Gender Inequality At Wok Place

Bulletin CSIP South West has recently changed to a new communications system. To contact CSIP employees please use the following email combination [email protected] (e.g. [email protected])

National News Department of Health World Class Commissioning Assurance System The delivery of the world class commissioning vision and competencies will take place within a commissioning assurance system. This will drive peformance and development, and reward PCTs as they move towards becoming world class commissioners. Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/ Commissioning/Worldclasscommissioning/Assuranc e/index.htm

July 2008 Issue 33

Communities & Local Government Target shake up delivers stronger focus on issues that matter to the public The results of a comprehensive shake up of council targets and priorities were published recently. The priorities - agreed in partnership with central government - show the pattern of issues across England that councils will now have to grapple with over the next three years. Click below to read the full news article. http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/8664 68 The chosen priorities in every local area in England can be viewed at: http://www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk

Department of Health Health Secretary’s Goal to Tackle Health Inequalities The Government's commitment to tackling health inequalities and helping the most deprived communities was set out by Health Secretary Alan Johnson on 10 June 2008 together with details of £34 million to fund programmes to support local communities. Click below to view or download the full news article. http://nds.coi.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp? ReleaseID=369909&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFrom Department=False

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National Offender Management Service The Offender Management Guide to Working with Women Offenders This document gives guidance to probation areas, offender managers and Regional Offender Managers and Directors of Offender Management, to improve service delivery to women in the criminal justice system to help them to reduce their offending. The intention is to promote the best possible provision for this, generally vulnerable, offender group at all stages of their ‘journey’ through the criminal justice system, with the aim of breaking cycles of reoffending and, where appropriate, providing effective alternatives to custody for socially excluded women at risk of offending .

Department of Health Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own The carers' strategy sets out the Government's shortterm agenda and long-term vision for the future care and support of carers. The carers' strategy is underpinned by £255 million to implement some immediate steps alongside with medium and long-term plans. Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pu blications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_0853 45

Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/managem ent-guide-to-working-with-women-offenders.doc

Department of Health Strategic Health Authorities’ Visions for Better Healthcare

NHS Confederation Cabinet Champion Needed for Better Mental Health for All, says new Coalition

Each of the nine Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) involved in the Review published their visions for better healthcare during May and early June 2008. These vision documents will be the basis of Lord Darzi’s final Our NHS, our future report, which will enable and support their delivery.

A New Vision for Mental Health, from the Future Vision Coalition', calls for action to build on the successes of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Mental Health, to put mental wellbeing at the centre of public policy and to improve the quality of life of all people with mental health problems.

Click below to view or download a copy of the South West Vision

Click below to view or download the full press release.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pu blications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_0854 00? IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=166899&Rendition=We b

http://www.nhsconfed.org/issues/mediacentrelisting.cfm/pressrelease/794

Department of Health Transforming the quality of dementia care consultation on a National Dementia Strategy

South West News CSIP South West Health, Social Care & Criminal Justice (HSCCJ) Programme

The Government's first National Dementia Strategy consultation document was published recently. The Strategy is one of the first national strategies that focuses on the Commissioner's responsibility in delivering high quality services. This is a move away from previous national strategies that has expected providers to drive improvements.

The HSCCJ has developed an area on the CSIP South West website. To visit these pages click below. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/our-work/health-social-care-in-criminal-justice.html

Click below to view or download a copy of the Consultation paper. http://www.changeagentteam.org.uk/_library/Strategy .pdf

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Publications & Resources

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services Mental Health into the Mainstream – An ADASS Discussion Paper

National Offender Management Service National Service Framework – Improving Services to Women Offenders

This discussion paper calls for a new, ten-year, cross-government national strategy for mental health and wellbeing focusing on eight priorities: • Enabling people to live ordinary lives, • Putting the person first, • Safeguarding people, • Developing effective and accessible services, • Creating a mentally healthy society, • Supporting people who care for people with mental health problems, • Building capacity in public services. • Taking forward Vision 2015: the future of mental health, published by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, the NHS Confederation, the Local Government and Association of Directos of Adult Social Services in 2006

This is a strategic framework to achieve improved and effective service delivery to women in the Criminal Justice System to enable them to reduce their offending. Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://noms.justice.gov.uk/news-publications-events/ publications/strategy/NSF-Women-08?view=Binary

Mental Health Foundation Keeping the Faith – Spirituality and Recovery from Mental Health Problems The potential for a positive relationship between spirituality and mental wellbeing has been illustrated previously by the Mental Health Foundation but how this is occurs at a practice level has been largely left unexplored. This report, funded by the Department of Health, explores how spiritual activities as part of an integrative approach can support the mental health and healing of individuals. Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/keepingthe-faith.pdf

Click below to view or download a copy of the document. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/mentalhealth-into-the-mainstream--an-adass-discussionpaper.pdf

A Collective Responsibility to Act Now on Ageing and Mental Health – A Consensus Statement Formal consultation on the National Dementia Strategy for England has begun - the organisations endorsing this statement firmly believe it should mark only the starting point of a comprehensive commitment to address the full range of mental health problems in later life. Dementia cannot and should not be seen in isolation from the rest of mental illness in older people. For instance depression affects three times as many older people as dementia. It is essential that the funding and resources necessary are made available to implement sustained improvements across the spectrum of later life mental disorder, which must also include a focus on mental health promotion. Click below to view a copy of this document http://www.snpearstesting.org/consensusfinal.pdf

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National Statistics Attitudes to Mental Illness 2008 Research Report This report presents the findings of a survey of attitudes towards mental illness among adults in England. Questions on this topic have been asked as part of TNS's face-to-face Omnibus since 1994. The most recent previous surveys in the series were carried out in 2003 and 2007. The aim of these surveys is to monitor public attitudes towards mental illness, and to track changes over time.

The Equalities Review Engendered Penalties: Transgender and Transsexual People’s Experiences of Inequality and Discrimination This research project was undertaken for the Equalities Review between the period of July 14th and September 1st 2006. During this 6 week period, the researchers undertook a mixed quantitative/ qualitative approach to collecting and analysing information on transgender and transsexual people’s experiences of inequality and discrimination in the UK.

Click below to view or download a copy of this report. http://www.londondevelopmentcentre.org/cms/site/do cs/Bulletin/July%2008/DH_084573[1].pdf

This report is an analysis and summary of the results obtained, and it outlines the levels of inequality and discrimination that trans people face. Click below to view or download a copy of this document.

Social Care Institute for Excellence Experiences of children and young people caring for a parent with a mental health problem

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/engendere d-penalties.pdf

This briefing focuses on the experiences of children and young people under 18 years of age caring for a parent or parents defined as having mental health problems that are ‘serious’ or ‘severe’, and ‘enduring’.

Department of Health Support, Time & Recovery (STR) Worker – A Competence Framework

Click below to view or download a copy of this briefing paper.

This Best Practice Guidance sets out the background; purpose; and development of the Competence Framework for Support, Time and Recovery (STR) workers employed across health and social care sectors.

http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/briefings/files/sca re24.pdf

Click below to view or download a copy of this document. Department of Health Mental Health Act 2007: Report on the Consultation Exercises on the Draft Revised Code of Practice and Secondary Legislation

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/strworkers--a-competence-framework.pdf

This report covers the consultation exercises conducted from 24 October 2007 to 24 January 2008 on the draft revised Code of Practice to the Mental Health Act 1983 and on the secondary legislation to be made in the light of the Mental Health Act 2007. It details the process, analyses the responses received and explains which comments were accepted and which discarded and why. Click below to view or download a copy of this document. http://www.londondevelopmentcentre.org/cms/site/do cs/Bulletin/July%2008/DH_084606.pdf

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National Events

Substance After the Event: Culture and Sport – Access & Legacies 15 & 16 July 2008 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Changing Minds, Social Perspectives Network, Social Care Institute for Excellence Power to the People? A study day exploring personalisation in mental health 8 July 2008 -10.00am – 4.00pm The Sturtridge Suite, Weedon Road, NN5 5BG, Northampton This study day is open to all service users, careers, practitioners, managers, commissioners, academics and other people interested in sharing good practice and examining the challenges for all the stakeholders in realising the promise of this bold new agenda. Click below for further information or  020 7089

This conference will focus on events of every hue from the global to the local; from the mega to the mini; from cultural to sports. It will ask: ‘How do we make them ‘open’? How do we make them work for us? What do we mean by legacy?’ Click below for further information. http://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:594 0.1017880211/rid:f871be3a7b268c91f411a963e1a0c 7da

6864 http://kc.csip.org.uk/viewdocument.php? action=viewdox&pid=0&doc=38497&grp=1

Department of Health Towards a Strategy to Support Volunteering in Health and Social Care 2 September 2008 Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton TA1 1JT

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust The Heart & Soul of Change. What Works in Therapy? 14 July 2008 EMMTEC Building, University of Lincoln

The Department of Health launched on the 3rd June 2008, a ‘Vision towards a Volunteering Strategy’, for consultation. The aim is to promote the role of volunteering in the context of health and social care reform, and inform improvements to support volunteering across the health and social care system.

This workshop will provide a detailed recipe for enhancing what works based upon the empirically validated guidelines of how change actually happens in therapy.

For further information and a booking form, please go to:

Click below for further information.

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/towardsstrategy-to-support-volunteering-in-health-and-socialcare.doc

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/heart-soul-workshop.doc

Nacro Improving Health, Supporting Justice: Meeting the Challenge 3-4 September 2008 University of Derby

Neil Stewart Association Transforming Social Care: Putting People First 15 July 2008 Jurys Great Russell Street Hotel, London This conference is for senior managers and policy makers in adult social care from health, local government, the voluntary and private sectors. It will provide an opportunity to bring together the full range of players from the Putting People First consortium and provide high level policy guidance and feedback on how this change is being taken forward.

‘Improving Health, Supporting Justice’, strategy for offender health and social care, sets out a template to meet the mental health needs along the criminal justice pathway and includes both those offenders being resettled from prison and those supervised in the community.

Click below for further information or  020 7324 4363,

Click below for further information or  020 7840 6466,

http://www.neilstewartassociates.com/sh244/

http://kc.csip.org.uk/viewdocument.php? action=viewdox&pid=0&doc=38261&grp=1

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Pavilion Future Challenges – Exploring creative ways for mental health education and training to bridge the gaps between legislation, policy and practice 10 & 11 September 2008 Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham This conference will examine the role of education and training as an essential bridge between legislation, policy and practice. This will be done through: • presentations on the key themes of implementing legislation and consolidating recent innovative initiatives in education and training • concurrent sessions concentrating on specific areas and challenges for education and training • a concluding session to evaluate the conference, draw together key messages and set the scene for the 2009 conference.

B-U Events Ltd Dual Diagnosis – Clinical Skills Conference 8 October 2008 Leicester Racecourse, Oadby, Leicester Living with Dual Diagnosis, mental health and substance use means a complex presentation to services, which, at times do not hold the key skills to address the issues. This conference aims to discuss these issues and explore ways of moving services forward for service users. Click below for further details or  07527 201051 or 07964 698163 http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/dualdiagnosis--clinical-skills.doc

Click below for further information or  0870 890 1080

Association of Directors of Social Services & Local Government Association National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) Conference 22-24 October 2008 Liverpool Arena & Convention Centre

http://www.pavpub.com/pavpub/conferences/showfull .asp?Conference=721

The theme for this conference is “Sharing the Vision - Shaping the Future”.

Cygnet Health Care Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder 2 October 2008 Royal College of Physicians 11 St Andrews Place, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4LE The conference will address the mental health problems that affect adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Experts in the field will give an overview of how mental health problems present with ASDs, including what they are, how common they are, and what causes them.

The programme will consist of a mix of keynote/ ministerial addresses and other significant plenary sessions by key players in the adult and children sectors. There will also be the opportunity to take part in a variety of participatory breakouts and networking sessions. Click below for further details or  01609 532705

http://www.adss.org.uk/events/2008/conf08.sht ml

Click below for further information or  01438 342942 http://www.cygnethealth.co.uk/about-us/newsevents/spectrum-meeting.html

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NHS Employers Leading Workforce Thinking 4-6 November 2008 International Conference Centre, Birmingham This conference promises a high quality programme, innovative thinking from high profile speakers and the chance to make connections through networking with colleagues. The conference offers a unique opportunity for healthcare leaders to discuss workforce issues, exchange views and ideas and expand their knowledge. Featuring a mix of thought-provoking plenary sessions, interactive workshops, in-depth masterclasses and a first class exhibition, this important event is your chance to take a step back from your day job, learn and be inspired.

CSIP South West Dementia Strategy Consultation Event 17 July 2008 The Warspite Room, Council House, Civic Centre, Royal Parade, Plymouth Following the Department of Health Listening events, the National Dementia Strategy is due for publication in early June. This event will explore the content and how this will be taken forward by health and social care organisations. The final publication is due in October 2008 following this period of consultation. The flyer is available at: http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/dementiastrategy-flyeer.pdf and a booking form from:

Click below for further information. http://www.nhsemployers.org/toolkit/conference.cfm

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/dementiastrategy-rsvp.doc

South West Events Care Services Improvement Partnership – Valuing People Support Team Supporting People with Complex Needs 8 July 2008 The Royal Hotel, South Parade, Weston Super Mare A number of people will deliver presentation relating to services, networks and therapies to help support people with complex needs. For further information, please contact Jackie Edwards, Valuing People Carer Co-ordinator on 01934 875643 [email protected]

CSIP South West Dementia Strategy Consultation Event 23 July 2008 British Airways Workers Association Healthcare & Leisure Centre, Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol Following the Department of Health Listening events, the National Dementia Strategy is due for publication in early June. This event will explore the content and how this will be taken forward by health and social care organisations. The final publication is due in October 2008 following this period of consultation. The flyer is available at: http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/dementiastrategy-flyeer.pdf and a booking form from: http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/dementiastrategy-rsvp.doc

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Noticeboard

Equality South West Get Involved in the LGBT Health Summit 4-5 September 2008 BAWA Healthcare & Leisure Centre, Bristol

South Somerset MIND - Re-Launch & Open Day 24 July 2008 - 10.00am – 3.00pm The Markwick Centre, Dampier Street, Yeovil. BA21 4EN

The theme of this year’s summit is Equality and Diversity. The key objectives are to:   



raise awareness of differences in health outcomes affecting LGBT people; share ideas and good practice regarding the removal of barriers to service access for LGBT people; focus on the specific and differing needs of a broad range of LGBT people, including older people, BME communities, disabled people and those living in rural settings; foster partnership working and to make recommendations about improving health outcomes for LGBT people.

Click below for further information. http://www.lgbthealth.co.uk/userimages/Abstract_sub mission_form_FINAL_07_05_08.doc

For further information about this event  01935 474875 or 01935 410138

Voluntary Action Swindon Swindon LINk Development Officer Full time, 35 hours/week £23,749 - £25,320 pa + up to 5% pension contribution Closing date: 4 July 2008, 4pm Interview date: week commencing 14 July 08 Voluntary Action Swindon is a local charity supporting voluntary groups in the community. There is an opportunity for an outstanding individual to support and develop the Swindon Local Involvement Network (LINk): For further details and an application form, you can visit the website at: http://www.vas-swindon.org

Newsletters/Web Links Equality South West News from Equality South West

The successful applicants will be subject to a CRB check.

Click below to view or download a copy of the July Newsletter. To contribute to forthcoming CSIP SW Bulletins send information to Carol Prescott, by no later than 20th of each month, at [email protected]

http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/newsfrom-equality-south-west--july-2008.doc

For more details about forthcoming EVENTS, and contact details for the CSIP SW team, go to http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk, or contact the CSIP SW office on 01278 432002.

Mind in Taunton & West Somerset E-Bulletin Click below to view or download copies of their most recent Bulletins. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/e-bulletins/equalitysouth-west.html

South Somerset Mind E-Bulletin Click below to view or download a copy of the most recent Bulletin. http://www.southwest.csip.org.uk/silo/files/southsomerset-mind-ebulletin--summer-2008.doc

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NATIONAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK IMPROVING SERVICES TO WOMEN OFFENDERS

Ministerial Foreword

As the ministerial champion for women in the criminal justice system, I am pleased to be able to launch this National Service Framework. The Framework – the first of its kind – marks a significant step on our journey towards delivering on the commitments the Government made in its response to Baroness Corston’s Report on Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System in December last year. The National Service Framework aims to improve the services we deliver to women offenders. It does so by setting out the Government’s strategic aims and objectives for how we propose to meet the needs of women offenders in the short, medium, and long term. It goes on to set out high-level service expectations, both through the reducing re-offending pathways, and for the delivery of statutory services. It is supported by the recently published Prison Service Gender Specific Standards, and the Offender Management Guide to Working with Women, which is also published today. These provide the more detailed operational guidance for prison and probation staff delivering services on the ground. Together, these documents will form the basis upon which NOMS will develop a series of costed service specifications for women in custody and in the community. The intention is to put in place a sustainable system to deliver a co-ordinated approach to addressing the needs of women coming through the criminal justice system, recognising that those needs are often different from those of men. It is essential that we design and deliver services to ensure that women have equal opportunities to address their offending. This will help to fulfil our commitments as set out under the 2006 Gender Equality Duty. It will also bring us further forward in fulfilling our headline aim, which is to ensure that women who come into contact with the criminal justice system are treated appropriately so as to protect the public and reduce re-offending, whilst also meeting their specific and individual needs.

MARIA EAGLE MP PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE

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CONTENTS DOCUMENT SPECIFICATION 1: INTRODUCTION AND VISION The Purpose and Shape of this National Service Framework Next Steps The Government’s vision for women offenders 2: NATIONAL STRATEGIC AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES

Page 4 Page 5

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The Government’s strategic aims and priorities for delivering services to women offenders 3: THE NEEDS OF WOMEN OFFENDERS AND PATHWAYS TO REDUCING RE-OFFENDING

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The needs of women offenders Effective services Pathways to reduce re-offending 4: REQUIREMENT FOR STATUTORY SERVICES

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Service requirements for each phase of the offender journey, including the service ambition, what success would look like and where primary and associated responsibilities lie. • • • • • •

Phase 1 – pre-court offender assessment and potential diversion either from court process or custodial remand Phase 2 – sentence planning, for either community or custodial provision Phase 3 – community interventions Phase 4 – custodial categorisation and allocation, and interventions Phase 5 – offender release and subsequent community supervision and interventions Phase 6 – breach and recall

ANNEX A

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The Corston Report’s recommendations and the Government’s response ANNEX B

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Fawcett Society conditions and questions for commissioners

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Document Specification Document purpose

Other key reference documentation

Authorship Publication date Target audience

Description

Actions required

Timings Contact details Document purpose

A strategic framework to achieve improved and effective service delivery to women in the Criminal Justice System to enable them to reduce their offending. The Corston Report. The Government Response to the Corston Report. HM Prison Service Orders and Instructions. Probation Service National Standards. Offender Management Guidance. Ministry of Justice (MOJ), National Offender Management Service (NOMS) May 30th 2008 NOMS managers and delivery partners; Sentencers; Police; Local Authorities; Other Government Departments; HM Prison Service; Private Prison Providers; Probation Service and other providers of offender assessment and community supervision; YJB; other relevant service providers in custody and the community, including health and learning and skills; HM Prison Inspectorate; HM Probation Inspectorate; other Inspectorates (OfSTED; CSCI; CHI). The requirements set out in this NSF will be turned into detailed and costed service specifications by NOMS to ensure sensible implementation, resources allocation decisions, local factors and implications. The intention is to underpin the best possible provision for this generally vulnerable offender group at all stages of their ‘journey’ through the criminal justice system, with the aim of breaking cycles of re-offending and keeping socially excluded women at risk of offending out of custody. NOMS and delivery partners to use this framework to develop detailed, costed service specifications for women in custody and the community, to target specific improvements in the context of regional and local needs and, where required, to vary existing contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) during 2008/09, and to secure specific attention to women offenders in such contracts and SLAs for 2009/10. For use from publication. Nicola Lowit, Tel: 020 7035 0914 A strategic framework to achieve improved and effective service delivery to women in the Criminal Justice System to enable them to reduce their offending.

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1.

INTRODUCTION AND VISION

Purpose and shape of this National Service Framework 1.1

In March 2007 Baroness Corston published her report into Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System. 1 Her report was initially prompted by a series of suicides in prison, and called for a greater focus and gender specific approach to women in the Criminal Justice System and those at risk of re-offending. The Corston Report made 43 recommendations for improving the approaches, services and interventions for women in the criminal justice system and women at risk of offending. The detail of the key recommendations can be found at Annex A.

1.2

The Government Response to the Corston Report 2 accepted 40 out of 43 of the recommendations. This National Service Framework for Women Offenders provides the context within which NOMS, and their delivery partners, should be delivering on that commitment. This builds on the work achieved by the Women’s Offending Reduction Programme, launched in 2004 and followed in 2005 by the announcment £9.15 million for the Together Women Programme to demonstrate how a multi-agency approach in the community could address women’s complex needs more effectively.

1.3

NOMS will turn this into costed service specifications for women offenders in custody and in the community to ensure that services to women offenders are improved in line with the recommendations of the Corston Report and the Government’s response to it. •

Chapter 2 sets out the Government’s strategic aims, priorities and service expectations for women offenders.

•

Chapter 3 sets out the needs of women offenders and the pathways to address reoffending.

•

It then sets out our high level expectations for service provision at each stage of the offender journey to meet those needs. It describes what success would look like, setting out where primary and associated responsibilities lie, linked to the pathways to reducing re-offending, including the two new dedicated pathways for women.

1.4

This framework provides the strategic aims, priorities and expectations for delivering services to women offenders. NOMS needs to specify the exact size, cost and nature of provision in order to deliver upon these priorities. In addition, while NOMS can address specific prison and probation commissioning and delivery issues, it needs to work effectively with its partners across the reducing re-offending pathways at national, regional and local levels. This will require close liaison between all relevant sectors as the implementation moves forward.

1.5

It is not within the remit of this framework to specify the resources required to deliver services to women offenders. This is a matter for the more detailed specifications of services over time. Providers need to meet the particular needs of this offender group from existing resources by a combination of improving efficiency and potentially reordering priorities.

1 2

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/corston-report/ http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/gov-resp-corston-review.htm

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The Government’s vision for women offenders 1.6

This framework is intended to deliver the Government’s high-level vision for how services should be delivered to women offenders. The headline aim i is to ensure that women who come into contact with the criminal justice system are treated appropriately so as to protect the public and reduce re-offending, whilst also meeting their specific and individual needs. To do this we must: 1) Reduce the number of women coming through the criminal justice system 2) For women who are sentenced, ensure that their needs are met in the community wherever possible; and 3) For women who are sentenced to custody ensure that the facilities are appropriate to their needs

1.7

By fulfilling these aims we will realise the following outcomes in support of our Departmental Strategic Objectives for “protecting the public and reducing re-offending” and “improving criminal justice”: 1) Fewer women being sentenced 2) Fewer women being held in custody 3) Reduced re-offending 4) Improved well-being and a reduction in self-harm for women in contact with the criminal justice system. Next Steps

1.8

NOMS will develop this framework into a series of costed service specifications for women in custody and in the community. In the meantime, NOMS will consider regional and more local implications and potential changes to current service provision, including the opportunity for early gains through implementing changes to current services.

1.9

The broad service requirements set out in this framework must be cross-referenced to: • • • •

Offender management standards; The newly published Offender Management Guide to Working with Women Offenders, a revised guide to replace the National Probation Service Good Practice Guide on ‘Delivering Effective Services for Women Offenders in the Community,’ National standards for probation; and Prison service orders and instructions, including the newly published prison service order on gender specific standards in the custodial estate (PSO 4800).

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2.

NATIONAL STRATEGIC AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES

2.1

The Ministry of Justice strategy for providing services to women offenders forms part of the Government’s strategy for women who come into contact with the Criminal Justice system. This wider strategy is being taken forward through the Government’s response to the Corston Report. This cross-government programme is co-ordinated via the Reducing Re-offending Inter Ministerial Group. The intention is to put in place a long-term and sustainable system to deliver a co-ordinated approach to addressing the issues identified in the Corston Report, and in the new three year reducing reoffending partnership plan.

2.2

The headline and measurable strategic outcomes, which support the MoJ Departmental Strategic Objectives, are to: 1) 2) 3) 4)

5)

6) 7)

Reduce the number of women entering the criminal justice system; Reduce custodial remands for women, and where such remands are required make them as short as possible; Ensure sentencers are better informed about the difficulties currently experienced by women offenders in the criminal justice system; Ensure that the needs of women who are sentenced are met in the community wherever possible, and reserve custody for only the most serious offenders, usually serving more than 12 months; Ensure that for women who are sentenced to custody, the facilities and interventions are appropriate to their needs and that there is better continuity of provision of services on their release; Reduce levels of self-harm by women offenders; Reduce re-offending by women.

2.3

The Corston Report recommended that the majority of women held on short sentences or held on remand should not be sentenced to custody in most circumstances. The Report also suggested that fewer women should be returned to custody as a result of breaching their licence or community supervision. If this vision is to be realised we must ensure that more robust and consistent alternative provision is available in the community, and that access to supportive services from other sectors is secured. In addition, many women have multiple and inter-connected needs. All custodial or community-based provision has to recognise this.

2.4

The Corston Report suggested that prison and probation services have a long way to go to meet the needs of female offenders, designed as they are for primarily meeting the needs of male offenders. The 2006 Gender Equality Duty means that we are legally obliged to ensure that we deliver equality of opportunity for women offenders.

2.5

To deliver our overall strategy, in the short term, we will: • • •

Work with sentencers to increase their understanding of the needs of women offenders and enable fuller use of existing community provision; Develop Bail Accommodation Support Service provision of appropriate quality for women to reduce the numbers of women entering prison on remand; Review the scope for providing residential or intensive services for women as pilot projects in former Prospects’ premises;

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• • • • •

Expand the function of existing Approved Premises to provide supervised and supported accommodation for vulnerable women offenders; Request that the Bradley report into how to improve the processes for diverting offenders with severe mental health problems away from prison provides specific recommendations for women offenders; Update guidance to improve the quality of service Offender Managers offer to women offenders publish concurrently with this framework; Implement Gender Specific Standards to ensure that prison regimes are appropriately designed and delivered to meet women’s needs; and Establish a robust evidence base to determine the key needs for women offenders, the achievable desired outcomes, and our effectiveness in meeting them, and continually review those assumptions in the light of new evidence or changing circumstances.

In the medium term, we will: • • • • •

• • •

Work with other Government departments, the private and the third sector to develop and increase access to women’s centres providing wraparound service provision; Encourage offender managers to recommend community sentences augmented with the supportive interventions offered by such centres as an alternative to custody in all cases where this can be justified; Analyse the potential demand for further Approved Premises provision in more depth, based on geographical location and criminogenic need Design flexibility into the women’s custodial estate so that it can respond to the differing and inter-connected needs of women offenders, including those of highrisk-of-harm and serious offenders; Utilise any headroom gained from increased community provision to manage the women’s custodial population with closeness to home as a priority for primary carers subject to short sentences, and continue to provide support services to ensure regular family contact when this is not possible; Pilot alternative models of provision in the women’s estate to test how far they meet the needs identified by the Corston Report and the requirements of the Gender Equality Duty; and Work with the Department of Health to ensure that women with mental or other health issues are diverted to suitable health care on arrest or from court. Develop an information strategy to ensure that issues around gender, race and ethnic background, and disability are identified and reflected in policy and planning.

In the long term, we will: •

•

Utilise any headroom gained from increased community provision to re-configure the prison estate if necessary, and if resources allow, so that women’s establishments are of optimum size and specification for meeting women’s needs; and Ensure that any established Sentencing Commission considers the differing needs of women offenders

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3.

THE NEEDS OF WOMEN OFFENDERS, EFFECTIVE SERVICES AND SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

The Particular Needs of Women Offenders 3.1

Consistent messages from the literature on women offenders show that: •

• • • •

Although male and female offenders have broadly similar histories, women offenders tend to have more significant offending-related unmet needs including education, training and employment, health (including mental health), housing and income. Many women have multiple and inter-connected needs; Their sexual and violent victimisation can play a part in the onset and persistence of offending; Research indicates high rates of substance misuse, especially opiates, amongst female offenders; Women’s offending is most often associated with poverty and financial difficulties; and, Many women’s financial situations are further strained by their having sole responsibility for dependent children.

3.2

Whilst over 90% of offenders are men, women make up around 6% of the total prison population. Between 1996 and 2006 the women’s prison population increased by 94% compared to a 38% increase for men. This is neither because there are more women offenders nor the result of their offending becoming more serious overall – the increase reflects the fact that courts have been using custody more frequently for women for less serious offences.

3.3

A snapshot of the female prison population in February 2008 showed that there were 4,389 adult women held in custody. Of these, 877 (20%) were being held on remand, spending on average 4-6 weeks in custody, with nearly 60% remanded in custody not going on to receive a custodial sentence. A further 789 (18%) were held on sentences less than twelve months. 193 of those sentenced from January 2008 onwards were being held as a result of breaching their licence conditions. This snapshot lays out a picture of a largely short-term female prison population. Although the numbers are small, there has been a recent increase in the number of women convicted for offences involving violence.

3.4

Data from the Prison Service Offender Assessment System and OASys for the year ending September 2007 3 show that a considerably larger percentage of women offenders have emotional well-being and relationship needs than men. Women offenders have all too often been victims themselves in the past. OASys indicates that 46% of women offenders have been the victim of domestic violence compared to 6% of men, or suffered from disrupted childhoods. 27% of women offenders are considered a suicide risk and 27% are considered at risk of self-harm.

3.5

In addition, many women offenders with mental health issues end up in prison when there may be a case for treatment within the community. Up to 80% of women in prison have diagnosable mental health problems. The comparable figure in the community is less than 20%. Approximately 50% of all self-harm incidents in prison are

3

Based on over 26,000 women offenders in prison and the community

9

committed by women, even though they comprise only 6% of the total prison population. Women recently released from custody are 36 times more likely than the general population to commit suicide.

Effective Services and Pathways to Reducing Re-offending 3.6

Effective offender management is characterised by a rounded approach where interventions are matched to meet identified re-offending risks and needs. The resources available to achieve this are provided by prison and probation, as well as increasingly mainstreamed through partnerships and commissioning and joint commissioning arrangements.

3.7

Social Exclusion Unit’s 2002 report, ‘Reducing Re-offending by Ex-Prisoners’ identified a number of social factors which contributed towards the re-offending of ex-prisoners. These were adopted by NOMS in 2004 as the seven ‘pathways’ around which partnerships would reduce re-offending. The pathways were designed to support offender management by making it easier to deliver this function, access resources for offenders and meet any gaps in provision. The Corston Report recommended that further consideration should be given to these pathways, to ensure that they address the needs of women, including addressing domestic violence, sexual abuse and prostitution. Commissioners and providers across NOMS also need to consider that women often have multiple inter-linking needs, and plan provision accordingly. Our aim is to ensure women can access mainstream and specific provision. The Prison Service Order on Gender Specific Standards and the Offender Manager Guide to Working with Women Offenders provide guidance on how this must be achieved, and we will develop this further in service review and design.

3.8

Effective services are underpinned by rigorous individual offender assessments which can then be aggregated to give a picture of cumulative needs. OASys is a useful tool for this, though providers will need to consider alternative means of assessing for women offenders who may for one reason or another not undergo an OASys assessment.

3.9

The Corston Report, and the Government’s response to it, confirmed that meeting the needs of women offenders is a Government priority. As a result, NOMS commissioners and providers need to work closely with providers of services for women from all sectors to ensure that they are: • • • • • •

Completing high quality needs assessments, particularly taking account of ‘women-specific’ factors, and joint planning between commissioners and providers; Mapping and quality-assessing existing services, and particularly other mainstream services, to identify how effectively they meet women offenders’ special needs; Identifying the ‘gap’ between current services and what is needed – either to secure necessary funding (which may be through re-directing current resources), or to drive up the quality of existing services; Designing and delivering services to fill the ‘gap’; Making services known to potential referrers, overcoming organisational barriers and ensuring good information exchange; and Continually monitoring and improving service delivery outcomes to ensure cost effectiveness.

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3.10

Effective packages of integrated services require 4 : •

•

•

Flexibility – Eligibility criteria and narrow agency boundaries within the statutory sector do not fit well with the complexity of women offenders’ lives. Partnership working is more likely to meet their needs if it is formulated in a more rounded manner, with well formulated services that are responsive to women’s needs. Collaboration between statutory agencies – Services can feel over stretched and under resourced. Some fail to accept responsibility for meeting women offenders’ needs. Many women are not referred to the services available. Low referral rates lead to concerns about the sustainability of projects, and agencies need to implement locally robust governance arrangements to ensure that collaborative working delivers results. Consistent Funding – Ad-hoc funding arrangements, coming from a wide range of sources can be destabilising particularly for the third sector. The third sector in particular reports concerns about precarious funding arrangements, and providers can spend disproportionate time bidding for funding.

Reducing Re-offending Pathways 3.11

Work focused on the pathways has led to many successes at a national, regional and local level, focusing attention on the range of offender needs and the resources required to meet these needs. Work must now focus on developing these to meet the needs of women and identify the cross cutting issues. Our ambitions for these pathways, to ensure they provide effective services for women offenders, are set out below: Accommodation

3.12

Each region and Wales has been tasked to revise their accommodation delivery plans to ensure the needs of women are addressed and women specific interventions and services are considered. To assist in this, NOMS Partnerships Unit has published a briefing paper for housing and support advisers in prisons; The Importance of Housing for Women Prisoners 5 .

3.13

The cross-governmental National Accommodation Pathway Group, jointly chaired by MoJ and CLG, is working to develop specific outcomes for women offenders through the following actions: •

CLG has commissioned research to produce guidance on preventing homelessness and addressing the housing needs of offenders for local authorities and others. This will include case studies on a range of different types of offender. This is due to be published in the autumn. MoJ, Home Office and Youth Justice Board officials are on the steering group.

•

CLG and MoJ are planning to fund a joint project in 2008/09 on Preventing Accommodation Loss (POAL) for offenders which will aim to share best practice and promote partnership working between two prisons and local authorities. The

4

‘Provision for Women Offenders in the Community’, Loraine Gelsthorpe, Gilly Sharpe and Jenny Roberts 5 http://noms.justice.gov.uk/news-publicationsevents/publications/guidance/women_prisoners_housing?view=Standard&pubID=529505

11

project is to look at ways of preserving existing accommodation, correctly closing down accommodation where necessary, and seeking agreements with housing providers to re-house on discharge from prison. POAL is likely to be of most benefit to those offenders serving shorter sentences. The majority of women offenders fall within this category. •

CLG are exploring the issues raised in the Corston report relating to local authorities decision-making under the homelessness legislation in England, including on intentionality. CLG will undertake an assessment of local authorities’ decision-making regarding offenders in England in order to consider what steps can be taken to improve how decisions are made.

Skills and Employment 3.14

Some women and their families will benefit from acquiring skills which will improve their chances of getting employment. This is in turn will reduce the chances that they will re-offend. Women are more likely to undertake training but less likely to complete their courses – we will take the factors below into account to improve this: •

• •

• • •

3.15

6

More than half the women in prison have a child under 16, and more than a third have a child under the age of five. To gain employment, women will need access childcare. Women offenders may need guidance on how to contact mainstream services, such as local authorities Children Information Services who can help parents find suitable childcare. With the emphasis on Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) and individual learning plans women should have equal access to provision and have their skills development needs met more effectively. The LSC has a defined process for assessing the needs of offender learners – and their prospective employers – through a series of Offender Skills and Curriculum Area Reviews (OSCARs). The particular needs of women are assessed as part of the process, and this analysis will underpin the joint commissioning decisions between ROMs/DOMs and the LSC in putting in place a comprehensive package of provision available to offender learners and from which offender managers can draw when deciding the tailored programme of services to meet the punishment, rehabilitation and personal needs of the women offender. The LSC’s Prospectus 6 (“Developing the Offender Learning and Skills Service: the Prospectus”) made clear that “we accept Baroness Corston’s recommendation that life skills should be given a much higher priority within the offender skills and employment pathway and women must be individually assessed to be sure that their needs are met”. There are several European Social Fund (ESF) funded projects that have looked at the specific needs of women getting into work and we will look to learn lessons and apply them to future policy. A Practice Guide on offender skills and employment is being drafted which will provide a number of examples, including those covering issues of diversity MoJ is scoping out a joint project with Business in the Community to look at pathways into wok for women offenders which will also inform future policy

Welsh regions have adopted a separate strategy in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Director of Offender Management Wales, as neither the remit of the DIUS or the LSC extends to cover Wales.

http://olass.lsc.gov.uk/NR/exeres/BBCE18C8-4D2A-4340-AEE4-0A0E9E2FAFCA.htm

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3.16

If needed, offenders in prison and supervised in the community should have access to learning skills to enable them to gain skills and qualifications. This includes access to volunteering and mentoring opportunities that can increase motivation and skills and provide flexible arrangements in line with childcare and other needs. Health inequalities

3.17

Many women offenders have health problems, including mental health problems. Up to 80% of women in prison have diagnosable mental health problems and women recently released from custody are 36 times more likely, than the general population to commit suicide and to die from an accidental drug related overdose in the first two weeks on release. Identifying these needs to enable early access to suitable NHS services, including CAMHS for younger women, if appropriate, is essential.

3.18

We will work, together with Offender Health (Department of Health), to develop a comprehensive strategy that addresses the health and social care needs of women offenders in the community. This will form part of the forthcoming Offender Social Care and Health Strategy 7 , and will take account of the following factors: • Services for these women must meet their needs in terms of range and acceptability of service. These services may take the form of outreach facilities practising within the locations where women offenders are - such as in court, in refuges, or police stations. • PCTs should be encouraged to register women offenders with a local GP and access regular ‘well women’ provision. Some GPs specialise in the care of homeless people or drug users and women with these needs should be referred to such provision where it is available. • Women working in the sex industry should be encouraged to access specialist health services where available. Drugs and Alcohol

3.19

A high proportion of women entering prison mis-use drugs and alcohol, with rates among remand prisoners being slightly higher than amongst sentenced prisoners. With pregnant women there can also be knock-on implications for their children. Support for expectant mothers should be prioritised. The same applies for the use of tobacco.

3.20

Effective delivery of drug interventions is essential. If drug addictions are not addressed, offenders risk remaining dysfunctional and incapable of engaging with wider rehabilitative programmes that, collectively, could help them lead law-abiding lives on release.

3.21

Clinical Substance services should be available in all local women’s prisons including opiate substitute maintenance regimes. Access to continued clinical treatment should also be available upon release back in community There should be specific advice for clinicians for treating pregnant, or suspected pregnant, drug users. Pregnant substance mis-users should be managed jointly with the relevant local midwifery service, where they receive treatment which is equivalent to the services provided in the community.

3.22

CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare) offer a lowthreshold drug service to deliver treatment and support to Problematic Drug Users,

7

For more detail see http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_080816

13

providing access to a range of wider drug and non-drug services both in custody and on release. CARATs create a Care Plan based on the specific needs of an individual prisoner. If assessed as necessary, prisoners should be referred to drug rehabilitation programmes and/or other appropriate drug services. CARATs are available in all prisons in England and Wales. 3.23

CARATs should take the lead role in engaging in the Home Office led Drug Interventions Programme designed to engage and retain offenders in drug treatment at every stage in the criminal justice system and beyond.

3.24

Alcohol detoxification services should be available in all local prisons for any woman who is alcohol dependant on arrival in prison.

3.25

Where alcohol is part of multiple drug misuse CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare) services should be available to all prisoners in England and Wales. Where local funding has been identified, the CARATs framework can be used to provide sole alcohol users with appropriate care.

3.26

Women with substance misuse problems should have equal access to a Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRR). Outcomes for women offenders on DRRs must be carefully monitored, including access to clinical substance misuse services for all offenders as required. Finance, Benefits and Debt

1.1

Financial problems can be a major cause of offending behaviour for many low-income women, potentially exacerbated by outstanding fines and living in an abusive relationship. In addition, the family finances may have been managed by the partner with the woman not even having a basic bank account. Having an individual financial identity may be important for women who tend to suffer low self-esteem in order to gain confidence and stronger sense of identity.

1.2

Regions should make use of existing resources in the community or through local partnership arrangements to seek to advise and support women offenders with low incomes and debt. Offender managers should note that where debt is a significant issue it will be important to present advice and assistance in a sympathetic fashion, where trust and a long-term relationship can be built on consistent advice. In many cases, especially where there is interaction with a number of agencies, sign-posting may not be sufficient and more pro-active support may be necessary, not least to assist with perceived complex matters such as tax credits or re-receiving child benefit Children and Families

3.27

Recent OASys data suggests that women are six times more likely to be carers than men, and twice as likely to live in a house with children. Once they are in prison, the children are looked after by partners (25%), grandparents (25%) or other family and friends (29%) or are taken into care.

3.28

We will publish a cross-government Framework to help offenders to maintain their family ties to reduce re-offending and to improve support for their children and families. This will address the specific needs of women and complement the Gender Specific Standards for women prisoners. It will set expectations of offender managers and

14

other local partnerships at each stage of the criminal justice system, from arrest through to the end of the sentence and beyond. 3.29

To support the framework, we are developing a service specification for NOMS taking account of the following requirements: •

•

•

•

•

3.30

Services should ‘Think Family’ when working with women offenders, and recognise that they will not engage successfully with interventions which do not enable them to manage their child care responsibilities, especially in cases where they are the primary carer. Strong local partnerships are needed to ensure women offenders can access support and advice to help them manage family concerns, particularly around their children, including working with universal services like children’s centres and extended schools, family support services for drug mis-users and Third Sector providers. An assessment of the family needs should be made if their children are being cared for by extended family, friends or in the children-in-care system, in consultation with local authority children’s services. Children’s services must be informed when a prisoner is due to leave a Mother and Baby Unit. Women should be referred to children’s centres on release from prison, and local children’s centres should prioritise women offenders and their children for support. Not all family ties are good: some women offenders will need support to break away from partners, ex-partners or family members who are violent, abusive or are reinforcing their offending behaviour. In these cases they are likely to require ongoing support from the expert, women-centred organisations in the community. Offender Managers should address both the safeguarding and the well-being of offenders’ children. They need to work in partnership with local authority children’s services including where the children of women offenders are being cared for by extended family, friends or in the children-in-care system. For women in prison, visiting arrangements should be child-friendly with regular special child-centred visits and services should work in partnership to provide suitable housing and other support on release, so women can be re-united with their children where this is in the child’s interest. High risk of harm offenders may be eligible for Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) management. Under the MAPPA, offender managers must consider which other agencies need to be involved in drawing up the risk management plan for the offender. Where the assessment reveals child safeguarding issues around the offender’s or other children, they will liaise with Children’s Services. MAPPA strategic management boards are required to establish effective working relationships with local safeguarding children boards. NOMS will continue to works with probation areas and the Department for Children, Schools and Families to ensure that the twin focus upon safeguarding and the well-being of children is maintained in all MAPPA work. Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour

3.31

Women offenders are not a homogenous group and decisions about risk, need, eligibility and suitability for an intervention should be based on a thorough individual assessment. Accredited Programmes must be implemented thoughtfully to reflect the needs of women. In many cases these will provide the best opportunity to change the attitudes, thinking and behaviours linked to their offending. It is likely that issues arising from the supportive pathways for women offenders will need to be addressed in the way programmes are delivered to women.

15

• •

•

The community based One to One Programme has proved a supportive and successful means to deliver pathway 7 focused work to women that responds to their individual circumstances. CARE (Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions) is a pilot programme developed in consultation with non-statutory agencies. CARE has been developed specifically for women in custody convicted of violent and/or substance related offences. It addresses a number of personal and circumstantial difficulties known to be linked to self-harming, substance misuse, mental ill-health, violence and reoffending. The Adults facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) pilots led by the Cabinet Office include work in HMP Holloway to provide a counselling programme that aims to increase life skills, emotional literacy, self esteem and confidence to reduce re-offending and protect the public.

Strengthening provision for women 3.32

We will strengthen and integrate the following support in the pathways for women: Support for women who have been abused, raped or who have experienced domestic violence

3.33

Many women have experienced, and may still be in, abusive relationships, which can present a barrier to change and should be identified as an issue where relevant. Offender Managers need to be aware of resources available in the community to support women who are survivors of abuse and be able to encourage women to access these resources. To do so they need to make strong and productive links with local authorities, and work together with them and other local partners to ensure that there is capacity available to cope with the demand.

3.34

Women still in abusive relationships may be pressured by partners, e.g. to reveal credit card pin numbers. In some cases, children may also be at risk of being harmed.

3.35

Women who have left an abusive relationship may need protection. Providers of hostel accommodation and or training providers need to demonstrate their understanding of such women’s vulnerabilities by ensuring they provide an appropriately supportive environment, especially for training in traditionally male-stereotyped skills areas.

3.36

Hostels should have links to appropriate links to facilities for women in the local area, e.g. women’s centres, well women clinics, mother and toddler groups, etc.

3.37

Providers of all kinds of support should be able to demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills in supporting women through assessment, questioning and any counselling. It is important that women offenders who are survivors of abuse have positive role models, both male and female. Providers of specialist domestic violence training or counselling, and providers of specialist alcohol dependency advice or counselling should have appropriate accreditation. Support for women who have been involved in prostitution

3.38

Women should be given every support to build a new life away from prostitution. Offender Managers should aim to help women build a positive self-image and become empowered to develop other skills and access employment opportunities so that they may develop to their full potential.

16

3.39

Women should be assisted to keep safe and healthy while in prison and on release, and given ongoing support with parenting and family relationships. Offender Managers should, where this is available, establish links with Local Authority special provision. For example, the London Borough of Camden has a project which works with women in Holloway to help them avoid returning to prostitution on release.

3.40

Support for women who have been involved in prostitution has been integrated into the reducing re-offending pathways for women, and local resettlement strategies and women’s prisons have identified leads to carry this forward. Offender Managers should refer to the strategies and liaise with the leads as appropriate.

3.41

Many of the characteristics of vulnerability apply as in the supportive pathway above.

Recommended Good Practice 3.42

Existing examples of good practice include the Together Women Programme and the South West Accommodation Gateway. Both these projects assess the needs of women offenders in their regions and some of the necessary linkages with other organisations to provide a more rounded service. In Wales the Women’s Turnaround Project has rapidly achieved an excellent reputation for working with women offenders and women vulnerable to offending. It also clearly demonstrates the value of multiagency, multi-sector work with offenders and is making a significant impact with stakeholders and service users. In Leeds the Together Women project works with a range of agencies to provide a refuge and training for women and to break the cycle of re-offending. These approaches, bringing together ‘wrap-around services, are very much in keeping with the Corston Report.

3.43

Women’s Centres are providing a range of services from accommodation to employment, and are a good example of how to provide services for women in one place – the one stop shop. Services provided extend beyond those which are designed to meet offender needs, but would be a good opportunity for commissioners from different organisations to joint commission women offender-orientated services. Together Women

3.44

To help support a community based response to women’s offending, £9.15 million funding was allocated in March 2005 to establish new initiatives to tackle women’s offending in the community – the Together Women Programme (TWP). The aim of TWP is to address the needs of women offenders to prevent re-offending; to address the needs of those ‘at risk’ of offending; and to divert both groups from prosecution and custody. Two regions, Yorkshire and Humberside (YH) and North West (NW) were identified to set up TWP demonstration projects. In YH, a consortium of Voluntary Sector agencies, led by Foundation Housing is delivering the TWP in 3 locations: Doncaster, Leeds and Bradford. In the North West, there are 2 suppliers delivering TWP: Liverpool Lighthouse and Salford Foundation.

3.45

Both centres use key workers to work with the women and they have systems in place to recruit and train volunteers and mentors, often women who have been helped by TWP. TWP is designed to provide a wrap-around service for women with multicomplex needs and to do this the centres have established good links with local third sector agencies to provide services for homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and

17

mental health. TWP also provides services in the centres, such as 1 to 1 counselling, basic skills training including IT and group work around confidence, self esteem and parenting. There are also activities in the centres, such as acupuncture, holistic therapies, keep fit, cooking and nutrition, sewing and home furnishing. The Asha Centre 3.46

The Asha Women’s Centre in West Mercia was identified by the Department of Health in 2003 as a model of good practice for women with mental health problems, and in 2005 was one of two identified by the Home Secretary as a basis for the development of the Together Women Programme. The Centre is a generic one-stop shop, providing advice sessions with agencies, signposting to external advice sources and a range of courses and programmes that develop confidence, self-esteem and empowerment, skills and qualifications, and support progression to mainstream employment, training, and voluntary work. The Centre also undertakes prison in-reach and resettlement work.

3.47

A personal story:

The Turnaround Project – Jane Jane was sentenced to 12 months community supervision for assault and faced a possible 14-28 day custodial sentence. She was highly distressed and vulnerable, living alone and suffering harassment from her ex-boyfriend, father and her family. After years of domestic violence, she was experiencing problems with both her mental and physical health and was not confident enough to attend her medical appointments. County court proceedings were pending to evict her for rent arrears of £1,000. The Women’s Safety Unit took immediate action to provide a police mobile phone and to report her property damage. The Turnaround Project submitted an urgent application to prevent her eviction and help her maintain her tenancy. Further investigation by project staff revealed warrant notices for unpaid fines and for her TV licence. A project team member accompanied her to her next probation appointment, and contacted the court to arrange a date for her to attend voluntarily. Project staff contacted Jobcentre Plus to investigate how her incapacity benefit could be reinstated and provided help in making a further Crisis Loan claim. They arranged an appointment for her with a medical team. The Council’s Tenant Support Scheme was alerted, and a supporting statement was provided about the complexity of her case. She was introduced to a Tenancy Support Worker and agreement was secured that eviction proceedings would be delayed to give time for investigation. The supporting statement was also passed to her solicitor - in relation to her unpaid fines. With this evidence about her case and the support she was receiving, the magistrates were able to impose a non custodial sentence, including requiring her to attend for welfare advice, rather than send her to prison.

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4.

SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR STATUTORY SERVICES

4.1

This section addresses in greater detail the statutory service requirements for women offenders as they pass through the various stages of their journey from arrest to sentence to community supervision or imprisonment to release, and potentially breach or recall to prison. Each phase of the offender journey includes commentary about the underpinning ambition, what success would look like and where the primary responsibility and associated responsibilities for success lie. The offender journey, in chronological order, can be characterised as follows (and not applicable to all offenders): •

Phase 1 – pre-court offender assessment (including pre-sentence reports). and potential diversion either from court process or custodial remand. Phase 2 – sentence planning, for either community or custodial provision. Phase 3 – community interventions. Phase 4 – custodial categorisation and allocation, and interventions. Phase 5 – offender release and subsequent community supervision and interventions. Phase 6 – breach and recall.

• • • • • 4.2

The effective management of this offender group demands the close co-operation of those delivering offender services in the community and custodial sectors. It is critical to ensure that the interfaces between different partners occur in a timely and accurate manner, with clear expectations and agreement on what is to be delivered, when, and by whom. The key criminal justice agencies are: • • • • • •

4.3

police; Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); sentencers; probation providers; prison providers; and, youth offending services.

Where women offenders are included in offender management the central person coordinating supervision and services is the offender manager. Currently offenders receiving a custodial sentence of less than 12 months are not in scope for offender management.

1. Pre-court offender assessment

Service ambition

What success looks like

1 .Pre-court offender assessment The key outcome is that women offenders get the right sentence. The fundamental input is that pre-sentence reports are timely and accurate and set out the risks and needs the offender presents to help the court to decide on the appropriateness their sentence, and that the court is encouraged to consider community penalties. • Women remanded in custody are afforded the opportunities of offered by the Bail Accommodation Support Service and other bail information schemes; and those schemes are tailored to specific needs of women offenders, which might include childcare responsibilities, and the impact on the children and family members left behind

19

•

Primary and associated responsibilities

Women are put in touch with supportive social care provision in the community, which may in some cases be able to provide relevant assessments of specific needs, or offer a package of intervention to support community supervision. • The probation service ensures that pre-sentence reports on women offenders include information on their specific needs and provision, targets those most likely to go into custody, and quality assures presentence reports on these women. • The court remands women offenders where custody is being considered for pre-sentence assessment where a pre-hearing report is not available (e.g. in cases of findings of guilt after a not guilty plea). • The court requests additional assessment reports (e.g. psychiatric) prior to sentence. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the courts and the probation service to address any systemic weaknesses speedily. • Effective liaison arrangements exist between probation and prison establishments to enable assessments of offenders remanded in custody. The primary responsibility for pre-court offender assessment lies with the probation service, and therefore it also carries a central co-ordination role. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The CPS, to enable prompt and accurate information exchange to assist the probation service to carry out its assessments, and to create opportunities for potential diversion from the court process. • The prison provider to enable the probation service to carry out its assessments. • Health and psychiatric services to deliver timely and accurate health assessments.

4.4

The ClearSprings Bail Accommodation and Support Service provides support and housing in the community (not hostels) across England and Wales and was established from June 2007. The initial focus has been on those already remanded in custody being referred. The ClearSprings service also takes prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew, who would otherwise be unable to provide an address to be released to.

4.5

Both schemes seek to find move-on housing after the end of the bail or HDC period. Both are able to meet the particular needs of women. A parent may be joined by dependent children. Up to the end of March about 20% of those on the scheme were women; 11% of bail referrals into the service were women. 20% of HDC referrals were women, although women were only 8.3% of HDC eligible prisoners and 11.3% of HDC releases in 2006. Women were more successful than men at gaining bail and release on HDC into the scheme. 29% of female bail referrals were successful against 27% for men, and 47% of female HDC referrals were successful against 36% for men. But, women were more likely to fail to arrive at the address, and commissioners and providers need to consider ways of addressing this – perhaps through the use of voluntary sector or key worker ‘guides’ or mentors.

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2. Sentence planning

Service ambition

What success looks like

Primary and associated responsibilities

2. Sentence planning The key output is a timely and accurate clear plan centred on addressing the risks and needs of the offender that sets out how those risks and needs are to be addressed, at what stage of the sentence and by whom, with identified expected achievements that are monitored and reviewed. A key challenge is to enable co-ordinated services for women receiving short custodial sentences who are not in scope for offender management. • The probation service (offender manager) writes sentence plans that address women’s specific offending-related needs, and that are quality assured for how well they meet that goal. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the offender manager and the prison based offender supervisor to agree and implement the detail of the sentence plan, where women receive a custodial sentence. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the offender manager, the offender supervisor and others contributing to the sentence plan, including external partnership agencies such as health providers. • The sentence plan is shared in a timely manner with appropriate others by the offender manager. The primary responsibility for the sentence plan lies with the probation service working closely with the offender supervisor (for those sentenced to custody). The probation service (offender manager) therefore also carries a central co-ordination role. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The prison provider, where the offender supervisor is located. • Health and psychiatric services to deliver timely and accurate health assessments.

3. Community intervention

Service ambition What success looks like

3. Community intervention The key output is the timely allocation of women to the requirements of their community sentence, and then the outcome is their successful completion of the elements of their programme of supervision and the implementation of the sentence plan. • Timely access to a range of required interventions. • The probation service delivers or sub-contracts appropriate supervision and timely interventions as specified in offender sentence plans and any licence requirements. • Interventions address the specific needs of women offenders (e.g. as may be related to work in the sex trade, or to abuse) and, where appropriate, are delivered in women only environments. • Interventions take into account any primary childcare role the woman may have • There are effective liaison arrangements between the offender manager and others contributing to the offender’s interventions, such as health, drug and educational providers (public, private or third sector). It must be recognised that other interventions, other than programmes, can make a significant contribution to offender changes in risks and needs. • Progress is monitored and reviewed. • Where needed the police and other relevant organisations play their full part in any multi-agency arrangements designed to improve public

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Primary and associated responsibilities

protection. The primary responsibility for delivering community supervision and interventions lies with the probation service working closely with providers of other services. The offender manager therefore carries a key coordinating role. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The private, public and third sectors, which may provide specific services. • Health, drug, education and any other providers. • Police and others contributing to multi-agency public protection arrangements.

4. Custodial categorisation and allocation, and custodial interventions 4. Custodial categorisation and allocation, and interventions Service The key outputs is the timely and successful categorisation and allocation ambition of the woman to the appropriate custodial setting (and any subsequent moves) to enable the implementation of the sentence plan; and the completion of required custodial interventions before release. What success • The prison system categorises and allocates women prisoners looks like efficiently and effectively, placing them as close to home as possible where appropriate. • The prison service delivers appropriate and timely interventions as specified in offender sentence plans and monitors and reviews progress. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the prison based offender supervisor and the offender manager about the offender’s progress through programmes of interventions. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the offender manager, the offender supervisor and others contributing to the offender’s interventions, such as health, drug and educational providers (private, public or third sectors). Interventions other than programmes are developed and fully utilised where they can make a significant contribution to offender changes in risks and needs. • Effective delivery of drug interventions to ensure drug addiction can be addressed. • Service provision is aligned to ensure equal outcomes for women offenders, even where women’s needs and profiles differ from men’s. • Effective and timely continuity of care available through effective liaison between CARATs, CJITs, Offender Managers, Offender Supervisors and others contributing to the offender’s individual needs. Primary and The primary responsibility for categorising and allocating offenders and associated delivering custodial interventions lies with the prison service working responsibilities closely with other providers. The offender supervisor, working closely with the offender manager therefore carries a key co-ordinating role. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The third sector, which may provide specific services. • Health, drug, education and any other providers. 5. Offender release and subsequent community supervision / interventions

Service ambition

Offender release and subsequent community supervision / interventions The key output is the release of women who have either completed their custodial intervention, or who can go on to complete their programme in the community. The key outcome is their successful completion of any period of community supervision.

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What success looks like

Primary and associated responsibilities

•

The offender manager and offender supervisor monitor and review the women’s progress before release and liaise to agree how any sentence plan will be completed. • There are effective liaison arrangements between the offender manager, the offender supervisor and others contributing to any ongoing interventions, such as health providers, where women are supervised in the community. • Custodial and community interventions become more ‘joined up’ to enable continuity of provision, including after the end of licence or breach period if necessary. • The police and other relevant organisations play their full part in any multi-agency arrangements designed to improve public protection. The probation service (offender manager) carries a central co-ordination role as the focal point for the required assessments and continuity of interventions. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The prison service, where the offender supervisor is located, and their support of offender assessments. • Health and psychiatric services to deliver timely and accurate health continued interventions and assessments as required.

6. Breach and recall

Service ambition

What success looks like

Primary and associated responsibilities

6. Breach and recall The key outcome is that offenders who are in breach of their requirements are dealt with promptly, either by the courts or through recall. Careful consideration must be given to proposals to the courts when offenders are breached, recognising that ‘relapses’ may not present unacceptable risks to the community. • The probation service undertakes breach / recall assessments, taking account of the needs of women as primary carers. • The probation service completes a revised sentence plan for the woman who may remain in the community or be sentenced to custody (see sentence plan section). • The probation service quality assures breach / recall assessments and decisions. • The prison service allocates recalled women in the context of the revised sentence plan. • Effective liaison arrangements exist between probation and health and psychiatric services where additional offender assessments are required to support breach / recall decisions. The primary responsibility for offender breach / recall and associated assessments lies with the probation service, and therefore it also carries a central co-ordination role. Secondary responsibilities lie with: • The police, to arrest recalled offenders. • Relevant contributors to MAPPA. • Health and psychiatric services to deliver timely and accurate health assessments.

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Annex A: Corston Recommendations 1. The Corston Report made 43 recommendations, the most key •

Recommendation 1 (and related Recommendations 3, 4, 5, 11) – Every agency within the criminal justice system must prioritise and accelerate preparations to implement the gender equality duty and radically transform the way they deliver services for women

•

Recommendation 2 – The Government should announce within six months a clear strategy to replace existing women’s prisons with suitable, geographically dispersed, small, multi-functional custodial centres within 10 years

•

Recommendation 14 (and related Recommendations 11, 15, 16 & 17) – The seven pathways should be much better co-ordinated strategically for women and should incorporate pathways eight [for women who have been the victim of sexual abuse or domestic violence] and nine [for women who have been involved in prostitution]

•

Recommendation 18 (and related Recommendations 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24, 25, 26, 28) – Custodial sentences for women must be reserved for serious and violent offenders who pose a threat to the public

•

Recommendation 33 (and related Recommendations 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35) – Women’s centres should also be used as court and police diversions; as part of a package of measures for community sentences; and for delivery of probation and other programmes

The Government Response to Corston addressed the sentencing related recommendations very fully. In particular it committed to the following actions: •

•

•

•

Ensuring planned improvements to the quality and range of information available to sentencers will include specific information relating to women offenders. This will be incorporated in work with local Criminal Justice Boards to develop better information on a range of areas including crime patterns, sentencing practice and the cost and effectiveness of various disposals. Improved information to sentencers will ensure that they are better placed to make decisions on the appropriate type of sentence for each woman offender, depending on her circumstances. When providing information to sentencers, and reminding courts of the powers available to them, prosecutors will ensure that in cases of women offenders, the information provided enables the court to make the correct decision in terms of disposals and interventions which are appropriate to address those women’s needs and which are likely to be most effective at reducing the risk of further offending. The use of Conditional Cautioning, for example, may be a particularly useful response for some women offenders and could allow for some of the underlying factors which affect their offending to be addressed. Further work will be carried out to identify how this kind of integrated approach to the sentencing of women can ensure the use of more effective and appropriate disposals for them. Action will be taken to ensure sentencers are better informed about community provision for women and how it can address their needs more effectively than custody. New liaison arrangements between the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the judiciary will be used to ensure that sentencers are made aware of the schemes and

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• • •

•

•

provision for women that are available through NOMS and also the private and voluntary sectors. Revised guidance on the use of the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement and Alcohol Treatment Requirement will stress that Offender Managers should take account of domestic arrangements, childcare and other issues in sentence planning. Guidance for pre-sentence report writers is being revised to ensure that all offenders, including women, are targeted for community orders rather than custodial sentences where appropriate The revised National Probation Service Good Practice Guide on ‘Delivering Effective Services for Women Offenders in the Community’ will ensure that the necessary changes are made to improve interventions and services for women in the community. The guide will set out what is required in a number of areas to ensure the needs of women are met, including in relation to bail and remand, pre-sentence reports, Offender Management, resettlement pathways, domestic violence, unpaid work and staff training. New liaison arrangements have been put in place at national and regional level between the National Offender Management Service and the judiciary. At local level there are 42 area level, bench level and Crown Court liaison arrangements primarily involving the probation service. Regional Offender Managers are already meeting with sentencers and formal arrangements for this are being finalised. Regional Offender Managers are profiling existing services and provision for women in their regions and the results will be used to identify what packages of measures are required to address women’s multiple needs. Sentencers will be encouraged to support the services and provision for women identified by the Regional Offender Managers and to visit schemes wherever possible. And although breach arrangements will not change, under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 they already allow for sufficient flexibility. They were introduced as a deliberate measure aimed at strengthening the previous arrangements under which a court could (and often did) choose to do nothing in response to breach, or simply impose a fine. Under the 2003 Act, once a breach has been proved, the court must take action, the aim being to encourage compliance with the original order, not to imprison people.

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Annex B: Fawcett Society Conditions and Questions for Commissioners In their report Provision for Women Offenders in the Community, the Fawcett Society proposed nine effective practice conditions and questions commissioners to consider: 1. Be women-only to foster safety and a sense of community and to enable staff to develop expertise in working with women; 2. Integrate offenders with non-offenders so as to normalise women offenders’ experiences and facilitate a supportive environment for learning; 3. Foster women’s empowerment so they gain sufficient self- esteem to directly engage in problem- solving themselves, and feel motivated to seek appropriate employment; 4. Utilise ways of working with women which draw on what is known about their effective learning styles; 5. Take a holistic and practical stance to helping women to address social problems which may be linked to their offending 6. Facilitate links with mainstream agencies, especially health, debt advice and counselling. 7. Have the capacity and flexibility to allow women to return to the centre or programme for ‘top up’ or continued support and development when required; 8. Ensure that women have a supportive peer-group or a mentor to whom they can turn when they have completed any offending-related programmes. Personal support is as important as direct input addressing offending behaviour; 9. Provide women with practical help with transport and childcare so that they can maintain their involvement in the centre or programme. We would support these conditions though question whether, although women only services will be most suitable for many women this may not be the case for all. In a difficult financial environment prioritisation also applies to working with women. The nine questions commissioners and providers need to ask: 1. What is available within the region specifically for women (including young women, ethnic minority women, older women and other disadvantaged women)? 2. To what extent could existing mainstream provision for women be utilised for women offenders? Are there useful partnerships that could be forged between agencies to help address women offenders’ needs (including both intra and inter voluntary and statutory provision)? 3. In what ways could any barriers to working with women who offend, within existing service provision, be addressed and overcome? 4. Do any of the potential service providers already have a stable setting/or building which might be used as a base for a women’s service? 5. Who, if any, are the other service users within the same building or setting? Would any of these other service users militate against the creation of a safe supportive environment for women? Or, conversely, can any of the other activities within the same setting be used to enhance the work with women (for example, Women’s Aid or counselling)? 6. Is there appropriate childcare provision? If not, could childcare provision be created / accessed? 7. Is the building / setting easily accessible and otherwise conducive to women’s needs? Could transport be provided? 8. Does the project initiate styles of working with service users which are conducive to women’s learning needs? 9. Does the provision provide opportunities for women to be integrated within non-offending groups?

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