Appendix 1: Glossary........................................................................................................ 46 Appendix 2: Definitions ..................................................................................................... 48 Appendix 3: References.................................................................................................... 51 Appendix 4: List of Web-based Supporting Evidence....................................................... 53 Appendix 5: Equality Impact Assessment ......................................................................... 54


Executive Summary

This commissioning plan is produced by NOMS South West. It describes the activities that NOMS

is responsible for in order to reduce reoffending and protect the public in the region. It outlines the

identified needs and priorities that will inform commissioning and decommissioning as we move

into a challenging financial year in 2010-11.

The supporting evidence of need and current service provision is in a web-based annex

(www.rrpsouthwest.org.uk). These annexes are referred to throughout the plan and are listed in

Appendix 4.

NOMS SW Core Business

We commission and monitor custodial and community services for approximately 23,000

offenders in the south west

There are 14 prisons in the region (13 public sector and 1 private contractor) providing secure

accommodation for up to 6,735 offenders

There are 5 probation Trusts managing over 12,000 offenders on community sentences and

pre and post release supervision. They also provide services to victims and the courts

The services we commission are based on the best evidence available to help offenders

change their lives in order to reduce their chances of reoffending

All regional custodial and community service providers are currently performance rated at

level 3 (good performance) or level 4 (exceptional performance)

We commission offender services directly and in partnership with other organisations

We have worked with custodial providers to achieve regional savings of £6 million for 2010–

11

We will contribute to the reduction of reoffending by focussing on the following priorities:

Ensuring appropriate custodial and community services by:

Working to match the number of prison places provided so that priority is given to prisoners

from the South West who will be resettling into the region

Ensuring that all south west prisons and probation Trusts perform to at least level 3

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Meeting the needs of diverse groups better via services that strive for equality of outcomes for

all.

Working effectively with partners by: Leading a thriving reducing reoffending partnership and supporting the work of pathways

Aligning commissioning with key regional partners to ensure access to mainstream services

and the avoidance of duplication

Encouraging local partnerships to include reducing reoffending in their strategic plans

Enabling a vibrant range of private and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) partners to

deliver services to offenders together with statutory agencies

Developing a shared understanding of how agencies can prioritise investment for maximum

benefit

Providing effective and efficient interventions by:

Ensuring that interventions are aligned better to meet need whilst delivering value for money

within a reducing budget

Improving access to timely and appropriate health care

Developing integrated drug treatment to achieve continuity of care for drug using offenders

whilst increasing the focus on alcohol treatment

Moving more offenders into employment or training leading to employment following release

from prison or while under supervision in the community

Ensuring that fewer offenders lose their accommodation upon imprisonment and more are

supported into suitable and sustainable accommodation in the community

Developing sustainable debt and finance services for offenders

Developing “Think Family” practice in working with offenders and their children and families

to secure better outcomes through integrated services

Identifying and addressing the specific needs of women offenders

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Delivering end to end Offender Management by: Ensuring quality end-to-end offender management across the region

Supporting development of Integrated Offender Management

Ensuring that Courts receive the quality and timely sentencing advice they require

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Introduction

Purpose of the Commissioning Plan

This plan sets out the priorities and identifies resources for NOMS SW from April 2010.

It builds on the work of the South West Reducing Reoffending Partnership Board as outlined in the

Reducing Reoffending Delivery Plan (RRDP) 2009-10.

Separate web-based annexes (www.rrpsouthwest.org.uk) present data from various sources to

illustrate the demands on the system as well as the profile and needs of offenders in the region.

Our commissioning priorities are based on this evidence and the outcome of our consultation

process.

National and Local Contexts

The context for regional and local commissioning is challenging. Demand for services is growing

and, despite falling crime rates, more people are being sent to prison and more are receiving

community sentences that require Probation resources. The south west receives prisoners from

across the country and this has an impact upon the effectiveness of our resettlement services.

At the same time there have been severe organisational and budgetary pressures on regional

offices, prisons and probation Trusts.

The Ministry Of Justice and the NOMS Executive Agency Under Ministry of Justice organisational changes in April 2008, NOMS was restructured as an

executive agency. The focus of NOMS is to “help protect the public and reduce reoffending”

(Ministry of Justice Strategic Objective).

NOMS is responsible for commissioning and delivering adult offender management services in

custody and the community. Our aim is to integrate probation and prison management of

offenders.

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The Role of the Director of Offender Management. From 1st April 2009, a new regional structure was implemented nationally. This brought together

the region’s prisons and probation areas under one Director of Offender Management. Colin Allars

is the Director of Offender Management for the South West.

The Director of Offender Management is accountable for delivery of offender management

services in the region. He is required to allocate resources to achieve best value outcomes in

terms of public protection and reducing reoffending.

South West Reducing Reoffending Partnership The south west has a history of partnership working and it is recognised by the Director of

Offender Management that this is a key route to achieving a reduction in reoffending. The South

West Partnership Board will be reviewed to ensure that regional strategies link better, that pathway

themes are supported and that local strategies are properly supported by regional activity.

Reducing Reoffending Pathways

Currently eight pathway groups bring together the expertise of about 100 members to deliver

activity intended to impact directly on the issues that are known to affect reoffending, for example,

accommodation, family ties and skills development. These are detailed in the Reducing

Reoffending Plan and our commissioning priorities reflect these work streams.

Pathways decide their own delivery plans but it is anticipated that these work streams will:

Provide a clear picture of existing and planned provision for each pathway

Receive evidence of innovative and effective practice and act as sponsors for new activities

Inform commissioning and partnership plans in order to contribute to reducing reoffending

With the increase importance of local delivery, it will be necessary to review this approach during

2010-11 to ensure that regional work adds value to the local agenda.

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Partnership Working

It is recognised that we can only make our communities safer and reduce reoffending across the

region by working in partnership with the public, private, voluntary, community and social

enterprises (VCS). .

It is essential that commissioners at all levels develop appropriate links with other agencies,

partners and stakeholders in order to create integrated services for offenders that avoid

duplication.

NOMS SW will commission services at a regional level where this provides best value;

procurement will also occur at the level that delivers best value.

We are committed to ensuring that our work at a regional level contributes to local delivery. We will

therefore concentrate on work that can best be done at this level. This means working with

stakeholders and delivery partners where a regional focus adds value. Examples include our

continued work with Government Office SW with European Social Funding (in our role as a co-

financing organisation), with Offender Health on developing effective relationships with Primary

Care Trusts and mental health providers and with the Learning and Skills Council (Skills Funding

Agency from April 2010) on the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS).

A key partner in this work is CLINKS, a national organisation that supports, promotes and

represents Voluntary and Community Sector partners working in the Criminal Justice System in

the region.

There are a number of emerging social enterprises that contribute to the reduction of reoffending.

NOMS SW is supportive of these and will work to ensure that they are effectively linked to local

delivery.

For local partnerships, the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill will make Local

Area Agreements (LAA) the main delivery contract between central government and the local

government community, including probation Trusts.

Probation Trusts must work with local strategic partnerships (LSP), Crime and Disorder Reduction

Partnerships (CDRP), Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) and Local Criminal Justice Boards

(LCJB) in relation to reducing reoffending.

This involvement will be reviewed as part of the performance management process between

NOMS and Trusts. The eventual aim is to reflect local plans in our regional commissioning strategy

so that the regional plan adds value to local delivery.

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NOMS is responsible for contributing to the delivery of the following cross agency themes:

Increasing the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and

employment, education or training

Making communities safer

Delivering a more effective, transparent and responsive Criminal Justice System

Reduce the harm caused by drugs and alcohol.

During 2008, courts in the south west sentenced 49,039 offenders. 7871 were committed to

immediate custody and 12,513 into a community penalty (Sentencing Data from NOMS

Performance Hub). Through end-to-end management of these offenders, we ensure the delivery of

the sentence of the court and attempt to address, with partners, the causal factors for their

offending behaviour.

The relationship between these elements is illustrated below:

Other partners inc VCS Charitable funders

DOM

LCJBs

Local Area Agreements CDRPs/CSPs

Local Authorities

Attendance Centres

JCP

OLASS Drug & Alcohol

Co-Financing( DWP / LSC)

Offender HealthSocial Care

Supporting People Probation Boards/ Trusts

Contracted Prisons

Public Sector Prisons

Partnership Working

Director of Offender Management Commissioning

‘Aligned’ (Co/Joint) Commissioning Delivery partners & stakeholders

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Best Value Frameworks and Benchmarking

NOMS SW will be using service specifications to assist in commissioning. These will initially

provide a starting point for analysis of the costs and outputs of services to ensure efficient and

consistent delivery. NOMS SW will incorporate these into service requirements as appropriate.

The Best Value Framework will enable probation Trusts to demonstrate, in a transparent way, the

value for money of their services and to drive improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of

delivery.

Our Values

In delivering prison and probation services, we will:

Be objective and take full account of public protection when assessing risk

Be open, honest and transparent

Incorporate equality and diversity in all we do

Value and empower staff, and work collaboratively with others

Ensure that offenders are treated with decency and respect

Embrace change and innovation and

Use our resources in the most cost effective way.

Within NOMS SW this work will be delivered via groups focussed on commissioning, performance

management, partnerships and ad-hoc projects.

Equality and Diversity

NOMS SW is committed to providing a fair service to all. It is also the only way to deliver an

effective service: unless we get equalities right we will not achieve our goals of protecting the

public and reducing reoffending.

This Commissioning Plan 2010-2011 is intended to be responsive to the diverse needs of

individual offenders, acknowledging that offenders are among the most socially excluded groups in

8


society. In line with its commitment to deliver positive outcomes against all diversity streams,

NOMS will develop approaches to address the needs of particular groups and individuals who face

additional disadvantage.

Improvements in the way some aspects of diversity are managed is necessary; for example,

understanding of needs in relation to sexual orientation, gypsy, romany, traveller status, and

gender identity need to be strengthened

We will ensure that we uphold legal duties in all aspects of diversity working and work closely with

existing partners to increase awareness of new legalisation including the imminent Equality Bill.

We are committed to developing links with organisations with specific expertise in all the major

diversity streams, where need is identified.

The general population of the South West region is one of the least ethnically diverse of the 9

English regions, with only 4.7% BME population (Census 2001; Office for national Statistics).

Despite the low regional BME population, 26.7% of male prisoners and 28% of female prisoners in

the South West are from BME groups (The Corston Report March 2007); this is 5.5 times the

proportion of the regions general population. Some of this is due to the fact that the South West

prisons are net importers of prisoners from other regions, especially highly diverse centres such as

London (Exodus Project, Jamie Cudden 2005).

Meeting the needs of BME offenders is being prioritised within the contracts with our probation

Trusts and within the regional employability projects funded via the European Social Fund. Prisons

and probation Trusts work with a wide range of VCS partners to deliver specialist support and

services to BME offenders.

The South West Region has an established network of Race Equality Officers and Foreign

National Prisoner Liaison Officers in place in all custodial establishments who work closely with

identified Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and Foreign National Prisoners (FNP's).

BME and FN prisoner specific needs analyses are currently being carried out in custodial

establishments across the region to establish the level of need. Local engagement with BME

focused service providers is evident in a number of delivery units, and a local BME provider

network has been established by South West Regional Office in partnership with CLINKS SW.

The prison population is steadily aging, with an increasing percentage of prisoners aged 50 or

over. In line with the 'Older Prisoner Care Pathway' developed by the Department of Health and

the 'Working with older prisoners resource kit' developed by NACRO, the South West Region has

developed strong working links with Age Concern Older Offenders Project (ACOOP) who aim to

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offer social care, advice and support to older offenders and their families, both in prison and within

the wider criminal justice system, and who at present serve the South West of England.

The South West Region has an established network of Disability Liaison Officers in place in all

custodial establishments who work closely with identified older prisoners and prisoners with

identified disabilities. Partnership working is being developed with the Department of Health South

West, Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and the Health and Social Care in Criminal

Justice, Community Development Workers (CDW's) focusing particularly on mental illness and

learning disability amongst prisoners and offenders in the region.

A Regional Diversity Adviser (RDA) works for NOMS SW to assist in the implementation and

delivery of the NOMS Single Equalities Scheme for offenders 2009 – 2012; and in the

development and implementation of a Regional Single Equalities Scheme.

Probation Trusts in the region have produced Single Equality Schemes as part of the trust

application process. These will be reviewed annually supported by the RDA. Equality and diversity

responsibilities and obligations for each probation trust are set out in detail within their contract

with NOMS.

An equality impact assessment has been completed on this plan (Appendix 5).

Resource Assumptions

It is clear that a key driver for commissioning over the next three years will be ensuring that quality

and best value are achieved with reducing resources. A focus on ‘what works’ will help drive this.

Budgets are reducing in real terms over this period and this will mean that value for money and

efficiency will be a primary focus. A key principle underpinning all regional commissioning and

decommissioning will be to ensure that it is guided by the best evidence available. In reality the

scope for re-allocation of resources during 2010-11 will be limited as services are being required to

deliver within tight financial constraints.

The total regional budget allocated by NOMS SW for prison and probation services is

approximately £215m (2009-10).

We have worked with our custodial providers to achieve regional savings of £6 million for 2010–11.

This has been achieved whilst deliberately minimising the impact on voluntary sector partners.

NOMS SW will retain a small amount of grant funding to promote engagement between LDUs and

VCS during 2010-11 as this new structure emerges.

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Consultation Process

This document has been produced following a three-month consultation period that included a joint

NOMS/CLINKS stakeholder event on December 9th 2009. An extensive questions and answers

document has been produced in response.

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Developing Services

Community Services

N

eeds Analysis

Courts in the region imposed 9462 community orders and 2776 suspended sentences in 2008-09.

The probation Trusts supervise over 12,000 offenders in the region at any one time of whom

approximately 12% are female. This data is in Annex 2.

Figures for commencements and caseloads show a general increase. We will continue to monitor

and work with probation Trusts on the activities they undertake to influence court-led demand for

services.

The Offender Assessment System (OASys) provides the most reliable offender needs and risks

data and this is the starting point for aligning resources to address offending related needs. Annex

3 describes caveats in relation to the use of OASys data.

The profile of risk of harm, risk of reoffending and offending-related needs among offenders

subject to probation supervision (either under court community orders or on licence release as part

of custodial sentences), as recorded by Offender Managers via OASys, are in Annex 4.

Commissioning implications are addressed in each pathway section below.

The OASys and volumes data can be analysed at national, regional and local probation area

levels. In future, this will also need to be broken down further within probation areas, to the Local

Delivery Unit (LDU) level which will be aligned with Local Area Agreement priorities.

C

urrent Provision

The Director of Offender Management currently has SLAs with the 5 probation Trusts covering the

South West. Each Trust is responsible for an area that is coterminous with police force areas and

court service units.

The probation Trusts are responsible for delivery of the range of probation services (offender

management and interventions) within their areas, as required by NOMS and commissioned by the

Director of Offender Management. The probation boards are also local commissioners of probation

services which can be delivered either ‘in-house’ or through contracts, or other partnership

arrangements with public, private or VCS partners - whichever provides best value.

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The 5 probation areas vary in size, geography and offender profiles, but they all face similar

challenges in relation to making best use of their limited resources in order to meet the demands of

the courts, to protect the public and reduce reoffending.

Probation Trusts

Probation areas are rising to the challenge to become probation Trusts by 1 April 2010. To

become a Trust, probation areas had to meet challenging requirements in relation to:

Local engagement and accountability Probation areas have to demonstrate that they can introduce local delivery units aligned with

the local delivery structures of key partner agencies and local authorities. They have to show

how local leadership of these units will deliver strong offender management and internal

performance, and improve local partnerships and commissioning activity – with a view to

influencing Local Area Agreements and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

(CDRPs).

Performance Probation areas are required to deliver ‘green’ or ‘green star’ levels of performance against

the Integrated Probation Performance Framework (IPPF), and to be able to demonstrate how

mechanisms for managing and improving performance at all levels will be sustained in the

future.

Use of resources Based on three year indicative budgets issued for planning purposes, probation areas have to

demonstrate robust business and financial planning. In particular, they have to show how they

will reduce overheads to maximise front line capacity, achieve efficiency savings, generate

income, and demonstrate value for money.

Organisational capability Probation areas also have to demonstrate that they have the necessary leadership and

management capability, and the organisational development planning, to deliver the scale of

the changes required to achieve, and realise, the benefits of Trust status.

Each of the Probation Trusts will be accountable for the delivery of a contract to be agreed

with the Director of Offender Management. A key element of Trust activity will be

engagement with local communities via Local Delivery Units (LDUs).

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Table 1: LDU structure for SW Probation Trusts

Trust Local Delivery Units

Avon and Somerset Probation Trust

1. Bristol 2. Bath and NE Somerset and S.Gloucestershire 3. Somerset and N.Somerset

Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust

1. Plymouth 2. Cornwall 3. Devon

Dorset Probation Trust 1. Bournemouth and Poole 2. Dorset

Gloucestershire Probation Trust 1. Gloucestershire

Wiltshire Probation Trust 1. Swindon 2. Wiltshire

Commissioning Proposals

The Director of Offender Management will commission all regional probation Trusts to deliver

community services to a minimum level 3 (‘good’) performance rating1.

Any probation Trust that falls below a level 3 performance rating will be required to present an

action plan to the Director of Offender Management to demonstrate how it will regain a level 3

rating within an agreed timescale.

NOMS SW will work with probation Trusts to implement specifications as they are produced

from the national Specification Benchmarking and Costing programme, and to carry out Best

Value reviews on relevant services.

Staff from the regional team will work with newly created probation Trusts to identify and

realise key benefits from their acquisition of Trust status.

NOMS SW will facilitate discussion between Probation Chief Officers and Prison Governors to

enable effective joint involvement in partnerships.

1 All probation Trusts are rated on a 1 to 4 scale. Level 4 is delivering exceptionally high performance. Level 1 indicates a poor performer. The ratings are derived primarily from performance against targets but are subject to a moderation process to take account of wider performance factors.


Custodial Services

Needs Analysis

The south west is a net importer of prisoners from other regions (approximately 50%).

This proportion is highest amongst women (approx 67.5%), male juveniles/ young people (80% at

HMYOI Portland in July 2008) and training prisons (in HMP Leyhill over 65% of the population

have reception addresses from outside the region, (Annex 6)).

This means that this population is removed further from their families, communities, courts and

resettlement services (including access to small and medium size employers who are the largest

employer base in the region).

Population data also shows that a considerable number of south west offenders are held outside

the region. Some of this dispersal is due to security category, but many appear to be displaced

inappropriately.

Many of the region’s prisons are relatively small, and consist of very old accommodation that is

expensive to maintain, inflexible and difficult to bring up to modern standards. The South West

region is the largest of the English regions in terms of physical size. Rural locations and lack of

transport links for many prisons pose challenges in developing quality services, effective

partnerships, and supporting family links. This is particularly acute for women and young offenders

who will inevitably be located a long way from home.

Partnership working is as important in the custodial setting as it is in the community. The changing

role of probation Trusts will require prison governors and Chief Officers to review their involvement

in partnership to avoid duplication, and maximise benefit.

Summary of Current Provision NOMS SW manages 14 prisons (13 public sector and 1 private contractor) providing secure

accommodation for up to 6,735 offenders. The capacity and type of the region’s prisons is

described in Table 2 below:

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Table 2: South West Prison type and capacity

Prison Establishment Type Operational Capacity

Bristol Male Local 614 Dorchester Male Local 258 Exeter Male Local 537 Gloucester Male Local 321 Male Local sub total 1730 Eastwood Park Female Local 362 Channings Wood Category C 731 Dartmoor Category C 614 Erlestoke Category C 470 Guys Marsh Category C 578 Shepton Mallet Category C 189 Verne Category C 595 Category C sub total 3177 Ashfield Male Juvenile 400 Leyhill Category D 532 Portland Male Closed YOI 554 AREA TOTAL 6755

Prisons in the south west have capacity for up to 6,755 prisoners: 5,419 places for adult males,

362 places for women and girls, 400 for male juveniles and 557 for male young offenders.

Approximately 8,400 offenders are discharged from our prisons annually (Annex 7).

There is no women’s prison in Wales. Female offenders from Wales represent 31% of the

population of Eastwood Park (Annex 5). The distance from Cornwall, for example, is in excess of

an eight hour round trip with no direct public transport link. Women from the south west are then

often transferred even further afield from Eastwood Park.


NOMS SW will work to match the number of prison places provided so that priority is given to

prisoners from the south west who will be resettling in the region. This will include a review of

provision as well as continued dialogue with those responsible for prisoner movement. This

work will include discussions with other regions. This will offer significant benefits for partners

and improve resettlement leading to reduced reoffending. An inevitable consequence will be a

reduction in prison capacity in the south west.

The cost of maintaining and improving the region’s prison estate will be critically assessed

with a view to decommissioning places that do not represent best value for money and a high

ongoing liability to the public purse. This will need to match expectations of national prison

capacity.

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The Director of Offender Management will commission all regional prisons to deliver custodial

services to a minimum level 3 ‘good’ performance rating2.

Any prison that falls below a level 3 performance rating will be required to present an action

plan to the Director of Offender Management to demonstrate how it will regain a level 3 rating

within an agreed timescale.

NOMS SW will manage a reducing budget for custodial services by focussing the work of

local prisons on assessment and allocation and prioritising longer term treatment and

rehabilitation within the training prisons.

NOMS SW will facilitate discussion between Prison Governors and Probation Chief Officers to

enable effective joint involvement in partnerships.

Offender Management

Needs Analysis The number of OASys assessments by Offender Management (OM) tier for 2008-09 is in Table 3

below:

Table 3: OASys assessments by OM Tier 2008-09.

Probation Area

No. of Assessments

Male % Female % OM Tier 1

OM Tier 2

OM Tier 3

OM Tier 4

Avon & Somerset

6929 6125 88.4 803 11.6 371 1437 2943 865

Devon & Cornwall

4994 4450 89.1 544 10.9 35 791 2543 634

Dorset 3235 2858 88.4 377 11.6 201 508 1117 241 Gloucestershire 3078 2647 86.0 430 14.0 292 760 1111 241 Wiltshire 2445 2188 89.5 257 10.5 188 754 884 233

The definitions used for Offender Management tiers can be found in Appendix 2.

2 All public sector prisons are rated on a 1 to 4 scale. Level 4 is for excellent establishments, delivering exceptionally high performance. Level 1 indicates a poor performer. The following criteria are used to determine the performance level which is independently determined quarterly by the MOJ Justice Policy Group (JPG):

o Cost performance and output data from the Weighted Scorecard, showing performance against key performance targets;

o Compliance with Prison Service Standards; o Findings from external inspections by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards.


A snapshot of the number and level of Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangement eligible

offenders managed in the community at 31st March 2009 is shown in tables 4 and 5 below. This

gives an indication of the level of risk being managed across the region.

Table 4: Regional Community MAPPA eligible offenders at 31st March 2009. Probation area/Trust

Total Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs)

Total Violent Offenders (VOs)

Total Other Dangerous Offenders (ODOs)

Avon & Somerset

879 150 20

Devon & Cornwall

1021 157 24

Dorset

468 68 16

Gloucestershire

294 60 15

Wiltshire

384 89 15

Regional Total

3046

524

90

Table 5: Regional Community MAPPA offenders managed by MAPP meetings. Probation area/Trust

RSOs VOs Other Charged with SFO

Level 2

Level 3

Level 2

Level 3 Level 2

Level 3 Level 2

Level 3

Avon & Somerset

123 7 126 7 143 2 5 0

Devon & Cornwall

112 5 85 8 71 3 0 0

Dorset

49 6 33 4 32 6 2 0

Gloucestershire

64 6 35 3 43 5 0 0

Wiltshire

31 3 32 3 43 2 0 0

Regional Total

379

27

311

25

332

18

7

0

Source: MAPPA 2008-09 Annual Reports available online at www.probation.justice.gov.uk

The definitions of MAPPA eligibility and MAPPA levels are in Appendix 2.

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Summary of Current Provision

Public protection is a key element of the work of NOMS SW and there are currently a range of

processes and multi-agency arrangements in place to ensure that the risk posed by offenders is

managed. Effective delivery of these will be reflected in the contracts and SLAs with prisons and

probation Trusts.

An important process for protecting the public is the Offender Management Model. This has been

implemented on a phased approach since 2006 and the consolidation of Phases I, II and III will

remain a strategic priority. NOMS SW will pay particular attention to ensuring that effective working

arrangements are in place between Offender Managers working in the community and staff in

prisons.

Integrated Offender Management (IOM) is a relatively new approach that has been developed in

Bristol since 2008 and is being considered in other parts of the region. Bristol is one of 6 national

‘pioneer’ areas. The scheme brings together agencies and partners within a locality to tackle

reoffending and reduce crime.

‘PREVENT’ is part of the Government’s strategy to prevent violent extremism. NOMS SW has staff

members working with prisons and probation Trusts to ensure that they have the skills, expertise

and appropriate links to manage the risks posed by extremist offenders.


NOMS SW will review the Offender Management Regional Implementation Group (OM RIG).

The review will seek to ensure that the OM RIG continues to lead work around OM and

develop joint work such as training, quality assurance, practice improvement and issues

resolution. We will consult on the new proposed structures and working arrangements with a

view to implementation in 2010.

NOMS SW will review public protection arrangements in prison and probation. This will inform

an improvement plan for delivery in 2010-11. This will include OM, MAPPA (Multi-Agency

Public Protection Arrangements), Safeguarding Children and Adults and ViSOR (Violent and

Sexual Offender Register).

NOMS SW will continue to lead a regional group focussing on quality, learning and

improvement from Serious Further Offence (SFO) reviews. We will continue to participate in a

national pilot to review the custodial element of SFOs and are committed to ensuring that the

19


A member of NOMS SW will work with Government Office to promote the development of

IOM.

NOMS SW will work with probation Trusts on a regional action plan to manage the risks

posed by extremist offenders.

Indeterminate Sentenced Offenders

Needs Analysis There are four types of indeterminate sentences currently being served by adult offenders:

1) Mandatory Life: this is the only sentence available for people who have committed murder. There are age related variants to this so that those over 18 are sentenced to “Imprisonment for Life” and those aged 18-21 are sentenced to “Custody for Life”.

2) Discretionary Life: this is the maximum sentence for those convicted of a serious offence excluding murder.

3) Imprisonment (or Detention) for Public Protection (IPP or DPP): under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, courts impose an IPP for serious specified violent or sexual offences for which the maximum penalty is 10 years or more and who in the court’s opinion pose a significant risk of harm to the public.

4) Automatic Life Sentence: this was replaced by the IPP sentence and functioned in a similar manner. There will be some automatic life sentence offenders remaining within the system.

The principle underlying the sentence is that offenders will serve a minimum period within custody

as punishment for the offence for which they are currently sentenced (this is the “tariff”) but will not

automatically be released at the end of this tariff period. Their release relies on “the Parole Board

being satisfied that the risk of harm the offender poses to the life and limb of the public is no more

than minimal” (PSO4700 – Indeterminate Sentence Manual). All released indeterminate sentence

prisoners are subject to standard licence conditions and additional conditions may be added to

licences to manage the specific risks posed by the individual.

Significant difficulties have been presented by the rising numbers of prisoners who are sentenced

to indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPS). This relates primarily to the implication of

relatively short tariffs and the location of prisoners.

Currently approximately 318 IPP offenders are resident within south west prisons although closer

examination of the IPP data reveals some interesting anomalies:

20


147 of 270 ‘south west resident’ prisoners (54%) were residing outside the region. In some

cases it is not clear why this is the case, although others relate to issues of the security level

required by the individual (e.g. 17 men are currently located in high security prisons, 5 are in

secure hospitals, 64 are located in category B establishments – none of these establishment

types are available within the region).

195 of 318 IPP offenders residing in SW prisons (61%) do not have a resettlement plan within

the region.

160 of 318 IPP offenders in SW prisons are post tariff (50%)

Further details of the IPP population are in Annex 8.

Approximately 524 Mandatory / Discretionary or Automatic Life Sentence prisoners are currently

held within South West Prisons. Many of these are not south west offenders as Life Sentence

Prisoners have to date been managed nationally.

The release of indeterminate sentence prisoners is reliant on the Parole Board being satisfied that

the risk of harm to the public is at a minimal level. Effective assessment, intervention and risk

management plans are crucial for this group.

Although OASys is the basic tool used for assessment of risk, in practice, the Parole Board often

require additional assessments (typically from psychologists and psychiatrists).

Summary of Current Provision Assessment, Intervention and Risk Management

In the South West Region there are 17 qualified Chartered Forensic Psychologists and 27

Forensic Psychologists in Training (many of whom focus on delivery of high intensity

interventions). This means that the focus for provision of risk assessment reports has to be on

those in category D conditions and those identified as presenting the highest risks of harm to

others.

In addition to forensic psychological risk assessments a smaller subset of the indeterminate

prisoner population will require a forensic psychiatric assessment where there are concerns about

mental health issues. This service has to be purchased on an individual basis again with an

average cost of around £2500. There is no accurate data currently available relating to the

demand for this service.

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In relation to community based management of these offenders, the final risk report completed in

custody by specialist staff will tend to be the last formal encounter with forensic psychological

assessments although some psychiatric oversight may be provided as part of a release plan. On

occasion, when an offender appears to display risky behaviour in the community, offender

managers may consider requesting an updated psychological assessment.

Indeterminate sentenced offenders are prioritised for interventions as appropriate in order to

enable opportunities to address and manage risk of reoffending prior to their tariff expiry date. The

sections below relating to each of the Pathways outline the range of interventions available.

Specialist Psychological and Psychiatric Assessments

The OASYs assessment is the core tool for all offenders and this should provide the trigger for

referral to other specialists in cases where such assessments and interventions may assist in

addressing and managing risk.

This means that Life Sentence Prisoners (mandatory, discretionary, automatic) should receive a

forensic psychological risk assessment prior to their tariff expiry and for each subsequent Parole

Board review. In principle IPP prisoners should also receive such assessments although this is

an area in which there is a growing, unfunded pressure.

C

ommissioning Proposals

NOMS SW will conduct a review of post tariff IPP data to assess need and make

commissioning recommendations. This will include recommendations about the strategic

reconfiguration of prison places and requirements for the movement of prisoners to ensure

that where possible south west IPPs are held in the region.

A service review will be conducted by the Regional Psychologist to reconfigure forensic

psychological services to provide as efficient a service as possible to respond to the demand

for risk assessment reports.

The Regional Psychologist will lead a project to assess the demand for psychiatric

assessments and determine how these can be provided. This will involve discussion with

health colleagues and will include engagement with the Parole Board to identify the criteria

used to request these reports in order to allocate responsibilities for provision. There will also

need to be links made to inform the quality and content of sentence planning.

22


Attendance Centres

Responsibility for Attendance Centres moved to Directors of Offender Management in April 2009.

There are 6 Junior Attendance Centres (10 – 17 years) and 5 Senior Attendance Centres (16 – 24

years) in the south west. Attendance Centres provide supervised activities for offenders on

Saturdays as part of a Community Order requirement imposed by the courts. While punishment is

their primary purpose, there is an expectation that Attendance Centres will provide a programme of

activities designed to address offending behaviour and support the development of self-discipline,

skills and interests.


NOMS SW will develop a strategy for Attendance Centres in the region to achieve greater

consistency and accountability in relation to:

o Capacity

o Targeting

o Expected volumes

o Compliance and enforcement

o Efficiency

o Programme content

o Stakeholder engagement (courts, probation and Youth Offending Service)

The priority for 2010-11 will be to ensure that we have the optimum arrangements for making this

sentencing disposal available to eligible offenders across the region. This will include consideration

of the role of Attendance Centres in respect of eligible female offenders and the extent to which

current provision meets needs.

During the commissioning plan consultation there was a specific request from Wiltshire Community

Safety Partnership to consider the establishment of an attendance centre in Wiltshire.

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Electronic Monitoring

Electronic monitoring has been in use in England and Wales since 1999. It is used at all stages in

the criminal justice process, with the current national split of the caseload being 26% pre-trial (bail

conditions), 59% court order (curfew requirements) and 15% post release from custody (Home

Detention Curfew).

Responsibility for policy and contracts for electronic monitoring is held at NOMS centre, but from

April 2010 budgets will be held regionally. The south west had 9% of the national caseload in

2008-9.


NOMS SW will work with probation Trusts and prisons in the region to maximise the cost

effectiveness of electronic monitoring provision.

A key part of this work will be to ensure the appropriate use of curfew requirements for those

likely to be sentenced to custody, and ensuring that HDC numbers are maximised.

Partnerships


This commissioning plan emphasises that effective partnership working is regarded by NOMS

South West as being critical to contributing to reducing reoffending and protecting the public.

NOMS SW has a productive history of partnership working both with Voluntary and Community

Sector organisations and increasingly, in recent years, with private sector organisations and social

enterprises.

A wide range of VCS organisations play a significant role in the south west, with representatives

involved with the reducing reoffending pathways. We also work with regional infrastructure

partners such as CLINKS, to strengthen and develop partnership between voluntary and

community-based organisations and NOMS. This enables us to access the widest range of VCS

partners in the region who work with offenders and their families.

The South West Regional Compact is a framework for strong, effective and fair relationships

between the voluntary and community sector and the public sector in the south west. NOMS SW

aims to develop commissioning that reflects the 8 core principles of the NOMS Action Plan for

24


VCS involvement (appendix 2 ). NOMS is represented on the regional Compact and recognises

the role it plays. Through co-financing work, social enterprise and other funding streams we are

also engaging with the private sector in the provision of major regional projects. NOMS has

actively engaged with funders in order to influence tender specifications so that the tender process

best serves the region and allows the widest range of partners to participate.


In order to meet commissioning objectives NOMS SW will ensure that we:

commit to develop commissioning that reflects the 8 core principles set out in the NOMS

publication Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for VCS involvement

work together with partners to attract external funding into the region

raise awareness and encourage best practice in developing and supporting social enterprise

amongst local commissioners of probation services and appropriate prison managers.

NOMS SW will operate a small grant funding scheme to promote innovative engagement

between Local Delivery Units and VCS.

Commissioning for Women

Needs Analysis

A key driver for NOMS SW work with women offenders is the Corston Report (2007). It identifies

specific needs of women involved with the criminal justice system and highlights the importance of

the Gender Equality Duty (2006). In developing commissioning for women offenders NOMS SW

will also take account of the National Service Framework (Improving Services to Women

Offenders) and the South West Commissioning for Women Project. Phase 1 of this project

undertook needs analysis and developed a toolkit for commissioning services for women

offenders; Phase 2 of this Project, established a regional Strategic Partnership Group to develop

an approach to commissioning and delivering services for women offenders.

The needs of women are referred to in the other relevant sections of this plan. The Corston Report

also proposed two additional gender specific pathways (support for women who have been

abused, raped or experienced domestic violence; Support for women who have been involved in

prostitution). NOMS SW will ensure that these two issues are addressed in the region via the

25


implementation of the gender specific probation guidance and a Prison Service Order (4800)

produced in response to the Corston Report.

It is recognised that there needs diversionary strategies need to be developed so that women

offenders or those at risk of offending can be deflected from the CJS at the earliest opportunity to

receive services more appropriate to their needs and family circumstances.

Summary of current provision There is only one female prison in the southwest, HMP Eastwood Park; approximately one-third of

their population are from Wales. It is acknowledged that having a single custodial setting creates

real pressure on maintaining family ties.

In addition the 5 probation Trusts in the south west are responsible for supervising approximately

1755 female offenders (March 2009) which is approximately 12% of the probation caseload in the

region.

The south west is hosting a national demonstration project in Bristol – the Eden House Project. It is

a partnership project, operating until March 2012, testing out a unique model of provision which

supports and challenges women to address their offending behaviour. Eden House offers day and

outreach services in a women only setting. It expects to undertake 150 needs assessments per

annum, leading to holistic support packages delivered to women in their local community.

There is a specific role in NOMS SW for women’s issues.

Women Community Projects have been funded recently by the Criminal Justice Women’s Strategy

Unit (Ministry of Justice). The Nelson Trust and Stonham will operate in Gloucestershire and

Plymouth during 2010-11. This is in direct response to the Corston Report and the service will offer

holistic support packages to women offenders / at risk of offending as part of the overall drive to

divert women from custody.

There are currently 6 female beds in the region, based in an annex to a predominantly male

Approved Premise in Bristol. It is NOMS policy to end the use of mixed gender provision; the

South West is the only NOMS region that still has such provision.

Two women specific reducing reoffending pathways are supported in the region by staff from HMP

Eastwood Park.

The Eden House Project Manager will continue to provide leadership for women offender issues

for the South West.

26



Ensure needs and performance data used by NOMS SW can be analysed by gender.

Ensure probation Trusts take specific account of women offenders when engaging with local

strategic partners and undertaking local commissioning.

Work with HMP Eastwood Park to respond to the audit of PSO 4800 implementation at the

establishment; support the implementation of an action plan to enhance the reception and

induction process for short sentenced prisoners.

In partnership with probation Trusts, monitor and support the development of Women’s

Community Projects.

Support the development of enhanced bail information and support services for women as

part of a national strategy.

Undertake evaluation of the Eden House Demonstration Project to report on the delivery and

sustainability of the project.

Undertake a review of regional Approved Premises provision for women and make

recommendations for future provision.

Develop a co-ordinated, cross-regional and Wales approach for women in custody at HMP

Eastwood Park who will be discharged to Wales and West Midlands.

NOMS SW will continue to engage with NOMS CYMRU and NOMS centre to achieve a better

geographic distribution of custodial settings whilst maintaining a strategic focus on diversion

from custody

Review the Commissioning for Women programme with partners to ensure effective women

specific commissioning across all pathways.

Devise a strategy to ensure that, by March 2011, an understanding of the needs of women

offenders and the associated requirements of the Gender Equality Duty is embedded across

the new structures within NOMS South West, within Probation Trusts and within partner

agencies.

Women offenders will continue to attract a high level of resource in the 2011-13 NOMS ESF

provision in recognition of the gap that needs to be bridged.

27


Mental and Physical Health of Offenders

Needs analysis Compared to the general population offenders have poor health and poor access to both health

services and social care. The prevalence of mental health problems, learning disability and

learning difficulties, and drug and alcohol misuse is high and social exclusion almost routine.

Current Provision

Health and mental health services for all offenders are funded by the Department of Health (DH) in

close partnership with NOMS. Commissioning responsibility for health care in public prisons rests

with local Primary Health Care Trusts.

The South West has an Offender Health and Well-being Partnership (OHWB). Their strategic aim

is to “improve health, address health inequalities and reduce crime”. NOMS SW is represented at

this forum with court and police services.

The partnership has a comprehensive delivery plan covering the offender journey through the

regional criminal justice system and this is on the web (OHWB 2009).

The latest Prison Health Performance and Quality Indicators (Annual Report 2009) showed that

prisons in the South West Strategic Health Authority are the most consistent in the level of

progress reported. The south west has an excellent record of achievement in relation to prison

health and has supported innovative work in probation, court and police service settings.

The distinctive needs of older prisoners in the SW has been recognised by health colleagues and

this work is specifically identified in the delivery plan.


NOMS SW will participate in the Offender Health and Well-Being Partnership to support

regional health commissioning for offenders.

A member of NOMS SW will be seconded to the OHWB in order to drive the implementation

of Lord Bradley’s recommendations across both custodial and community services.

NOMS SW will work with key health partners to identify and address areas of poor health

infrastructure within the custodial system. It is recognized that to improve standards further

there needs to be additional capital investment.

28


NOMS SW will work to focus the role of local prisons on assessment and allocation and

ensure that there is a coherent strategic fit with other types of prison in the custodial estate.

NOMS SW will insure that the results of a forthcoming infection control audit are disseminated

and acted upon where required.

Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour

Needs Analysis

A regional needs analysis (McIntosh 2007) evidenced high treatment need in the areas of thinking,

offence-related attitudes, substance use and emotional control for all offender groups. This

suggests that there is an unmet demand for interventions.

Demand for current provision (as measured by referral and waiting lists) is high, with the exception

of sex offender treatment.

There is high need and demand for programmes that address violent behaviour.

There is evidence for a link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. In the south west

figures from custody and the community show that a disproportionate number of domestic violence

perpetrators have alcohol related needs in comparison to the general offender population (South

West domestic Abuse Strategic Review, 2007).

The referral system for sex offender treatment programmes in custody does not appear to be

effective in ensuring that needs are met. This was reviewed via the SOFFIT (Sex Offenders into

Treatment) project in 2009/10.

The lack of provision of interventions addressing the needs of domestically violent offenders is well

evidenced. In custody there is currently limited provision for this group.

Approximately half of the prison population in the south west have a moderate or severe drug

dependency and there are well established links between drug misuse problems and offending

(Hewitt 2006).

Nearly two-thirds of sentenced male prisoners (63%) and two-fifths of female sentenced prisoners

(39%) admit to hazardous drinking which carries the risk of physical or mental harm. Of these,

about half have a severe alcohol dependency (Prison Reform Trust 2004).

29


Custody and community services identify a high need for alcohol treatment. Provision is limited,

referral structures are poor and ‘best fit’ to interventions such as the Drink Impaired Drivers (DID)

programme is very low. It is unclear that directing resource to this group of generally low risk

offenders is cost effective.

There are inconsistencies in the type of programme delivered between different probation Trusts in

the south west. This requires further investigation to ensure that there is effective spread of

appropriate programmes to address risk.


There is a large body of national and international research identifying the most effective

interventions to address attitudes and thinking that lead to offending behaviour. This evidence

forms the basis for the accreditation of interventions by the Correctional Services Accreditation

Panel (CSAP). The CSAP is a non-statutory panel of independent experts that assist NOMS in

reducing reoffending through the development and implementation of high quality offender

interventions.

In custody and the community a range of CSAP accredited interventions are provided. These

target motivation, general offending, violent offending and sexual offending. There are also new

developments with faith informed interventions being developed for accreditation.

Additionally there are many non-CSAP interventions provided by custody and community services

and partners. The process for assessing these is currently being reviewed.

NOMS Interventions and Substance Misuse Group (ISMG) have compiled a national census of

interventions that includes provision in the South West. This report is in Annex 10.

Historically, custody and community programmes have been delivered separately. This has

recently begun to change with the development of the Cognitive Skills Booster and the Thinking

Skills Programmes. The development of shared resource models, including joint delivery and

audit, could provide the opportunity to meet gaps in provision and enhance offender resettlement.

This way of working could also help to reduce costs and manage risks to delivery.


The NOMS SW Interventions Manager will conduct a service review to ensure that there is an

appropriate balance of geographical spread, need and demand of accredited programmes,

taking account of the specific needs of women offenders. This will be linked to evidence of

30


The Interventions Manager will review the prison-based delivery structure for Offending

Behaviour Programmes during 2010-11. This will have the aim of producing a more effective

and efficient delivery framework.

NOMS SW want to improve the sequencing of some interventions to meet offender need

better. For example, the link between alcohol and violence is well known. We intend to

commission and link alcohol and violence interventions more effectively in the future.

The number and nature of all accredited drug programmes will be reviewed to ensure best

value for money.

There is no accredited treatment provision for alcohol in any of the region’s prisons. NOMS

SW will explore options to rebalance the provision of custody-based accredited drug and

alcohol programmes to respond to identified treatment need.

NOMS SW will explore commissioning a pilot faith-based programme (Belief in Change) in

one prison during 2010-11 and will review opportunities for piloting women only programmes

in the community, building on good practice established in other regions.

NOMS SW will support community-based programmes as the audit process for accredited

programmes is rolled out.

NOMS SW intends to seek maximum future benefit from sharing resources between custodial

and community settings. This work will be developed by the Interventions Manager.

Accommodation

Needs Analysis Prisoners who have accommodation arranged on release are four times more likely to have

employment, education or training arranged than those who do not have accommodation in place

(Niven, S. and Stewart, D 2005).

Stable accommodation on release can reduce reoffending by over 20% (Social Exclusion Unit

2002).

Initial Housing Needs Assessment (IHNA) data from local prisons is in Annex 11. The data shows

that of offenders entering HMP’s Bristol, Dorchester and Eastwood Park around 20% described

31


themselves as having no fixed abode (NFA) or being in temporary accommodation. HMP Exeter’s

rate is significantly higher at 28% and Gloucester significantly lower at 9.5%. The comparatively

low presenting need at HMP Gloucester may be accounted for by greater availability of social

housing provision in the geographical areas from which prisoners into that establishment are

received, e.g. Wales and the West Midlands.

OASys in South West Prisons indicate an accommodation need in 46.5% of those assessed

(Annex 4).

Community OASys assessments indicate accommodation need in approximately 40% of cases;

identified need is slightly higher in Avon & Somerset and Devon & Cornwall.

All prisons and probation areas meet or exceed high target outcomes for moving offenders into

suitable and sustainable accommodation. This data is self-reported and anecdotal evidence from

key agencies suggests a higher unmet need.

It is estimated that a third of prisoners lose their accommodation as a result of going into custody

(Social Exclusion Unit 2002). It has been shown that rapid, targeted interventions by properly

trained staff, based upon informed needs assessments, can sustain tenancies. Good

communication protocols with Housing Benefit offices can also ensure that, where appropriate,

tenancies are relinquished and arrears avoided.

The Corston Report (2007) identifies the accommodation pathway as the one most in need of

gender specific reform. Women are more likely to have responsibilities for dependent children and

less likely to have a partner sustaining their home whilst they are in custody.


All prisons and probation Trusts currently provide a housing advice service to offenders. However,

these services have no set quality assurance standards and vary widely in the level and quality of

provision

The nationally contracted Bail Accommodation Support Service (BASS) provides 63 places in the

South West for suitable offenders who require accommodation for Bail or Home Detention Curfew

(HDC) (details in next section).

Approved Premises in the South West are detailed in Annex 9.

Accommodation for offenders in the region is primarily provided through the private rented sector,

emergency access accommodation and supported housing projects or returning to family homes.

32


Probation Trusts are a statutory partner working with Local Authorities through the ‘Supporting

People’ agenda to meet local need and address related priorities such as working with socially

excluded adults. Good practice includes Trusts developing an Offender Accommodation Strategy

(e.g. Gloucestershire). This has provided the catalyst and context for engaging with their local

authority and Supporting People partners to improve offender accommodation outcomes and

address problematic factors such as cross local authority migration. Some areas have well

established Offender Accommodation Forums (e.g. Dorset), through which partners can discuss,

at an operational and strategic level, the delivery of an offender accommodation pathway.

The South West Accommodation Gateway (SWAG) pilot ended in March 2008; the final

evaluation, ‘Changing the Dynamic’, sets out learning and outcomes during the pilot period. The

SWAG model has been sustained in Dorset by local commissioners utilising ‘Supporting People’

funding; elements of the model have been sustained by local partners in Bristol and Plymouth.


A costed housing advice specification will be developed via the Accommodation Pathway to assist

housing advice services (in both prisons & probation) in their delivery of quality services to male

and female offenders.

The evaluation of phases 1 and 2 of the SWAG pilot will be made available to probation Trusts to

support development of best practice in local commissioning of offender accommodation. It is

anticipated that they will reflect these in their offender accommodation strategies.

NOMS SW will undertake a study to determine the accuracy of HMPS accommodation and

employment KPT data in order to inform future planning.

A secondment from NOMS SW to the Government Office South West (GOSW) will link with the

Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and work closely with Local Delivery

Units (LDUs) to meet the related priorities of reducing reoffending and socially excluded adults.

One of the main areas of Finance, Benefit and Debt (FBD) support that offenders require is with

rent and mortgage arrears. To this end the regional Accommodation and FBD pathways will work

together with partners to focus on these issues.

There will be a focus on tenancy sustainment for new arrivals in custody. This will also be

addressed via the finance benefit and debt project.

33


NOMS SW will continue to develop partnerships with housing providers and commissioners of

related support services, at a local and regional level, to ensure the needs of male and female

offenders are taken into account in the development of housing and homelessness strategies.

Bail Accommodation and Support Service (BASS)

The primary aim of BASS is to provide accommodation and support services to allow the courts

and prisons to make greater use of bail and release on Home Detention Curfew in appropriate

cases.

BASS provision is aimed at three types of service user:

Prisoners who have been remanded in custody, whom the courts would bail if suitable

accommodation and/or support was available

Prisoners who are eligible for release on Home Detention Curfew whom governors may agree

to release early if provided with suitable accommodation and/or support

Defendants appearing in court whom the courts would remand in custody unless they are

provided with suitable accommodation and/or support

A new national contract is due to be let early in 2010 to take effect from June 2010.


NOMS SW will continue to performance manage referrals and to undertake a range of

monitoring activities to support the national contract management process.

NOMS SW will work with probation areas and prison establishments to monitor the match

between provision and accommodation requirements, and to promote the use of the scheme

with wider stakeholders.

Children and Families

Needs Analysis There is no section on the OASys assessment that measures need within this pathway. There is a

considerable body of evidence and research nationally and regionally that demonstrates the

impact offending has on children and families, and upon future offending.

34


National research suggests that having family ties can reduce the likelihood of a prisoner

reoffending by 39 % (Reducing Reoffending: Supporting Families, Creating Better Futures).

Children of prisoners have about three times the risk of mental health problems and anti-

social/delinquent behaviour compared to their peers (Murray J, 2007).

Sixty five percent of boys with a convicted parent go on to offend (Social Exclusion Unit Report

2002).

It is estimated that there are around 160,000 children with a parent in prison per year (Niven, S.

and Stewart D. 2005).

Twenty five percent of men in Young Offender Institutes are, or are shortly to become, fathers

(Inside Fatherhood 2004). More than 60% of women prisoners are mothers and 45% had children

living with them at the time of imprisonment (Wolfe 1999). Around 55% of women prisoners have a

child younger than 16 and 33% a child under 5.

Given the over-representation of black and minority ethnic groups in prisons, it would be logical to

assume that this translates to the children of prisoners group.

There is poor data about the number and age of prisoners’ children and the local authority area in

which they live.


Details of the current children and families interventions in the regions prisons and probation

Trusts are in Annex 10.

The expansion of the Families Do Matter project into the south west for a nine month period from

July 2009 aims to promote integrated working between NOMS, the Department for Children,

Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Health. It is being piloted in Gloucester,

Bristol, Exeter and Dorchester.

It intends to embed a rolling programme of training to all 15 local authorities in the region to

enhance the ability of children and family practitioners in the DCSF to understand and meet the

needs of offender’s children. It also aims to create sustainable partnerships in the 4 pilot sites

between prison, probation, local authority children’s services and the voluntary sector.

Bristol Prison currently has one of three nationally funded Family Support Service Coordinators as

part of a national pilot.

35


The Pilot Echo Project in Bristol and Devon commences in late 2009 for an 18 month period and

aims to pilot work with families in their own communities.

C


NOMS SW will work with the DCSF and DOH to achieve a strategic regional approach

aligning the reducing reoffending agenda with the Every Child Matters Framework and the

DCSF Children’s Plan.

NOMS SW will build new business capacity by contributing to the integration of service

delivery (prisons, probation, local commissioners and local authority children’s services) to

improve outcomes for both offenders and their children and families via the FDM Project

NOMS SW will raise awareness of the needs of offenders’ families and encourage a ‘Think

Family ‘approach in offender management.

Via pathway activity, NOMS will investigate how children’s needs might be considered at pre-

sentence point and plans put in place to support them.

NOMS SW will support a ‘Parent in Prison Educational Policy’ developed by Gloucestershire

County Council with a joint sign up by NOMS SW and GCC.

As safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, NOMS SW will be a member of the SW

Regional Safeguarding Board. NOMS SW will promote understanding of best practice

principles in relation to ‘safeguarding’.

NOMS SW will consider the evaluations of pilot projects e.g. FDM, and explore how they

might be sustained.

Finance, Benefit and Debt

Needs Analysis Offenders are among the most financially excluded parts of the community. Recent Money Advice

pilots demonstrated that almost three quarters of prisoners are financially excluded.

Within the cohort above, women, older offenders, those with disabilities and black and minority

ethnic groups are significantly over represented.

This is not wholly reflected in OASys data that suggests that this need is only highlighted in 25 to

30% of those assessed (Annex 4).

36


It is logical to suppose that the current economic recession in the UK will result in a substantial

increase in FBD need during the period of this commissioning plan.

Summary of Current Provision From 1st October 2009 all the prisons in the region (including Ashfield) will have a contracted debt

advice service funded via a £1 million NOMS SW bid. This service is funded until end March 2011.

A challenge for the regional pathway and commissioners will be securing this service provision

beyond 2011 if the project evaluation supports this.

Despite the success of the above bid, this pathway is one of the least well resourced nationally

and significant gaps in service provision remain. There are a number of small, independent FBD

projects running in south west prisons but these are not sufficient to meet the assessed need.

The pathway is currently surveying provision of specific FBD services by the regions probation

Trusts.


NOMS SW will work with partners to sustain the best elements of the prison based debt

advice project from April 2011.

Any future regionally commissioned FBD services should consider an integrated model

encompassing some or all of the following:

o Bridging the finance gap on release

o Access to Bank Accounts/ Credit Unions and affordable credit

o Availability of Debt Advice

o Financial Capability

NOMS SW will work with the Learning and Skills Council to ensure that debt and finance

related activities are part of the learning offer for offenders via Offender Learning and Skills

Service.

37


Employment and skills

Needs Analysis

Employment is a key factor in reducing reoffending. It is recognised that many offenders do not

possess the skills or attitudes to achieve employment. There is a strong correlation between

offending, poor literacy, language and numeracy skills, and low achievement and truancy at

school. Many offenders have very poor experience of education and little or no experience of

stable employment.

Prison data on the number of prisoners leaving prison with employment, education or training

(ETE) is provided as part of the performance framework. These figures range from 15% – 47%

employed and from 2 – 34% for education and training. These figures are not robust enough to

identify unmet need accurately.

Probation identified 9,381 people (61%) with an education training or employment (ETE) need in

2008-09.

The demand in custody is reviewed annually. This involves Heads of Learning and Skills, NOMS

SW and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to ensure that there is delivery of high quality

provision to improve employment of prisoners upon release.

A recent national report (PA Consulting) identified a number of problems with OLASS. These

included difficulties with offenders accessing mainstream provision, information transfer,

inconsistent advice on disclosure of offences, unreliability of prison data, and lack of information

for Jobcentre Plus about offender status.

The Corston Report highlights the different employment and training needs of women offenders.

For example, women in custody will tend to have less work experience and place less priority on

this pathway than their male counterparts. It also emphasises the need for training in life skills and

‘softer’ skills such as confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness. In addition, women are more

likely to require access to childcare to take advantage of training and employment opportunities.

Summary of Current Provision The LSC through its contract with various providers (four in the south west) is responsible for

delivering OLASS within custody. This includes Careers Information and Advice Services (CIAS).

In 2008-09 there were over 250,000 teaching hours delivered. This is a finite budget and there is

limited room for adjustment between sites.

38


The vision for OLASS is:

That offenders, in prisons and supervised in the community, according to need, should have

access to learning and skills which enables them to gain the skills and qualifications they need to

hold down a job and have a positive role in society, and That the content and quality of learning

programmes and qualifications for offenders in custody and in the community are the same as

comparable provision elsewhere (OLASS partnership Agreement)

A recent NOMS SW report (Scott 2008) highlighted that the five south west probation Trusts have

differing approaches to the delivery of ETE. These include ‘outsourced’, in-house’ or ‘combination’

models. Probation delivery is currently supported by partnership funding from the Learning and

Skills Council (LSC). The future of this funding is in doubt beyond April 2010. In some other

regions OLASS funds go directly to community providers.

There is also a difference in approach to community-based offender appointments, with general

referrals being enforceable in two areas and not in the others. ETE as part of a Specified Activity

Requirement (SAR) is enforced in all areas.

The basic premise behind community services is that offenders should be encouraged to access

‘mainstream’ provision. There is some anecdotal evidence from probation Trusts that this is not

being achieved.

A partnership agreement with the LSC includes a commitment to supporting learning and skills co-

ordinators in ten prisons (those without a single provider).

Additionally there are services provided within custody beyond the scope of OLASS. These

typically involve work with gym, kitchens and prison industries where there is an element of

vocational training provided by the prison.

Offenders in custody and community will benefit from increased ESF investment to encourage

offender employment. NOMS is a Co-Financing Organisation (CFO) and participates in both the

Convergence (Cornwall and Isles of Scilly) and Competitiveness (rest of region) programmes.

Contracts are in the process of being let in the region. The anticipated value of this provision in

2010-12 will be at least £4m.

MIAP is an IT service built on the principle of ‘collect once, use many times’. It includes a learner

registration service and the ability to create a unique learner number. It is anticipated that offender

services in the South West will support this development.

39



NOMS SW will continue to work with the LSC (the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) from April

2010) to ensure that effective services are delivered. It is anticipated that prisons will carry out

their responsibilities as detailed in a Partnership Agreement that will be signed by each

governor and chief officer.

NOMS SW will continue to engage with partners and key stakeholders via the regional

employment and skills pathway group. This will enable co-ordinated development of services

and a consistent response to recovery from the recession.

NOMS SW (as a co-financing organisation) will play an increasing role via European Social

Fund (ESF) programmes in the region. This will include participation in Programme

Monitoring Committees and Steering Groups. The employment and skills pathway will act as

a reference group for delivery. The aim will be to avoid duplication and ensure that activities

led by other CFOs (LSC and Jobcentre Plus) are enhanced by NOMS activity.

NOMS SW will encourage Probation Trusts to review their employment and skills services in

order to ensure that partners such as Jobcentre Plus (who work across the region)

understand what service is delivered. This will assist partners to understand better their links

with probation and to define expectations and outcomes. Additionally there may be areas of

joint working that could be developed. An example would be a regional risk service as and a

clear model of employability and delivery, for example, the one used by Gloucestershire

Probation Service (Chances 2 Change Delivery Model). As a minimum this should deliver a

single probation point of contact within each Trust for partner agencies.

NOMS SW will continue to contribute to OLASS delivery at a regional level in order to add

value to local delivery. This will include development of the JCP regional protocol for data

exchange and the involvement in OLASS needs assessment and resolution of issues

escalated from contract meetings.

NOMS SW will undertake a study to determine the accuracy of HMPS employment and skills

KPT data in order to inform future planning.

40

41


Drugs

Needs Analysis OASys assessments indicate the proportion of offenders with an offending related need, whilst

CARAT and Clinical Assessments give an indication of the proportion of offenders with a clinical

treatment need. Not all those with a clinical need necessarily have an offending related need at the

time of assessment.

Approximately 3,500 people with moderate or severe drug dependency are remanded each year to

prisons in the south west and approximately half of the prison population in the region have a

moderate or severe drug dependency

There are well established links between drug misuse problems and offending (Hewitt 2006).

The number of prisoners with OASys assessments indicating a drug offending related need in

prison is 33.3%, in the community 27.8% (Annex 4).

Women in custody are more likely to be addicted to opiates and use a wider range of substances

than male prisoners (Home Office 33/03).

Black and Minority Ethnic prisoners are less likely to present for treatment than white prisoners are

more likely to have stimulant treatment needs than white prisoners (Fountain et al 2004).

The drug of choice amongst young prisoners is cannabis in custody and stimulants pre-custody.

Opiate use is rare in this cohort (Home Office 33/03).


Regional prisons3 will have a funded Integrated Drug Treatment Service (IDTS) in place by 1st

April 2010. This is to ensure that every prisoner assessed as requiring intervention for their

substance use is supported both clinically and with appropriate psychosocial interventions.

d in some prisons where

CARAT (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare) services are available in all

regional prisons4, and provide support to drug misusing offender’s and those with alcohol

treatment needs, but only if part of poly-drug misuse. This alcohol treatment gap is partially being

addresse IDTS clinical funding allows.

3 Except HMYOI Ashfield as IDTS is a service specific to adults. The juvenile population have a bespoke drug treatment services tailored to their specific drug and alcohol treatment needs. 4 Except HMYOI Ashfield as above


The development of IDTS has meant that there is an increasing number offenders leaving prison

requiring ongoing clinical support in the community. Community provision has lagged behind this

growing clinical need. This is being addressed by the National Treatment Agency (NTA) via the

annual treatment planning process.

Details of all drug focused interventions (including the accredited programmes referred to above)

provided by each prison establishment and probation Trust is in the interventions directory in

Annex 10.

The regions Probation Trusts currently have a commencement target of 1157 Drug Rehabilitation

Requirements and a completion target of 521.

There is some innovative practice in the community. For example, Avon and Somerset Probation

Area delivers a women-only support group for women on DRRs in Bristol.

C


NOMS SW will continue to develop and improve continuity of care between custody and

community drug services for male and female offenders through its representation on the

pathway and regional IDTS steering group.

NOMS SW will ensure that the Department of Health IDTS infrastructure investment at

HMYOI Eastwood Park and HMP Exeter (£8.5 million and £800,000 respectively) is delivered

on time and to specification.

Supply reduction activities such as use of Drug Dogs and urine testing will be reviewed in the light

of greater investment in mobile phone detectors, body orifice scanners and other detection

technology.

Alcohol

Needs Analysis

Nearly two-thirds of sentenced male prisoners (63%) and two-fifths of female sentenced prisoners

(39%) admit to hazardous drinking which carries the risk of physical or mental harm. Of these,

about half have a severe alcohol dependency (Prison Reform Trust 2004).

The number of prisoners with OASys assessments indicating an alcohol offending related need in

prison is 33.8% and 50% in the community (Annex 4).

42


Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) targets have not historically been set against need and

funding streams. Recent central commissioning guidance has clarified that the treatment element

of the ATR must be met by local health providers agreed with local probation commissioners.

To ensure treatment needs are properly assessed and presented in terms that local health

providers can use to plan resource allocation, the use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification

Tool (AUDIT) is being rolled out to the regions local prisons and recommended for use by the

regions probation trusts.

Summary of current provision

Three NOMS funded ‘Best Practice’ projects are being run in the following probation Trusts:

Avon and Somerset: piloting and evaluation of an Alcohol Counselling project using an

intervention based on tiers 1 and 2 of Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers (MoCAM) over the

telephone in two sites (Mendip and Minehead).

Devon and Cornwall: implementing a developmental ATR model in Plymouth and Cornwall

involving the delivery of detoxification (detox) preparation and post-detox motivational

supportive counselling by offender managers and supervisors.

Gloucestershire: developing and piloting the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) for

use within ATRs

Four of the 14 regional prisons have dedicated Alcohol workers working alongside CARAT teams.

All the region’s local prisons now have alcohol needs assessment built into their Healthcare

commissioning and funded by their Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Details of all alcohol focused interventions provided by prisons and probation is in Annex 10.


NOMS SW will work to re-balance drug and alcohol services. Drugs services are relatively

well resourced alcohol services are not. We will work with policy leads and regional partners

to ensure that provision is better aligned with need (see Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour

section).

NOMS SW will mandate CARAT teams in the region to work with offenders with alcohol only

treatment needs.

43


NOMS SW, via the pathway group, will lobby nationally and work regionally with the NTA and

other key partners to allow DIP teams to work with those offenders with alcohol only treatment

needs.

The Regional Reducing Reoffending Alcohol pathway has commissioned a report from the

Sainsbury Centre to help South West probation trusts to develop local commissioning for ATR and

related treatment provision. This will be disseminated after March 2010.

The recommendations from the Sainsbury Centre report will be used to inform a number of

actions, including development and support of alcohol needs assessment best practice throughout

probation trusts in the region.

44


Action Plan

An action plan has been produced based on the commissioning proposals in this document.

The following headings have been used:

Pathway or Workstream

Commissioning proposal

Key Gaps/Issues

Key Actions

Who

Timescale

Success Criteria

This will be used by NOMS SW to allocate responsibility for delivery throughout the organisation.

For further information on this contact: [email protected]

45

mailto:[email protected]


Appendices

Appendix 1: Glossary

ATR Alcohol Treatment Requirement LCJB Local Criminal Justice Boards

BME Black and Minority ethnic LSC Learning and Skills Council

BCU [Police} Basic Command Unit LSP Local Strategic Partnership

MAPPA Multi-Agency Public Protection

Arrangements

CAB Citizens’ Advice Bureau MOJ Ministry of Justice

CARATS Counselling, Assessment, Referral,

Advice and Throughcare Services

NOMS National Offender Management

Service

CRDPs Crime and Disorder Reduction

Partnerships

NPS National Probation Service

CJS Criminal Justice System NTA National Treatment Agency

CRAMs Case record and Management

System

OASys Offender Assessment System

CSIP Care Services Improvement

Partnership

OLASS Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service

DATs Drug Action Teams OM Offender Management

DAATs Drug and Alcohol Actions Teams OMSAS Offender Management & Sentencing

Analytical Services

DIP Drug Interventions programme PCT Primary Care Trust

DIRECTOR OF

OFFENDER

MANAGEMENT

Director of Offender Management PPO Prolific and other Priority Offenders

DTTO Drug treatment and Testing Order PSA Public Service Agreement

DWP Department for Work and Pensions PSGs Pathway Sub Groups

EIA Equality Impact Assessment RIEP Regional Improvement and Efficiency

Partnership

ESF European Social Fund RHS Regional Housing Strategy

E&S Employment and skills RHDG Regional Housing Delivery Group

FIF Financial Inclusion Fund RRDP Reducing Reoffending Delivery Plan

FSA Financial Services Authority SEU Social Exclusion Unit

GOSW Government Office for South West SfL Skills for Life

46


HMPS Her Majesty’s Prison Service VCS Voluntary, Community and Social

Enterprise

YJB Youth Justice Board

IAH Information Advice and Guidance YOT Youth Offending Team

IDTS Integrated Drug Treatment System

IOM Integrated Offender Management

IPP Indeterminate sentence for public

protection

IQR Implementation Quality Rating

JCP Job Centre Plus

LAA Local Area Agreement

47


Appendix 2: Definitions

Commissioning is ‘the cycle of assessing the needs of people in an area, designing and then

securing appropriate service.’ (Cabinet Office (2006). Partnership in Public Services).

Decommissioning is the process of planning and managing a reduction in service activity or

terminating a contract in line with commissioning objectives

Aligned (or ‘co-commissioning) is where two or more commissioning agencies co-ordinate their

strategies for using their resources

Joint Commissioning is where two or more agencies poll their resources to implement a common

strategy for providing services within binding partnership agreements.

Partnership working is where there is an association between two or more organisations for

mutual benefit.

Think Family is a cross-departmental programme jointly funded by DCSF, the Home Office,

Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health, and supported by the Department of

Communities and local government. Its purpose is to secure better outcomes for children, young

people and families with additional needs by co-ordinating the support they receive from children’s,

young people’s, adults’ and family services.

Offender Management tiers National Standards (2005) contain a requirement that each

sentenced offender should be allocated to one of the four Offender Management approaches as

specified under the Tiering Framework in the National Offender Management Model. The guidance

for each of the 4 tiers is as follows:

OM Tier 1 Low likelihood of re-offending (as indicated by an OGRS score less than 41 or

OASys score less than 50) AND a low risk of causing serious harm (as categorised using the

OASys 4 point scale) AND presents no “manageability problems” which would require

something more than a minimal, administrative approach.

OM Tier 2 An offender who does not fit into any of the above categories is suitable for Tier 2

approach

OM Tier 3 High likelihood of re-offending (as indicated by an OASys score over 100 or an

OGRS score over 74) OR is suitable for an accredited offending behaviour programme other

than for DIDS only OR needs a treatment programme of such complexity that it needs to be

supported by supervision OR requires mental health treatment for a condition which is

associated with their likelihood of re-offending

48


OM Tier 4 High or very high risk of harm categorisation OR is identified as falling within a

local Prolific and Other Priority Offender Scheme OR has a very high likelihood of re-

offending (OASys score over 141) AND whose needs are such that they either require a

cognitive behavioural change programme AND a treatment programme of such complexity

that it needs to be supported by supervision OR have more than 5 criminogenic needs which

need to be addressed.

MAPPA eligible offenders There are 3 categories of offender eligible for MAPPA:

Registered Sexual Offenders (Category 1) Sexual offenders who are required to notify the

police of their name, address and other personal details and notify any changes

subsequently.

Violent Offenders (Category 2) Offenders sentenced to imprisonment/ detention for 12

months or more, or detained under hospital orders. This category also includes a small

number of sexual offenders who do not qualify for registration and offenders disqualified from

working with children.

Other Dangerous Offenders (Category 3) Offenders who do not qualify under categories 1 or

2 but who currently pose a risk of serious harm. There is a link between the offending and the

risk posed, and they require active multi-agency management.

MAPPA management levels There are 3 levels of management which are based upon the level

of multi-agency co-operation required to implement the risk management plan effectively.

Offenders will be moved up and down levels as appropriate:

Level 1 - Ordinary Management: These offenders are subject to the usual management

arrangements applied by whichever agency is supervising them. This does not rule out

information sharing between agencies, via ViSOR and other routes.

Level 2 - Active Multi-agency Management: The risk management plans for these offenders

require the active involvement of several agencies via regular Multi-Agency Public Protection

(MAPP) meetings.

Level 3 - Active Multi-agency Management: As with level 2 but these cases additionally

require the involvement of senior officers to authorise the use of special resources, such as

police surveillance or specialised accommodation, and/or to provide ongoing senior

management oversight.

49


NOMS Action Plan for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise involvement – Eight principles

of good commissioning

Understand the needs of those using the service

Consult provider organisations when setting priorities

Put outcomes for users at the heart of the process

Map the fullest practical range of providers

Consider investing in the provider base

Ensure contract processes are transparent and fair

Ensure long term contracts and risk sharing

Seek feedback to review effectiveness of the commissioning process

ViSOR (Violent and Sex Offenders Register) is a database holding details of sexual and violent

offenders, and other dangerous persons. The three MAPPA Responsible Authority agencies –

Police, Prison and Probation – are able to work on the same IT system enabling the sharing of risk

assessments and risk management information on individual violent and sexual offenders in a

timely way to reduce re-offending.

50


Appendix 3: References

Census 2001; Office for national Statistics

Changing the Dynamic

www.rrpsouthwest.org.uk/Main/page.asp?ref_page=430D9DAD4B8B43DBB35631442E9D2F80&r

ef_menu=625B65142436477CAD713D6C9CFFA9D5

Corston Report 2007 www.justice.gov.uk/publications/10921.htm

Exodus Project, Jamie Cudden: Prisoner receptions, population and discharge analysis for the

London and SE prison regions (April 2004-April 2005).

Fountain et al (2004).Issues surrounding the delivery of prison drug services in England and

Wales, with a focus on Black and minority ethnic prisoners.

Home Office Online Report 33/03. Differential substance misuse, treatment needs of women,

ethnic minorities and young offenders in prison: prevalence of substance misuse and treatment

needs.

Inside Fatherhood (Fathers Direct, 2004) a guide to giving inmates, children and partners a fresh

start commissioned by the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Unit.

Improving Health, SupportingJustice National Delivery Plan

Murray J, (2007) Research on the effects of parental imprisonment on children, section of SCIE

report written by Joseph Murray, not published).

Niven, S. and Stewart D. 2005 resettlement outcomes on release from prison in 2003 Home Office

Research findings no. 248; Home Office; London.

NOMS - Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for VCS involvement

NOMS Single Equality Scheme 2009 – 2012 www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/noms-single-

equality-scheme.pdf

NOMS (2008) Race Review

www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/1000439CRace_Review_part_1.pdf

51

http://www.rrpsouthwest.org.uk/Main/page.asp?ref_page=430D9DAD4B8B43DBB35631442E9D2F80&ref_menu=625B65142436477CAD713D6C9CFFA9D5

http://www.rrpsouthwest.org.uk/Main/page.asp?ref_page=430D9DAD4B8B43DBB35631442E9D2F80&ref_menu=625B65142436477CAD713D6C9CFFA9D5

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/10921.htm

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/noms-single-equality-scheme.pdf

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/noms-single-equality-scheme.pdf

http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/1000439CRace_Review_part_1.pdf


OHWB partnership Delivery Plan can be accessed via the following link:

www.offender-health-sw.org.uk/Data/Sites/3/SW%20OHWB%20delivery%20plan%202008%20-

%202009%20for%20circulation.doc

Prison Reform Trust (2004) briefing paper ‘Alcohol and Reoffending: Who Cares?’

Prison Reform Trust: Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile (June. 2008).

www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/

Scott 2009 – ETE provision in the Community. NOMS SW unpublished.

Wolfe T. (1999).Counting the Cost: The Social and Financial Implications of Women’s

Imprisonment.

52

http://www.offender-health-sw.org.uk/Data/Sites/3/SW%20OHWB%20delivery%20plan%202008%20-%202009%20for%20circulation.doc

http://www.offender-health-sw.org.uk/Data/Sites/3/SW%20OHWB%20delivery%20plan%202008%20-%202009%20for%20circulation.doc

http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/


Appendix 4: List of Web-based Supporting Evidence

Annex 1: Equality Impact Assessment

Annex 2: Probation caseload data

Annex 3: Caveats in relation to OASys data

Annex 4: OASys data and intervention need

Annex 5: Eastwood Park Housing Needs Assessment summary 2008-09

Annex 6: Leyhill Housing Needs Assessment summary 2008-09

Annex 7: Number of prisoners discharged from SW prisons 2008-09

Annex 8: Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) data

Annex 9: Approved Premises in the south west

Annex 10: Census of interventions

Annex 11: Initial Housing Needs Assessment data – SW local prisons

53


Appendix 5: Equality Impact Assessment

Regional policy

Equality Impact Assessment

Policy Regional Commissioning Plan 2010-11

Policy lead Graham Rogers

Group South West Region

Directorate Operations

Aims

What are the aims of the plan?

To identify the priority areas for commissioning in the south west prisons and probation trusts

between 2010 and 2011 by:

Ensuring that commissioned services are value for money, contribute to a reduction in reoffending

and protect the public.

Building on the Regional Reducing Reoffending Plan 2009-2010 (SWRRP) and the

commissioning implications that flow from it.

Effects

What effects will the plan have on staff, offenders or other stakeholders?

The EIA shows that the impact on offenders across all equalities groups of this Commissioning

Plan will be a positive one, particularly for those offenders that fall within the scope of Offender

Management and for communities engaging with offenders. The Commissioning Plan aims to

increase access to services and interventions for offenders as a group, which will aid their

successful resettlement into the community on release from prison or on completion of a

community sentence, and reduce their likelihood of re-offending

54


Evidence

Is there any existing evidence of this policy area being relevant to any equalities issue?

Identify existing sources of information about the operation and outcomes of the policy, such as operational feedback (including local monitoring and impact assessments)/Inspectorate and other relevant reports/complaints and litigation/relevant research publications etc. Does any of this evidence point towards relevance to any of the equalities issues?

Please see extensive evidence detailed in the Equality Impact Assessment conducted for the

SWRRP.

Stakeholders and feedback

Describe the target group for the policy and list any other interested parties. What contact have you had with these groups?

Target Group: Offender population their families and carers.

Stakeholders: HM Prison Service; Regional Diversity Advisor; Prison Diversity Advisors; HMPS

Women’s Team; Probation; NOMS; Youth Justice Board; DfES and Learning and Skills Council;

CLINKS; VCS organisations (includes faith groups); Home Office; DTI and Regional Businesses;

DWP and Jobcentre plus; Department of Health; Regional Offender Manager for South West;

Government Office for South West; Housing Corporation; HM Courts Service; Regional Police

Authorities; Care Services Improvement Partnership; Offender Health; Strategic Health

Authorities; Primary Care Trusts; Local Authorities; Regions DATs/DAATs; Crime and Disorder

Reduction Partnerships; Local Criminal Justice Boards; DIP Teams; housing providers; Local

Councils; National Treatment Agency; Service Users; General public.

Do you have any feedback from stakeholders, particularly from groups representative of the various issues, that this policy is relevant to them?

Consultation on the draft plan has not yet started so at the time of commissioning this EIA there is

no direct feedback. However, due to the linkages between the Commissioning plan and the

SWRRP, the consultation on that plan will be relevant.

Impact

Could the policy have a differential impact on staff, prisoners, visitors or other stakeholders on the basis of any of the equalities issues?

Yes. The purpose of the plan is that the services commissioned are sensitive to differential need

and actively takes this into account to produce the best value for money outcomes to reduce

reoffending.

55


Local discretion

Does the plan allow local discretion in the way in which it is implemented? If so, what safeguards are there to prevent inconsistent outcomes and/or differential treatment of different groups of people?

Local discretion is allowed at Governor level within prison establishments, and at Chief Officer

and Local Delivery Unit level within Probation area/Trusts.

To ensure Equality issues are given equal priority within each establishment/ Trust, the regional

Director of Offender Management (DIRECTOR OF OFFENDER MANAGEMENT) will require

each establishment/Trust to have in place the following:

A Single Equality Policy identifying differential needs and risks and how these will be addressed

Comply with national audit structures and regional monitoring that will assess the quality of

delivery across all need groups

Summary of relevance to equalities issues

Strand Yes/No Rationale

Race Yes All equality issues could potentially be impacted on by

the commissioning plan as it covers all offenders

regardless of age, gender, race or any other factor.

Gender (including gender identity)

Yes As above.

Disability Yes As above.

Religion or belief Yes As above.

Sexual orientation Yes As above.

Age (younger offenders) Yes As above.

Age (older offenders) Yes As above.

56


Monitoring and review arrangements

Describe the systems that you are putting in place to manage the plan and to monitor its operation and outcomes in terms of the various equalities issues.

In the case of prison establishments, equality compliance will be specified within a Service Level

Agreement, for Probation Trusts this will be specified within a legal contract.

Specialist support will be provided to all establishment/ trusts via the regional Equality and

Diversity Manager.

State when a review will take place and how it will be conducted.

The plan will be refreshed annually and fully reviewed at the end of financial year 2011. A formal

consultation has been conducted across all stakeholders during Dec 2009 to Feb 2010. There

were over 30 formal responses from a wide range of partners including representatives of specific

groups such as BME and Women offenders. Annually, equality feedback will be invited from

partners and stakeholders and the EIA updated if necessary. A full consultation event was held for

this Commissioning Plan in December 2009. As a result, 45 questions submitted on the day were

ollated and are due to be published to coincide with the publication of the plan. c

Name and signature Date

Policy lead Graham Rogers 29th Sept 2009

Head of group Colin Allars 29th Sept 2009

Summary of issues identified during initial screening

Briefly identify which equalities issues you will be considering and the results of the initial screening.

Strong feedback in to main areas:

The need to expand more on current delivery to meet the needs of this group.

To address the lack of regional and local data on the needs of women offender

To describe in more detail the services and needs of BME offenders and how these are being

monitored and met

57


Management and monitoring

Describe the systems in place to manage the policy and to monitor its operation and outcomes.

Comment on the adequacy of the systems and note any improvements that you will make to them. Include a description of and/or extracts from recent monitoring results and provide analysis of them.

The commissioning proposals and actions in the plan have now been agreed and published as an

action plan within the document. Each action has been allocated to a nominated lead and

accountability will be via line management and SPDR monitoring. As actions are completed and

implemented the regional performance monitoring systems will take ongoing monitoring and

feedback or come under the scrutiny of the appropriate reducing reoffending pathways in those

cases where delivery is not linked to formal metrics.

Evidence

If you have not already done so in Stage 1, identify other sources of information about the operation and outcomes of the policy, such as operational feedback (including local monitoring and impact assessments)/inspectorate and other relevant reports/complaints and litigation/relevant research publications etc.

Summarise and discuss recent relevant evidence from these sources.

Please see stage one.

Consultation

If you have not already done so in Stage 1, identify the target group and other interested parties.

Explain how you have involved stakeholders, both generally in the development of the policy and specifically how groups representative of the relevant equalities issues (including ‘hard-to-reach groups’) have been engaged as part of the EIA process.

Capture main points of feedback from them.

Please see details of the 3 month consultation period and the December 2010 partnership event

in stage 1.

58

59


Discussion

Consider and compare results from previous sections.

Consider in particular issues of stakeholder confidence and local discretion.

All feedback from the formal consultation and the partnership event were examined and

amendments made were possible. In particular, current and planned services for women and

BME offenders were included and described in more detail throughout the document.

Conclusion

Summarise and make an overall assessment of the impact of the policy or function on the relevant equalities issues. Identify any adverse impact on any group.

Highlight examples of success and good practice.

Describe the key issues that remain to be addressed.

The commissioning plan describes in detail over 70 actions, almost all of which address, in some

way, inefficiencies or inequalities that currently erode service access to all vulnerable groups. The

plan specifically describes improved service access for women offenders, including Eden House,

One Stop Shops and improved IDTS services at Eastwood Park through the new Kinnon Unit. It

describes actions to address transition issues for those leaving youth offending services into adult

services. Through the ESF funded ‘Way4ward’ project it addresses employability issues for the

most vulnerable and hard to place, giving additional weight to BME, Women and young offenders,

as well as specific groups within our regional demographic, such as ex-forces personnel who

have offenders.

Action plan

Issue to be addressed Action to be taken Manager Target date responsible

Ensure needs and Research available local data streams Fiona Dec 2010

performance data and capture. Consider commissioning Wilkinson

used by NOMS SW additional monitoring if key gaps are

can be analysed by apparent that would adversely affect

all equality groups. effective commissioning of services

against need.

Ensure probation Via contract accountability mechanism Paul March

trusts take specific Stopard 2010

60


Issue to be addressed Action to be taken Manager responsible

Target date

account of women

offenders when

engaging with local

strategic partners

and undertaking

local

commissioning.

Publication

Describe the arrangements for making the document available to the various stakeholders.

The document will be published electronically to all key stakeholders and wider access will be

enabled via a number of web based portals. This EIA will also be formally published as an annex

to the Commissioning Plan.

Review

Indicate method for reviewing progress on the action plan and proposed date for formal review of the EIA.

The plan will be refreshed annually. Equality feedback will be invited from partners and

stakeholders and the EIA updated if necessary. A full consultation event was facilitated for the

Commissioning Plan in December 2009.

Policy lead

Name and signature

Graham Rogers

Date

23rd Feb 2010

Head of group Colin Allars 23rd Feb 2010

NOMS South West HMP Channings Wood Denbury Newton Abbott TQ12 6DW [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

NOMS North West strategic commissioning plan 2010-2013 · Commissioning Plan . 2010-2013. Strategic Commissioning Plan 2010-2013 Foreword . I am pleased to introduce the first commissioning