NOMS NewSLatest prison competition resultCommissioning plan published »

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ON the frONtliNeTop award for probation trustLottery cash for prison project »

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Changing lives together Quarterly update from the National Offender Management Service NOVeMBer 2012

wOrkiNg with StakehOlderSSt Giles Trust works with probation and prisonsDrugs focus on TVOlder prisoner project goes national

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12NOMS ONliNeFind out who to contact at NOMS and give feedback about Changing Lives Together

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Next steps for prison competition

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The latest stage of the competition for eight prisons and a new approach to competing services across the public prison estate have been announced by Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Justice.

Northumberland prison (an amalgamation of the former Castington and Acklington prisons) and the South Yorkshire group of Moorland, Hatfield and Lindholme prisons will proceed to the next stage with three remaining bidders, Sodexo, Serco and MTC/Amey. This competition process produced a compelling package of reforms for delivering cost reduction, improvements to regimes and a working prisons model in these prisons.

This was not the case for Coldingley, Durham and Onley prisons, so the competition for these prisons is not proceeding and they will remain in the public sector. The current contract for Wolds prison expires in July 2013

at which point the prison will move to public sector management.

The competition process has also identified further and faster ways of securing future cost reductions. All public sector prisons will be obliged to make additional efficiency savings and the prison service will make collective savings by competing ancillary services, such as maintenance and resettlement services.

The Ministry of Justice has estimated that these changes will generate £450m savings over the next six years.

Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling said:

“The cost of running our prisons is too high and must be reduced. We can do this by being more innovative and efficient, and without compromising public safety.

“That is why I have decided to take a new approach to how we compete prison services and reduce unit costs across the prison estate that will lead

to better value for the tax-payer, linked to more effective services to reduce reoffending.

“This is a challenge the public sector must rise to. The approach I am announcing today does not rule out further prison-by-prison competitions in the future.”

The competition for nine prisons started in July 2011. Combining Castington and Acklington into the newly-named Northumberland

prison reduces the number in the competition to eight.

At the start of the competition process there were seven bidders: GEO, G4S, HMPS, Interserve, MTC/Amey, Serco and Sodexo.

Wolds prison was built by the public sector, opening in 1992, and has been run by G4S since then. The current contract expires in July 2013 when the prison will move to public sector management.

Moorland Prison

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the NOMS Commissioning Intentions negotiation document for 2013-14 has now been published.

The document, which covers the whole range of offender services that NOMS commissions, forms the basis for negotiations on new or refreshed contract and Service Level Agreements with providers of offender services in custody and in the community, starting from April 2013.

Ian Porée, Director of Commissioning and Commercial said: “In parallel with this commissioning round, the Ministry of Justice and NOMS will be proceeding, at pace, with the reforms required to deliver a rehabilitation revolution, driven by payment by results.

“These will be implemented as soon as possible and integrated into the overall package of services which NOMS commissions from a diverse range of provider.

“The Secretary of State for Justice has made it clear that his priority is to see more people properly punished but fewer offenders returning to the system. This priority is supported by the commissioning intentions set out in this document, which I am confident will support the process of making the right commissioning decisions in a financial context that is more challenging than ever.”

Key milestones in the NOMS Commissioning Round for 2013-14:

• November 2012 – Negotiations with prisons and probation trusts start

• December 2012 – First offer from public sector prisons and probation trusts

• March 2013 – Negotiations conclude

• April 2013 – New service level agreements and refreshed/new contracts take effect

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NOMS board changesSteve Wagstaffe, Director of Public Sector Prisons is retiring after 28 years of service. Phil Copple, currently Director of High Security, will replace him from January 1, but will retain responsibility for the High Security Estate. Ian Porée has been seconded to the Ministry of Justice Rehabilitation Programme, Ian Blakeman has been made interim Director of Commissioning and Commercial.Carol Carpenter has become NOMS HR Director, returning to NOMS from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Andrew Emmett, has been appointed to the role of Director of Finance and Analysis, after an interim stint.Paul Wilson CBE has been appointed a non-executive director on the NOMS board. He is a former Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Probation Area.

Community Payback contract startsSerco started managing Community Payback in London on October 31.

The company won the competition to provide Community Payback in the capital, with London Probation Trust as a sub-contractor.

Serco will manage Community Payback placement sourcing and organisation, worksite supervision and logistics. London Probation Trust will provide the offender management aspects of the work, including report writing, risk assessment, and maintenance of case records and enforcing the sentence in court.

The company will establish its own systems for operating Community Payback in London and introduce innovations including implementing intensive Community Payback, with offenders working longer hours each day, and unemployed offenders working up to four days a week.

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NOMS Commissioning Intentions

Carol Carpenter

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Probation costs revealed New probation trust statistics published this year for the first time show the unit costs of community orders and suspended sentence orders, cost per offender supervised on licence post-custody and cost per pre-sentence report.

The figures, for 2011-12, show a pre-sentence report costing £215, a community order/suspended sentence order costing £4,135, and post custody supervision on licence costing £1,190.

The publication meets new transparency commitments by NOMS, and comes alongside a range of other statistics including reoffending figures, safety in custody and offender management updates, all available on the Ministry of Justice website.

The reoffending figures, for 2010, show overall reoffending at 26.7 per cent, a small rise from 2009 of 0.4 per cent.

2011-12 prison costs per prisoner and prisoner place show reductions of seven per cent and six per cent respectively, at £35,000 and £38,000.

Trusts set for lie detector tests Serious sex offenders on licence are to undergo mandatory lie detector tests, following a successful pilot project.All probation trusts will follow the pilot areas of the East and West Midlands by introducing the polygraph tests if the necessary legislative changes are made following debates in both Houses, and after NOMS has awarded the contract to conduct the tests following a competition. Polygraph testing by trusts is expected to start by the end of 2013.Joan Scott, Head of NOMS Sex Offenders Team said: “The pilot

showed that offenders disclosed more information when subject to the polygraph than if they were just asked questions by offender managers.“Interestingly, the results suggested that it’s sometimes the fear of the test that encourages the disclosure, as much as the test itself.”The pilot compared the East and West Midlands with a control group of offenders from the North West and Yorkshire & Humberside regions.Caroline Logue, Senior Research Manager on the Ministry of Justice’s Evidence and Analysis Team said: “Many people might associate lie detectors with American TV or the Jeremy Kyle Show, but they are surprisingly sophisticated when used

correctly; and something that offender managers will really value.”

Prisons changing rolesTwo prisons are changing function to address the needs of the wider prison population.

Part of HMP Featherstone, near Wolverhampton, is being adapted to make it suitable for open conditions. HMP Kennet, in Merseyside, is being turned into a resettlement prison focusing on indeterminate sentenced prisoners deemed suitable for open conditions or suitable for release on

temporary licence in order to provide a managed return to the community.

At present there is a shortfall in the number of open prison spaces available to adult male prisoners suitable for open conditions with specific needs in the West Midlands and North West. This is not only preventing prisoners from progressing, but also represents a financial burden to NOMS by keeping prisoners in more expensive accommodation than they require.

These changes are intended to address both issues.

Work on the changes are expected to be completed by the end of this financial year.

featherstone Prison

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Changing lives together

Our how i help Change lives campaign is continuing to grow, as these cases from prison and probation demonstrate.

Sydney Coy, Director of Prison Operations for the Nehemiah Project, delivers a five-month intensive alcohol programme at HMP Kingston.“We accept each individual as a man who is willing to change, so we equip

them with tools that are going to enable them within the community,” he says.“The majority of men we have worked with know they have done wrong, but struggle to forgive themselves and move on. This is paramount to a man’s recovery and rehabilitation.”Lincolnshire Probation Trust’s Health Support Service champions healthier offender lifestyles through an initiative that has lasted a decade.The service’s first incarnation, the Healthy Living Project, was launched in 2003 with initial five-year funding of £1million from the Big Lottery Fund. Run by a multi-agency board,

including local prisons, NHS Primary Care Trusts and the University of Lincoln, its starting hypotheses was that intervening to improve the general health of offenders in the community might have a disproportionately positive impact on overall public health.It has since evolved into the Health Support Service offering a wider range of interventions and targeting a broader set of socially excluded groups in the county, with two full-time health trainers.The Health Support Service manager Tony Connell said: “We aim to reduce offending through our work – either directly, through addressing substance misuse and mental health issues, or indirectly by reducing social exclusion, to which poor health contributes.”The How I Help Change Lives campaign is all about sharing ideas and best practice from across the justice system. If you would like to take part in the campaign, view our Helping to Change Lives video and gallery here and then let us know how you change lives using our online feedback tool.

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How do you help change lives? Reuse, recycle, rehabilitateAlmost 500 surplus NOMS laptops are enjoying a new lease of life helping nearly 100 voluntary organisations working with offenders.It wasn’t cost effective to reconfigure the laptops to use within NOMS. So they were securely wiped and voluntary sector support organisation Clinks helped NOMS find new homes for the computers.One recipient, Tom Chandler, from resettlement agency PLIAS, said: “Since picking up the laptops we have used them to deliver one-to-one advice and guidance sessions to service users with the aim of increasing their employability and helping them move into a suitable job or training course. Over 50 users have benefited so far.”Martin Bellamy, NOMS Director of Change and ICT, said: “I’m delighted that while consolidating our networks we have also helped tackle reoffending by putting surplus equipment to good use.“Small organisations can find it difficult to afford equipment, so it’s great news that they are benefiting.”

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NOMS in numbers 2012

9,000 prisoners working in custody (at end of March 2012)

11.4 million hours worked by prisoners (2011-12)

£383, 724 paid by working prisoners towards victim support(Sep 2011-April 2012)

65,587 Community Payback orders completed

8.3 million Community Payback hours worked

£50 million value of Community Payback hoursworked (at National Minimum Wage)(2011-12)

Payingback87.2%

of offenders in settled or suitable accommodation at end of sentence, order or licence(2011-2012)

36%one year proven reoffending rate for adults discharged from prison or commencing a court order(latest figures Jan-Dec 2010)

21,719 Offending behaviour programmes completed in custody and the community (including sex offender, alcohol and drugs programes)(2011-12)

37.9%of offenders in employmentat end of sentence, order or licence(2011-12)

Workingprisons

14 private prisons

35 Probation Trusts

117 public prisons86,283prisoners(Nov 2012)

230,736offenders in the community(June 2012)

(Data primarily from NOMS Annual Report 2011-12, the Annual Report Management Information Addendum and other published sources at www.justice.gov.uk/statistics)

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Merseyside Probation Trust has been awarded the British Quality Foundation’s 2012 UK Recognised for Excellence Award. This prestigious award recognises the best of business practices. The award to Merseyside is the first time that an individual trust has been recognised in this way.Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal presented the award to the Anne Pakula, the Trust’s Head of Operations, at a ceremony in London which was attended by a number of Trust staff, including Liz Barnett, Board Chair, Annette Hennessy, Chief Executive, and John Stafford, the recently retired Chief Executive.Annette Hennessy, Merseyside Probation Trust Chief Executive Officer, said: “This has been a fantastic night for probation and Merseyside. I am so incredibly proud of the Trust, our staff, and their passion and hard work, without which this would never have happened. Well done to everyone involved.”Anne Pakula said: “The UK Excellence Award is one of the highest accolades any organisation in the UK can

achieve – it recognises organisations which have demonstrated excellence in all areas of operation. To have won therefore is a tremendous accolade for the Trust, and will spur us on to continue to improve and achieve excellence in our work. It is undoubtedly a tribute to the staff at the Trust who have demonstrated such passion and commitment to their work.”Colin Allars, NOMS Director of Probation and Contracted Services, said: “This is a fantastic achievement by Merseyside Probation Trust and I know has been applauded by probation colleagues across the country.

“It rewards the Trust’s hard work over many years and their determination to achieve the very best. I am so pleased for them.”Joe Goasdoué, Chief Executive of the British Quality Foundation, said: “Winning the UK Excellence Award is an exceptional achievement for any organisation. Merseyside Probation Trust has not only joined the elite club of UK Excellence Award winners, but also maintained the Probation Service’s reputation for organisational excellence.”Last year the Probation Service became the first ever public sector organisation to be awarded the British Quality Foundation’s (BQF) Gold Medal for Excellence in recognition of commitment to sustained excellence across many trusts.

Top award for Probation Trust

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Princess Anne presents excellence award to Merseyside Probation Trust Nathalie Allard, Probation Champion

Probation officer in running for national gloryNathalie Allard, NOMS’ Probation Champion of the Year, will find out if she has won the Guardian Public Servant of the Year award on November 20.Nathalie, of Leicestershire & Rutland Probation Trust, was shortlisted for the coveted award for her “outstanding” work uncovering an extensive paedophile ring. When faced with a particularly complex case, she drew up a family tree and discovered extra victims and offenders going back four generations.The Guardian Public Servant of the Year award is determined by a public vote. Last year the award was won by Dave Damerell, Community Liaison Prison Officer at HMP Norwich.Nathalie was named Probation Champion of the Year in the NOMS staff awards in June this year.

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A prison peer mentor scheme supported by Warrington Wolves Rugby League football club has received a £300,000 boost from the Big Lottery Fund.

Andy Gatcliffe, Chief Executive of Wolves, has helped relaunch the Peer Mentor scheme at HMP Thorn Cross. The Wolves have supported the scheme since its inception in 2007 and are as involved as ever following the scheme’s £300,000 boost from the Big Lottery Fund.

The cash boost is funding project workers to develop the scheme working in partnership with other agencies. Some have also been trained by Job Centre Plus to advise on work programmes; by Shelter to advise on debt and housing issues, by The Shannon Trust to assist other prisoners with their literacy, and by Cheshire Police in Restorative Justice.

The Peer Mentor scheme focuses on improving safer custody and reducing anti-social behaviour,

building on research indicating peer mentoring schemes reduce incidents of bullying and vulnerability.

It also helps prisoners undertake restorative justice work in prison which began at Thorn Cross when a victim’s mother requested a victim impact statement was discussed

Wolves help at Thorn Cross

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lottery winning team

Reading’s royal award boostReading Young Offender’s Institution is helping the Duke of Edinburgh’s award make good on its vision to “create a world where young people can reach their full potential whatever their circumstances”.

Young offenders are working their way to achieving the bronze award while in custody with the help of physical education instructor, Dave Stretton.

Dave says: “This is the first time many of them have completed challenges or experienced success. This programme suits our guys where sitting in a classroom didn’t.

“We’ve already had lads who have gone on to do their silver and gold awards. They’ve moved on from crime.”

with an offender who was in Thorn Cross.

Since the scheme began, 236 prisoners have been trained as mentors with 93 per cent carrying out their duties effectively. 107 mentors have later given crime prevention talks in the community.

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Clink cuisine comes to Cardiff

Prisoners from Cardiff and Prescoed prisons will be working in a newly refurbished restaurant outside Cardiff Prison gaining a range of hospitality-related qualifications in a real work environment.This second “Clink” restaurant follows in the footsteps of the first at High Down Prison is positively promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into societyRichard Booty, Cardiff’s Governor, said: “This partnership will help us deliver an employment-based scheme to get prisoners work-ready and prepared for released. We are working in partnership with The Clink charity and Prescoed Prison to ensure this opportunity is widely available to prisoners in Wales.”

Northumbria Probation Trust has started using the restorative justice approach, and it is already proving a success.Research shows restorative justice conferences, where offenders come face to face with their victims, are extremely effective in reducing reoffending and increasing victim satisfaction. Both parties must agree to it and a great deal of specialist assessment, taking the specific circumstances and individuals into account, is required before a decision is made about the best way to proceed. The Trust has been working with Northumberland Prison to develop restorative justice conferences and has received a number of referrals. The first conference in the prison received excellent feedback. The session involved the victim of a devastating assault and the two perpetrators. Everyone involved benefitted from the conference. The victim said he got what he wanted from the meeting and it helped him to move on. The offenders also said

they felt better for taking part, and acknowledged the harm caused by admitting things they had previously denied.Restorative Justice Week starts on November 18. During the week NOMS will be highlighting Restorative Justice approach among staff. Michael Spurr, NOMS Chief Executive Officer, gives his support to RJ in a video to staff. The RJ Council’s Best Practice Guidance will be published on intranets for prisons and probation staff.A definitive guide to restorative justice, Better Outcomes, is due to be published on the Ministry of Justice website soon.

Restorative justice scores high Skills for the road National Prison Radio ran a three-week campaign this autumn to encourage prisoners to make positive steps towards gaining new skills for employment.Skills for the Road included features, interviews and adverts showcasing a range of courses and workshops in prisons, from retail to rail track, woodwork to welding, and catering to computer technology.The campaign, which included features on workshops in prisons including Blundeston, Brinsford, Brixton, Lindholme, Ranby, Styal, The Verne, Wandsworth and Wymott, raised awareness of the variety of services available to support learning and skills development, including the National Careers Service, now available in all prisons in England.Prisoners can still call the free-of-charge National Prison Radio Information Line (0808 123 1234) to receive an information pack giving advice on qualifications, CVs and job applications and preparing for the world of work beyond custody.

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“Given the tough job market conditions and chaotic nature of our clients, we are aiming for ambitious targets. The team will aim to work with 350 clients over the next two years, help 75 of these into employment and support a further 45 into education or training. “However, our past experience shows that it can be done. One third of the workforce at St Giles Trust are ex-offenders and last year we helped a record number of people into education, training and employment despite very difficult conditions.

period on release from prison to steer offenders on the path to resettlement and help reduce reoffending rates. The team is working closely with local prisons (Leeds, Wealstun and Northallerton) to establish early contact with offenders, draw up support plans and then offer “through the gate” support into the community. With a focus on preparing for work, offenders are put in touch with training providers, other agencies and employers willing to provide them with vital paid and voluntary work experience.Rob Owen, St Giles Trust Chief Executive, said: “We have already established a range of productive partnerships, including those with local probation trusts and police with whom the team are already working with.“Local colleges, other voluntary organisations and local social enterprises offering opportunities in catering and recycling are also providing essential training, volunteering, work placement and paid opportunities.

Changing lives together

An organisation which employs ex-offenders is working in partnership with NOMS on a new initiative involving probation and prison.St Giles Trust has been working with ex-offenders and marginalised people for 50 years, helping people move their lives forward towards independence.In a new development under the NOMS-ESF Step Change Programme, the organisation is now working with West Yorkshire Probation Trust to help ex-offenders find work.The initiative, part of the NOMS-ESF Step Change Programme, targets people with high support needs and who are most excluded from the job market. Typically these are prolific and priority offenders (PPOs) and those serving short sentences. This group tends to be very socially excluded and have significant support needs including homelessness, substance misuse and chaotic lifestyles. A small, experienced team – all with local, frontline knowledge – is providing support in the crucial

ON thE fRONtlINE WORKING WIth StAKEhOlDERSNOMS NEWS NOMS ONlINE

Trusts team up

We firmly believe that patient, persistent dedication when working with needy clients is the way to achieve good results.“We look forward to working in Yorkshire to help tackle re-offending in the area, ultimately meaning safer communities and fewer future victims.”Rob said: “After somewhere to live, the single biggest factor our clients tell us would stop them reoffending is stable employment.”

Rob Owen, St Giles Trust

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21 years ago, was recently highlighted by Prime Minister David Cameron as an example of what can be done during sentences to rehabilitate offenders and drive down reoffending.Nick Messikh, RAPt treatment manager at The Mount (pictured), who featured in the Brand programme, said it’s essential to tackle offenders’ addictions when they are in prison:“Some of the guys we work with have committed horrendous crimes, and they’ve broken the law of the land and it’s right they’re taken out of society.But if we don’t work with them while they’re in prison then we will just release the problem.”

NOMS has awarded funding to a charity that promotes the care, resettlement and rehabilitation of older prisoners so it can spread its work nationally.RECOOP (Resettlement and Care for Older ex-Offenders and Prisoners) helps set up interventions, capacity and skills necessary to meet the needs of older offenders in custody and the community. It has been working with older offenders (aged over 50) in the South West since 2005.Now RECOOP wants to engage prisons and probation trusts nationwide in a project to identify the needs of both service providers and offenders, to raise awareness of the issues and begin to form lasting partnerships across NOMS and the voluntary sector. Services provided by RECOOP to older prisoners in custody include giving information and advice, low level social care and advocacy. It promotes older prisoner health and wellbeing,

improves prison and support staff awareness and helps develop older prisoner forums.In the community, it raises awareness of the needs of older offenders at a regional and national level, and develops and provides opportunities for volunteering, training and employment.Anyone interested in getting involved in the project should contact: Paul grainge (London, West and Wales) paulgrainge@recoop.org.uk 07966 800 202

anna haggith (East, South East) annahaggith@recoop.org.uk 07436 561 351

Jane Wilkes (Midlands) janewilkes@recoop.org.uk 07966 800 200

Susan gillen (North) susangillen@recoop.org.uk 07966 800 201

RAPt finds fan in Brand A project run by offender drug treatment charity the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt) at The Mount prison was included in a recent TV documentary.Comedian and actor Russell Brand featured the project in his BBC Three documentary “From Addiction to Recovery”. Brand visited the RAPt unit at The Mount Prison as part of the programme, which argued that addicts should get wider access to drug and alcohol recovery programmes, inspired by his own experience of overcoming addiction.RAPt has recently won an expanded contract at The Mount to provide all drug and alcohol related interventions, and has recently taken on new contracts across the UK as part of new commissioning of drug services triggered by a reorganisation of budgets.The charity, which has become the largest provider of intensive drug treatment in UK prisons after launching the first ever programme for offenders

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Older offender organisation goes national

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Nick Messikh, RAPt

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Volunteering cases in prisons and probation are included in a new volunteering best practice guide produced by Clinks.

Volunteering Case Studies describes four organisations that use volunteers successfully, focusing on how they recruit and retain volunteers.

The organisations described work with black and minority ethnic and women offenders. They include Rite Direkshon, which runs education programmes at Ashfield Young Offenders’ Institution, and Women MATTA, which works with female offenders.

Volunteering works

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We hope that you have enjoyed this latest edition of Changing Lives Together. You can now subscribe to the ezine through the Justice website to make sure you never miss an issue. The ezine is also distributed by Clinks in the weekly Clinks Light Lunch round-up of news, events and discussions from all sectors of the criminal justice system.

Our online directory, how NOMS Works, has been recently been updated. It’s a useful guide to who does what in the organisation.

Do you have any comments about this edition?

Do you have any suggestions for future articles.

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Please send any comments, questions or feedback to:

matt.tucker@noms.gsi.gov.uk or juliette.maxam@noms.gsi.gov.uk

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