Working With Offenders
Hampshire Community Punishment Pathfinder
Hampshire is piloting a scheme for skills training and accreditation, the use of Pro Social Modelling, and evaluating aspects of placement quality and provision.
The pilot started in April 2000 and covers the whole of Hampshire Area. The evaluation includes all Community Punishment cases in the Area. The target intake sample of 540 cases was achieved in June 2001 with orders to be completed by November 2001. It includes orders of 60 hours or more to allow sufficient time for any measurable impact of PSM and to undertake skills training. The Area has three SPOs responsible for Community Punishment, with one acting as the manager for the Pathfinder project.
Skills training and accreditation is incorporated into all Community Punishment orders, with offenders allocated to particular placements according to employment related needs identified in an initial assessment undertaken at the start of the order. Offenders work towards a pre NVQ “Vocational Access Certificate”. This is a skills accreditation award which consists of a range of employment related modules.
Assessment is done by Community Punishment supervisors, with two supervisors taking a lead in assessments and internal verification. Hampshire Area is an accredited centre for the awarding of the qualification. Training takes the form of guided learning while performing CP work and does not form part of the 10% allowance within an order for non work activity. However the 10% allowance is used to access the Area’s employment officers and Basic Skills tutors.
Pro Social Modelling is based on the work of Trotter in Australia which suggested that the supervisory relationship could be used as an opportunity for staff to model and reinforce desired pro social attitudes and behaviours in offenders. The intention is that this will lead to an increase in compliance and a reduction in future offending. It involves areas of practice such as challenging antisocial attitudes and behaviours, ensuring a transparent fairness in the allocation of work and application of rules, explaining both the task in hand and any decisions taken during the work, having a positive attitude to the purpose and work of CP, and respectful attitude to the offenders. PSM had been implemented and staff trained Area wide prior to this pilot. Additional training has been provided for newly appointed staff.
Placements are also rated against a checklist to assess the degree to which they have qualities likely to enhance offender compliance and promote pro social attitudes and behaviour and a reduction in future offending. This builds on earlier research done by McIvor in Scotland which indicated beneficial outcomes from placements involving positive contact with beneficiaries, where the offender perceives the work as useful and making use of their aptitudes, and where opportunities are provided to enhance existing or acquire new skills. A further dimension to this is to evaluate differences between placements provided in-house with those group placements provided through partnership arrangements.
An interim report on the initial findings of the projects has now been published. Copies of the Executive Summary are available from the NPD e-mail address below. A full evaluation report will be published in March 2002 to report on the findings of all the Community Punishment Pathfinder Projects; with a reconviction analysis following in 2003. Given its initial success the Area will continue to operate Community Punishment on the project model until it is incorporated into a new national framework for CP in the future.
Further information
Roger Esnault |
01329 843116 |
Steve Woodgate, Pathfinder Development Manager, National Probation Directorate |
020 7217 0684 |
Last update: 15/09/03